Finding relief from debilitating cluster headaches

John’s cluster headaches were so excruciating that he’d inhale pure oxygen to stop the pain.

Cluster headaches aren’t ordinary headaches or even migraines. They happen in patterns or cluster periods, which can last from weeks to months. John’s longest cluster headache lasted for 106 days. 

For 30 years, these painful episodes significantly interfered with John’s life. He sometimes went to work worn out after a sleepless night and dealt with two or three headaches in the middle of the day.

Turning his life around

John tracked his headaches in a journal and took different medications through the years to try easing the pain. He used an oxygen tank at home and coordinated getting oxygen tanks delivered to his hotel room when he traveled.

That all changed when John met with Dolores Dominquez Santamaria, MD at the AHN Headache Center. She and her team provide evidence-based medicine and new treatments to patients with all types of headache disorders. 

An innovative device for headache relief

Dr. Santamaria introduced John to a preventive treatment for cluster headaches that had recently become available. The treatment is a device called gammaCore Sapphire™, which activates the vagus nerve using gentle electrical stimulation. It suppresses the central neurologic inflammatory process that involves the hypothalamus. This is the part of the brain that contains the “circadian clock,” a built-in schedule that responds to sunlight and causes cluster attacks for some patients.

Twice a day, John places the gammaCore — about the size of a cellphone — against his neck. When he feels a vibration on his skin, and certain muscles begin to contract, it’s a sign he has successfully activated the vagus nerve. “I put it on there every morning and every night for two minutes,” John said. “I’ve been doing it for several years now and haven’t experienced any cluster headaches.”

Making a difference for headache patients

AHN is pioneering some of the latest, most advanced headache treatments like electric modulation therapy, and new-era abortive and preventive oral, injectable, and infusion medications. 

“Because we specialize exclusively in headache medicine, we are able to offer nearly any available treatment on an outpatient basis,” Dr. Santamaria said. “These patients can go from being on the edge to regaining their lives. The options we can provide can make a drastic difference in patients’ lives.”

The experts at the AHN Headache Center can help you or your loved one get control back, too. Call (412) 578-3925 or request an appointment to learn more about headache treatments at AHN.