Sharp headaches

My husband has these sharp, slicing headaches on the right side of his head (brain?) which re-occurs often. He says it feels like sharp knife cuts in his head. The first time he experienced it was last year.The doctor said it was due to high potassium. He just complained about it yesterday. Could you please advice me on what it could be and possible ways of treatment?

Thanks.

Ann62

[Dr Santos]

How are you? How is your husband? Cluster headaches are most common in middle-aged men and are among the most painful of all headaches. The individual is often awaken 1 to 3 hours after sleep with the headache in its full-blown state. The headache lasts about 1 hour and attacks occur frequently over several days to weeks then disappear for periods of months to years before returning. The pain in cluster headaches is extremely painful, unilateral headaches of a piercing quality, deep, and severe located behind the ear and may radiate to the forehead and temple regions. There is also tearing of the affected eye, nasal congestion, and nasal drip. Usually, smoking, alcohol ingestion and napping often precipitate attacks. Immediate administration of oxygen has been shown to provide some relief. It would be best to visit your doctor for proper evaluation and management since each person responds to medical treatment differently. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cluster_headache)

I hope this helps. Take care and keep us posted.

[Ann62]

I'm fine, thank you. Many thanks for your advice. My husband feels much better now. I guess his headaches might be stress related. He doesn't smoke nor drink. We would need to visit our doctor for a proper medical evaluation like you rightly adviced.

Cheers