Are Cluster Headaches and Trigeminal Nuralgia the same thing?

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LOL...Black is trying to tell you NO. 



Overview
Trigeminal neuralgia is very painful swelling (inflammation) of the nerve (trigeminal nerve) that delivers feeling to the face and "surface" of the eye.

Symptoms
Very painful, sharp electric-like spasms that last a few seconds or minutes
Pain is usually only on one side of the face, often around the eye, cheek, and lower part of the face
Pain may be triggered by touch or sounds
Pain occurs while:
Brushing teeth
Chewing
Drinking
Eating
Shaving

Treatment
Certain medicines can help reduce pain and the rate of attacks. These may include:

Anti-epilepsy drugs (carbamazepine, gabapentin, phenytoin)
Migraine medicines (sumatriptan)
Tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline, nortriptyline, or carbamazepine)
Some patients may need surgery.

Causes
Trigeminal neuralgia causes severe, short-lasting (only a few seconds) facial pain on the side of the affected nerve. The condition usually affects older adults.

CH is very different, but one can see why the correlation could be made. Were you diagnosed with one of the 2 choices Ryan?

They are different, however I was of the understanding that a cluster headache affected the trigeminal nerve.

As Linda wrote
Quote:

Trigeminal neuralgia is very painful swelling (inflammation) of the nerve (trigeminal nerve) that delivers feeling to the face and "surface" of the eye.

where as a cluster headache is caused by vascular swelling which inturn pinches the same nerve rendering the pain to the same area.

Just my understanding, please correct me if im wrong.

:)

No, you're not wrong, Turts.  I know a person who suffers from TN, and the thing looks a lot like a CH attack, although it's shorter in duration (at least in the person I know).  The causes apparently differ, but TN affects the trigeminal nerve as well.

By the way, Turts...haven't seen you around for a while.  How's your little boy doing?  Some updated pics would be nice.  (Hint, hint).

Best,

George