Cluster Headache vs. Migraine

A migraine is severe pain or throbbing, typically on one side of the head. Cluster headaches are painful headaches that are shorter in duration but recur over a period of a few months and are followed by a period of remission up to a few years.

1. Are cluster headaches worse than migraines?
2. Are cluster headaches related to migraines?
3. Do migraines come in clusters?
4. What triggers a cluster headache?
5. Is caffeine good for cluster headaches?
6. How do you fix a cluster headache?
7. What type of headache is a cluster headache?
8. How do you stop a cluster headache?
9. Are cluster headaches a disability?
10. Can you have a mild cluster headache?
11. How do you break a cluster headache?
12. How painful is a cluster headache?

Are cluster headaches worse than migraines?

Cluster headaches can be more severe than a migraine, but they usually don't last as long. These are the least common type of headaches, affecting fewer than one in 1,000 people. Men get them more than women do.

Are cluster headaches related to migraines?

The exact cause of cluster headaches is unknown, but cluster headache patterns suggest that abnormalities in the body's biological clock (hypothalamus) play a role. Unlike migraine and tension headache, cluster headache generally isn't associated with triggers, such as foods, hormonal changes or stress.

Do migraines come in clusters?

Cluster headaches come in bouts, or “cluster periods.” These periods last for weeks or months, according to the International Headache Society, and are separated by remissions lasting months or years. During a cluster period, the frequency of headaches ranges from one every other day to as many as eight per day.

What triggers a cluster headache?

Researchers don't know exactly what causes cluster headaches. They seem to be related to the sudden release of histamine or serotonin in the body. The following may trigger cluster headaches: Alcohol use or smoking cigarettes.

Is caffeine good for cluster headaches?

While caffeine use and withdrawal are headache precipitators, caffeine can also be an effective headache treatment.

How do you fix a cluster headache?

Acute treatments

1. Oxygen. Briefly inhaling pure oxygen through a mask provides dramatic relief for most who use it. ...
2. Triptans. The injectable form of sumatriptan (Imitrex), which is commonly used to treat migraine, is also an effective treatment for acute cluster headache. ...
3. Octreotide. ...
4. Local anesthetics. ...
5. Dihydroergotamine.

What type of headache is a cluster headache?

Cluster headaches (CH) are an uncommon, severe form of primary neurovascular headaches. CH are the most painful form of headaches, with the pain occurring on one side of the head and behind or above the eye or at the temple most commonly. The pain has been described as searing, burning and stabbing.

How do you stop a cluster headache?

There is no cure for cluster headaches. You can't do anything to prevent a cycle of cluster headaches from starting. But as soon as a cycle starts, you can take medicine that may help prevent more headaches or reduce how many you have during a cycle. You take this medicine every day during the cycle.

Are cluster headaches a disability?

It's possible for a disability claimant with severe cluster headaches to win disability benefits on appeal. Cluster headaches are loosely defined as intense headaches that are cyclical and occur in clusters.

Can you have a mild cluster headache?

Cluster headache attacks were divided into 4 categories of severity: mild (NRS 1-2), moderate (NRS 3-4), severe (NRS 5-6), and very severe (NRS 7+).

How do you break a cluster headache?

Corticosteroids are more effective for chronic cluster headache to break the cycle. If used for episodic cluster headache, when the medication is reduced the headaches come back. Ergotamine is infrequently prescribed. It can be helpful in reducing attacks at night if you take it at bedtime.

How painful is a cluster headache?

Cluster headache is among the most severe pains known to mankind. It is characterized by excruciating, debilitating pain lasting from 15 to 180 minutes, or occasionally longer. The pain is usually located around or through one eye or on the temple.