Information for the public
The condition
The condition
Cluster headaches are attacks of severe pain around the eye accompanied by watering eyes and a runny nose. Attacks can happen several times a day and last from minutes to hours. The usual treatments for cluster headaches include drugs that help with symptoms (such as triptans) or that prevent and reduce the number of attacks (such as corticosteroids and nerve blocks).
If drug treatments haven't worked, surgical treatments are sometimes offered. NICE has looked at using sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation as another treatment option.
NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk) may be a good place to find out more.