CLUSTER HEADACHES

Icepick-to-your-eyeball headaches

Cluster Headaches are so easy to spot. Nobody knows the precise mechanism, but you’ll hear terms like “vasodilation” and “trigeminovascular system” thrown around. You should be able to recognize clusters:

• Explosive 11/10 retro-orbital pain

• Autonomic Symptoms: Tears, rhinorrhea, and Horner Syndrome (ptosis, meiosis, anhidrosis)

• Episodes last about an hour (much shorter than a migraine)

How do you treat someone currently having a cluster headache?

Give them supplemental oxygen and a Triptan. 

How do you prophylactically treat them?

Verapamil.