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 can go years without a single cluster headache, and suddenly suffer them for a period of weeks on end.  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 can be easily identified by the pain level.

A sufferer of a cluster headache sometimes experiences a runny nose or eyes.  The pain tends to focus behind one eye, and is often described as feeling like an icepick.  This extremely uncomfortable sensation can become very intense, often times triggering a pain crisis in the patient.  The pain is often intense enough to trigger great emotional stress.  Immediate treatment is very important.  Sedatives and pain killers should be the first line of defense against cluster headaches.

Cluster headache treatment is not an exact science.  Instead of always remaining on medication, cluster headache treatment is typically limited to lifestyle choices.  Avoiding drugs and alcohol is an important first step in avoiding a triggering of cluster headaches.  Although prevention is difficult, cluster headache treatment measures such as powerful pain killers can be necessary to have on hand. 

Frequent cluster headaches are a definite sign that a visit to the doctor is in order.  Although cluster headaches may happen totally at random, they may sometimes be a sign of a deeper neurological issue.  If this is the case, it is important that treatment be sought 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 treatment is not certain, it is known to play a role in other headaches, and could potentially have an effect on the cluster variety of headaches.  Significant emotional stress is known to cause a variety of physiological symptoms, and could play an important role in cluster headaches as well.

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