Cluster Headache Treatment in India
About Cluster Headache
Key Highlights
-
Provides rapid relief from excruciating, debilitating headache attacks.Reduces the frequency and duration of future cluster periods through preventive strategies.Offers a personalized treatment plan tailored to the individual's headache pattern and response.Helps differentiate cluster headaches from other serious neurological conditions.Can significantly improve quality of life and daily functioning during cluster cycles.
Who is this surgery for?
- Experiencing severe, unilateral headache attacks lasting 15-180 minutes, occurring multiple times per day.
- Pain is located around or behind one eye, described as burning, piercing, or stabbing.
- Headaches are accompanied by autonomic symptoms like red/watery eye, nasal congestion, drooping eyelid, or restlessness.
- Attacks occur in cyclical patterns (cluster periods) lasting weeks or months, followed by remission periods.
- Over-the-counter pain medications provide little to no relief during an attack.
- Headaches significantly disrupt sleep, work, and daily activities.
How to prepare
- Keep a detailed headache diary noting time of onset, duration, pain location, intensity, and associated symptoms.
- Compile a complete list of all current medications, supplements, and past treatments tried.
- Be prepared to discuss personal and family medical history, especially regarding headaches or neurological conditions.
- For certain procedures like nerve blocks, you may be asked to fast for a few hours beforehand.
- Arrange for someone to drive you home if a procedure involving sedation is planned.
- Bring any previous brain imaging reports (MRI, CT scans) to the consultation.
Risks & possible complications
- Medication side effects: These can include fatigue, dizziness, weight changes, or cardiovascular effects depending on the drug.
- Procedure-related risks: For nerve blocks or injections, potential for infection, bleeding, or nerve injury at the site.
- Incomplete relief: Some patients may not achieve full resolution of attacks with initial treatment plans.
- Medication overuse: Risk of developing medication-overuse headache if acute therapies are used too frequently.
- Treatment interactions: Possible interactions between new prescriptions and existing medications.
Recovery & hospital stay
- Acute treatments like oxygen or sumatriptan injections aim for relief within 15-30 minutes, with no specific downtime.
- After preventive medication initiation, it may take several weeks to reach optimal therapeutic effect.
- Follow-up appointments are crucial to monitor effectiveness and adjust medication dosages.
- Continue maintaining the headache diary to track progress and identify triggers.
- Adhere strictly to the prescribed medication schedule, especially for preventives, even during remission periods.
- Implement lifestyle advice such as avoiding alcohol and maintaining a regular sleep schedule during cluster periods.
- Report any new or worsening symptoms to your neurologist promptly.
-
Typical hospital stay:
0-1 days
-
Expected recovery time:
Varies (Acute relief in minutes; preventive effects in weeks)
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are considering cluster headache in India, these questions and answers can help you make a confident, informed decision.
Popular choices for cluster headache in India include KMC Hospital Mangalore, Manipal Hospital Gurgaon, Manipal Hospital Jayanagar, Manipal Hospital Kharadi, Manipal Hospital Malleshwaram, known for experienced specialists and advanced surgical infrastructure.
Look at the doctor’s years of experience, hospital association, patient reviews, and how often they perform cluster headache. MediFyr helps you compare neurologists and book consultations online.
The overall cost depends on hospital category, surgeon’s experience, room type, implant or device used (if any), length of stay, tests, and post-operative care. Our team can help you get cost estimates from multiple hospitals before you decide.
Procedure cost in other countries
Here is an overview of how the estimated cost, hospital stay, and recovery time for cluster headache compare across other countries where we have data.
Top hospitals for Cluster Headache in India
These partner hospitals in India have dedicated neurology teams and experience managing patients undergoing cluster headache.
Gurgaon, India
60 Doctors
James Verma, a 42-year-old software engineer...
James Verma, a 42-year-old software engineer and father of two, had been suffering for five years. His attacks, which he called 'suicide headaches,' struck like clockwork every autumn and spring, waking him at 3 AM with searing pain behind his right eye, accompanied by a drooping eyelid and restlessness. He had tried every over-the-counter and prescription migraine medication with no relief, missing work and family events. His neurologist, Dr. Sharma, diagnosed him with chronic cluster headache and recommended a trial of greater occipital nerve block injections, steroids and anesthetic injected at the base of the skull to disrupt pain signals. James was anxious but desperate. During the quick in-office procedure, he felt a pinch and pressure. Within an hour, the constant background 'shadow' pain vanished. His next cluster cycle was dramatically shorter and less intense. Emotionally, James transformed from a man who dreaded the changing seasons, feeling helpless and isolated, to someone with a sense of control and hope, finally able to be present for his family.
Neurologists for Cluster Headache
Explore experienced neurologists who regularly perform cluster headache and provide pre- and post-operative care in India.
- 14 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Artemis Hospital Gurgaon, Gurgaon
- 33 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Artemis Hospital Gurgaon, Gurgaon
- 11 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospitals Broadway, Kolkata
- 16 Years Experience
- Neurologist
- 16 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Sarjapur Road, Bangalore
- 11 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Patiala, Patiala
- 13 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Mukundapur, Kolkata
- 24 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Mukundapur, Kolkata
- 13 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Whitefield, Bangalore
- 21 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Kharadi, Pune
- 17 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Millers Road, Bangalore
- 20 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Mukundapur, Kolkata
- 10 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Sarjapur Road, Bangalore
- 37 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Patiala, Patiala
- 20 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Artemis Hospital Gurgaon, Gurgaon
- 9 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Dhakuria, Kolkata
- 14 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Artemis Hospital Gurgaon, Gurgaon
- 23 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Mysore, Mysore
- 20 Years Experience
- Neurologist
Manipal Hospital Mukundapur, Kolkata
- 15 Years Experience
- Neurologist