Managing Migraine Headaches

Migraine Symptoms, Causes & Treatments

Migraine Types & Their Remedies

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For a very long time cluster headaches were wrongly diagnosed. Though doctors saw and understood that their patients were in pain, the causes of that pain were a mystery, and they were usually considered a type of migraine, which is why they are still sometimes called cluster migraine headaches. It was only in recent decades that doctors recognized cluster headaches as something different.

A cluster headache is an set of episodic headaches that are characterized by one to three short attacks of pain. These attacks occur over a period of four to eight weeks, and then disappear for some time. The pain comes quickly and it peaks in two to fifteen minutes. It usually begins above, around, or in the eye or temple. In some cases, the ear, hemicranium, neck, or face are affected.

Unlike migraines, the pain of a cluster headache is ALWAYS unilateral (sometimes migraines can cover both sides of the cranium), and it can affect the same side during subsequent bouts. Patients have described cluster migraine headaches to be explosive pain that does not fluctuate or throb. Because it commences so quickly and is characterized by explosive pain, sufferers are usually unprepared for attacks. True cluster headaches are more common among men. They are less common than migraines.

As mentioned earlier, cluster headaches have been diagnosed as clinically different from a migraine, despite the fact that it is often associated as one. Because it is a different type of headache, it is treated differently. Migraine medication has been known not to work with cluster headaches, and this was one of the reasons that led doctors to believe it was something else. During an attack, cluster migraine headaches can be treated by breathing in pure oxygen, which raises blood oxygen levels and relaxes constricted blood vessels. They can also be treated through powerful pain killers.

Despite having methods of treatment during an attack, the best way to treat a cluster headache is through prevention. Doctors often prescribe Lithium Carbonate. Lithium can impact the electrical system within the brain and this has been an effective treatment. Calcium channel blockers have also been known to be effective by blocking the release of neurotransmitters that cause pain. Corticosteroids and methysergide are two other ways to treat cluster headaches, but neither is ideal for long-term use.

Having cluster headaches could be the reason why migraine treatments have never worked for you. If you suspect you are suffering from cluster headaches or if someone has told you that what you have been complaining about are cluster migraine headaches, be sure to see a doctor right away. You will need an official diagnosis before proceeding with the right medication.

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