Dealing With Headaches

So far, the only known treatments for cluster headache are injections of sumatriptan you have to give yourself and oxygen therapy, which insurnace companies won’t cover in America and requires running to a hospital with an oxygen chamber. Is there a more conveinent solution? Hopefully now, there is. Clinical studies have concluded that Zomig nasal spray(zolmitriptan) can help reduce the pain of cluster headaches a half hour after taking it.

Study Details

Zomig comes in tablet, injectable and nose spray form, but the European studies were done with just the nasal spray. 121 adluts were goven a double blind test where they may be snorting either Zomig or a placebo. Two doses of Zomig was used in the test — one at 5mg and the other at 10mg. Bother doses helped to cut the intensity of the pain.

There are two kinds of cluster headache victims. There is the usual episodic cluster headache (comes and goes) and chronic cluster headaches (never goes away). The studies included members from both groups, with more episodic than chronic cluster headache volunteers.

There were several studies performed. The results were pooled together and presented at the European Headache and Migraine Trust International Congress, held in London last week. I’m afraid I haven’t been able to find out who funded these studies. I’ve got a teensy-weensy little feeling it might have been Astra-Zeneca, the makers of Zomig. WebMD reports that Astra-Zeneca “supported this research”. Hmmm.

Zomig is only licensed for migraine treatment and not licensed for cluster headache treatment in the UK or the USA. It is in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark.

Fellow triptan drug Imitrex has also been used as a cluster headache treatment, but results have been mixed. Verapamil can lead to heart problems and can’t stop an attack once it starts.

Cluster Headache FAQ

Cluster headaches is one of the most painful conditions a human being can have. Even as a long-time migraineur, I concede that cluster headaches are more painful than migraines or even concussions. Cluster headaches usually affects more men than women and sets in when you are about 28, 29 or 30. Attacks tends to come in cycles, usually starting a short time after the victim falls asleep and happening for many nights in a row before mysteriously vanishing into the choas from whence it came.