Study: Cluster Headaches Effectively Treated with Nasal Spray

An American Academy of Neurology (AAN) press release says a recent study of the effectiveness of nasal spray in treating cluster headaches was published in the Aug. 28 issue of "Neurology," the AAN's medical journal.

A cluster headache is described by eMedicineHealth as one of several sudden and severe headaches that generally last a short time, but can come in bunches - thus the term "cluster" headaches. The pain is said to be excruciating and difficult to treat. It often peaks within five to 15 minutes, but remains severe for one to three hours.

Although not life threatening and relatively rare (affecting less than 1% of the U.S. population), cluster headaches sometimes lead to depression and anxiety disorders just because they are so painful and unpredictable. Men seem to be three to four times more likely to suffer from cluster headaches than women; smoking worsens their symptoms.

AstraZeneca, the maker of zolmitriptan, sponsored the study, which involved 52 people with cluster headaches. Zolmitriptan is used for treating migraine headache symptoms, according to MedlinePlus, but is currently dispensed only as a tablet that quickly dissolves in the mouth. The medication works by reducing the swelling of blood vessels around the brain and blocking substances that cause pain and other migraine symptoms; it is not a headache preventative.

In the study, the participants used either zolmitriptan nasal spray or a placebo to treat 151 separate cluster headaches. The results were that as many as 63 percent of the participants experienced relief within 30 minutes when using 10 milligrams of the nasal spray. Of those in the placebo group, 30 percent had relief within 30 minutes.

Dr. Alan M. Rapoport was the author of the study. He is with The New England Center for Headache in Stamford, Conn., and Clinical Professor of Neurology at The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles. Although 63 percent may not be as high a percentage as sufferers would like to see, Dr. Rapoport said it was "significant" and "the main endpoint of our study." He said that "cluster headache is an extremely severe headache disorder with enormous unmet treatment needs. Few medications for cluster headache have been systematically tested, and only one, which involves an injection of sumatriptan, has been FDA approved."

Dr. Rapoport said that "because a cluster headache attack builds up to a crescendo within five to 15 minutes, treatment must be rapid and offer significant relief." This is what gives nasal spray its appeal. Also, there were no significant side effects reported during the study.

The FDA has not approved zolmitriptan nasal spray for use in cluster headaches, but it holds out the most hope for sufferers so far.

Sources:

Press release, New Treatment Effective for Most Severe Kind of Headache; http://www.newswise.com/articles/view/532656/

eMedicineHealth; http://www.emedicinehealth.com/cluster_headache_faqs/article_em.htm

MedlinePlus;http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a601129.html