bigmenawa wrote on Mar 19^th, 2009 at 11:24pm:


Well, I've got both Migraines and CH, I've had hits at the same time as the migraines. So it is possible. However, I can't answer if that's why you're having them like this...

Is there anything that you've done differently this cycle, that you weren't doing the last one? Anything new that you're eating, or being exposed to?

thank you pixie-elf.  sorry i forgot to hank you

I am going to have to paraphrase from my neurology consultant.

The thinking is that whilst the mechanism in the brain is switched on for CH [activates in a different part of the brain] the part that causes migraines is switched off. Both CH and migraine involves the TMN *ouch*
For a person with these two primary headache disorders they can have migraines that can mimic some of the stabbing and boring of CH during a migraine but its not a true CH as it would be in a CH cycle bout.
When in a CH bout the cluster headaches are true cluster headaches but can also mimic some of the symptoms seen with migraine like throwing up.
This is why so many GPs tend to get into such a mess when faced with a person who has both migraine and CH. They expect the headaches to fit nicely into boxes and they refuse to.
With me so far.
If your lucky you have episodic CH that gives you a few weeks of hell then a few weeks of migraine and back again. If your unlucky you have a few days or the wretched thing may switch daily [definatly one for a consultant neurologist headache specialist and not any old neurologist]
IF your being horribly sick you may need an anti-emetic it can help a lot and stop you getting dehydrated which usually makes the headaches worse.
It may also be worth considering sumatriptian or similar if you can take triptains with the CH as I found  that could often last over 24 hours and soothe any after shock 'migraine like tremors' that went with bad CH headaches.
It might be worth looking at dose of your topamax with your doc, it tends to need tweaking as you move between CH and migraine to nail both of the little swines to the floor.

Hope this settles down for you really soon.

thank you farzad for your post and encouragement.  i had to go today and have 2 different mri's, one for the brain and the other for the neck area. i also had a mra which shows the arteries and veins in your head.  i was in the mri tunnel for an hour and 3 minutes.  the mra was a twenty minute scan divided into two parts.  the first 14 minutes was a normal scan and then i was given an injection of some type dye.  the last 6 minutes showed the vessels with the dye in them.  i haven't gotten the results yet.  maybe on monday.  the nightly CH's and then the daytime migraines are getting old very fast.  we will just hang in there and beat this thing.  thank you and i hope you have a lot more PFD's.  thanks for responding.

Randall

well i never took any of the fancy drugs you all use but last cycle i finished off with some good wopping migraines during the day. the ch hits at night were enough to wake me up but controllable with o2. at the very end i finished off with just migraines. do you think it's possible that your cycle is nearing the end?.....hopefully

that sounds terrible guys,  hang in there, and maybe it is a sign that the CH is phasing out

good luck
chrisw

I've had both at the same time, and it is hell.

If I have a migraine, when a CH hits me iit's without warning because I didn't feel the shadow come on.

Dancing with a puke bucket is not fun.

Oh heck - it's just a headache - what are ya'll bitching about? 

Just kidding - put down the bats...   I'm a double-timer also... And it's no fun when they  both hit at the same time. Can't lay down with the CH and can't sit up with the migraine - Luckily I don't get them both at the same time often, but when I do - no human or animal wants to me anywhere near me.

Don't know what to tell you -- just hang in there -- Someday someone is going to find a cure -- sigh!!!

Hugs BD