Migraines or Cluster Headaches? How You Can Tell...

If you’ve ever experienced excruciating headaches but migraine treatments don’t work, tests show no brain tumors or other underlying conditions and no pain medication can touch the agony, you may not have migraines at all.  You may have cluster headaches.
 
Cluster headaches are different from migraines and are often called “suicide headaches” because of the incredible pain.  During a friend’s recent bout, I heard from several people that their cluster headaches were more painful than their previous experiences with labor and kidney stones.  It is an all-encompassing agony that comes on quickly and feels like it may never go away.
 
I also heard that for several of these people, their physicians either stopped looking for answers after prescribing migraine medications or did not take the headaches seriously.  My friend had to do her own research to find out what was wrong with her and that is where this article comes from.  I’ll share what we learned about the causes, symptoms and treatments here.
 

Is it migraine or a cluster headache?

 
There are definitive differences between the two types.  Both can feature sensitivity to light and sound and nausea or vomiting, though these are more typical for migraines.  With a cluster headache you may also experience a runny nose, a watery eye, a stabbing pain as opposed to a deep throbbing and pulsing and a deep, stabbing pain around the temple or the eye.   Some people will experience sinus problems on the side affected.
 
A migraine can vary in intensity and usually peeks anywhere from four to 24 hours to several days.  Migraine sufferers may also have warning signs like visual auras or strange smells.  A cluster headache comes on fast, is very severe, possibly many more times as intense as a migraine, and can peak around 45 minutes.  The pain is so severe most sufferers can’t sit still.
 

What causes a cluster headache and how does it set in?

 
Cluster headaches are fairly rare and typically start around the age of 30.  A patient can experience several headaches a day for a few weeks and then have a prolonged period of time with no symptoms.  Others get them more frequently and for longer periods.  They typically start after you’ve fallen asleep, but can occur at any moment.
 
No one knows what causes cluster headaches.  One possibility is the activation of the trigeminal-autonomic reflex pathway in the brain, which can cause all of the symptoms.  The nerve is activated by the hypothalamus which regulates our sleep cycles.  Imaging studies have shown that during cluster attacks, the hypothalamus is stimulated.  Why is not yet clear.
 

Triggers of cluster headaches

 
Many cluster bouts happen in spring and autumn around seasonal changes.  Some believe impacted sinuses can be a trigger.  People who can smoke and drink alcohol during headache-free periods without instigating an attack often experience a worsening during cluster bouts when consuming those substances.  Stress may play a part as well.
 

Medical treatments for headaches

 
If you’ve realized your headaches are not migraines and follow the path of clusters, your doctor may or may not consider the possibility.  According to research, only about 0.3% of people have cluster headaches.  Your doctor may have never dealt with someone who had them before.  If you think this is a definitive possibility for you, you should talk to your doctor about clusters and ask if you can try an oxygen treatment.
 
In about 80% of patients, inhaling 100% pure oxygen for ten to fifteen minutes at about eight to fifteen liters per minute or more can have dramatic positive effects.  It has been shown to be particularly valuable for night attacks.  For my friend in particular, it was the only thing that helped and she has since entered into a remission period.  An oxygen prescription may be covered by your insurance but this varies from plan to plan.  If oxygen is a viable option for you, it may be the first step to try before prescription medications that could carry a host of side effects.
 

Have you had cluster headaches?

 
If you’ve suffered through clusters before and have either used oxygen or found another treatment that worked well for you, we would like to know.  Simply send us a message at webmaster@promolife.com.
 
If you need support or wish to talk to other sufferers, there is a support group at http://www.clusterheadaches.com.
 
Sources
http://www.clusterheadaches.com/about.html
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/cluster_headache/article_em.htm
http://www.diffen.com/difference/Cluster_Headache_vs_Migraine
http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/cluster-headaches?page=2
http://headacheandmigrainenews.com/cluster-or-migriane-whats-the-difference/