Posted by Bennie Sue (165.121.229.221) on March 18, 2001 at 04:55:24:
http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section14/chapter168/168c.htm
Cluster Headache
Headache that lasts 15 to 180 min, is severe, is unilateral, is located periorbitally and/or temporally, occurs up to 8 times per day, and is associated with at least one of the following: tearing, red eye, stuffy nose, facial sweating, ptosis, or miosis.
Men have cluster headache more often than women. Triggers include alcohol, sleep, and barometric pressure change. The pathophysiology is unknown but may be similar to that of migraine (see above).
Diagnosis is based on symptoms and the exclusion of intracranial pathology. Treatment is prophylactic, abortive, or analgesic. The calcium channel blocker verapamil and the serotonin antagonist methysergide are used for prophylaxis. Sumatriptan and ergots are used for abortive treatment. Indomethacin is uniquely effective for cluster headache.