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Latest Treatments for Cluster Headaches

Chronic headaches that recur frequently during a short period of time, with pain-free periods in between, are called cluster headaches. They are intensely painful, usually occurring on only one side of the head. Along with the pain, you may also experience a stuffy nose and watery eye on the same side of your head as the pain. While there are medicines for cluster headaches, stimulation of the occipital nerve and the hypothalamus are highly effective in the treatment of drug-resistant cluster headaches.

  1. Medication

    • Triptans are a type of cluster headache medication that can be injected at home or administered via a nasal spray. These methods allow the medication to take effect faster, providing quicker pain relief. Dihydroergotamine is a medication that is derived from ergot, a type of fungus that has a long history of medicinal use. It can be self-injected, taken via inhaler, or administered by an IV in a doctor's office. Octreotide is another medication that provides immediate pain relief. Octreotide is a protein that mimics a natural brain hormone called somatostatin, and it can also be self-injected after instruction by a medical professional.

    Occipital Nerve Stimulation

    • Stimulation of the occipital nerve is a useful treatment for cluster headache sufferers who have not responded well to medication. This procedure is still undergoing clinical trials, but initial results appear favorable for relief of cluster headaches. A small pacemaker-like device is placed under the skin at the base of the skull, in close proximity to the occipital nerve, in a surgical procedure that typically takes place in a hospital setting. The nerve stimulation device delivers an electric charge to the occipital nerve when a headache starts. The electrical charge released by the device provides varying levels of relief to different patients, depending on your unique situation.

    Hypothalamus Stimulation

    • Electrodes implanted in the hypothalamus, which is located above the pituitary gland, have also been successful in the treatment of chronic cluster headaches that do not respond to typical treatments. For individuals who experience persistent cluster attacks on only one side of the head, the electrode is implanted in that side of the hypothalamus. Individuals with bilateral cluster headaches require electrode implantation on both sides of the hypothalamus. The electrodes implanted in the hypothalamus are not triggered with a cluster attack, as with occipital nerve stimulation, but provide constant low current output to the hypothalamus, to prevent cluster attacks. The location of the hypothalamus makes this surgery more risky than occipital nerve stimulation, but success rates are high enough to induce many chronic cluster headaches to undergo the procedure.

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