headeach

what medicin can I take for having cluster headaches

[marileew]

Acute treatment: Oxygen, Zomig Nasal Spray 5mg, Imitrex Injection 12mg or Lidocaine Nasal Spray.

Preventive Treatment: A Calcium Channel Blocker.

Medical oxygen is the best acute treatment for cluster headaches. You need a prescription for this. It takes up to 20 minutes to administer. Out of all of the treatments for cluster headaches, oxygen is the most effective.

Out of the triptans (used for migraine headaches), the only two triptans that are effective for migraine headaches are Zomig Nasal Spray 5mg and Imitrex Injection 12mg. Both of these need prescriptions. I use Zomig Nasal Spray and Imitrex Injection. I get migraine headaches but rarely, according to my family doctor, I get cluster headaches as well, and these medications usually work on the cluster headaches for me as well. Zomig Nasal Spray or Imitrex Injection should stop the pain within a few minutes.

Lidocaine Nasal Spray is another acute Cluster headache treatment. This is a numbing spray that is sprayed into the nose. It can be very effective for some people and will usually stop the pain within a few minutes. Again, a prescription is needed.

For the preventative treatment of cluster headaches (taken daily), calcium channel blockers are usually used. I believe that Verapamil (a calcium channel blocker) is usually the first line of treatment. There are other daily medications that can be tried, usually they are similar to the daily preventative medications that are used for migraines, but these are often less effective. Sometimes lithium is also used. You need to speak to a neurologist about daily preventative treatment. Other possibilities for daily preventative treatment are steroids or injections of pain killer into trigger points although these wear off and are not long term solutions, and are usually only short term solutions.