For a small segment of the population, cluster headaches can cause severe pain with little warning. Cluster headaches attack at seemingly random intervals, for which they gain their name. Patients are known to live for years without a problem, and suddenly suffer them for days or weeks at a time. The cause behind cluster headaches remains a mystery, although it is thought that stress, alcohol, and drugs are all prompters of the condition. Even without these factors, however, a series of cluster headaches can befall a patient at any time in their life. A cluster headache is easy to differentiate from a normal headache because of its severity and distinct symptoms.

A sufferer of a cluster headache sometimes experiences a runny nose or eyes. The pain tends to focus behind one eye, and can be explained as like having an icepick driven into the eye. This extremely uncomfortable sensation sometimes becomes very painful, often times triggering a pain crisis in the patient. The pain is often intense enough to cause irrational behavior and extreme reactions. Immediate treatment is very important. Sedatives and pain killers can do a great deal to mitigate the devastating pain frequently associated with a cluster headache.

Basically, cluster headache treatment is a difficult process because of the seemingly random nature of their attacks. Instead of always remaining on medication, cluster headache treatment is typically limited to lifestyle choices. Avoiding drugs and alcohol should be a mandatory first step. Although prevention is difficult, cluster headache treatment can reduce the pain of the first attack significantly.

Frequent cluster headaches should be a signal to see the doctor. Although cluster headaches may happen totally at random, they may sometimes be a sign of a deeper neurological issue. If this is the case, patients should see a doctor as soon as possible. Some forms of stress management may also be considered effective cluster headache treatment. Although the role of stress in cluster headache treatments cannot be known for certain, it is thought to play a role, and could potentially have an effect on the cluster variety of headaches. Significant emotional stress should be managed carefully to prevent a possible cluster headache occurence.