hi lynxgirl, i suffer with both.

i have chronic migraines, and along the way, i have clusters too.

Hi nice to meet you.

I have been in a bad run of migraines this last month + was is being suggested as clusters as well. 

Curious what are you taking for them?

K thanks.  I tried a triptan and had horrible side effects.   haven't had much luck with preventatives so far either.  Thanks again

Hi Lynxgal,

I've had migraines for 20 years.  I can get them several times a week, sometimes I can go a fortnight without any.  I find I am able to treat them fairly easily.  I take 3 aspirin or 2 OTC co-codomols if I can catch it early.  If not, I find 2 prescription co-codomols with 30mg of codeine to be quite effective.  I rarely have a full blown migrain anymore although it can be annoying, inconvenient and time consuming having a lay down which i find almost mandatory.  Ice packs help a lot too.

It's frustrating when I'm having a cluster episode to have to deal with a standard migraine as well.   

I suffer from both migraines and cluster headaches.  The migraines I have anywhere from two to five times a week and the cluster headaches I have at least once a month, for which I have to get DHE injections for.  Until very recently I thought I was alone in this venture it's kind of comforting to find out I'm not even though my heart goes out to everyone of you in a big way.

Thank you everyone for the replies.

My migraines were at least 2 a week until I had my first child.  Then I went to maybe 2 a year with my longest run of 20 consecutive days of pain.  about 2.5 years ago it switched to silent migraines.  Just the visual aura and vision loss no headache. 

Around the same time the silent migraines started I started getting epiosdes of Neurological problems.   NOT related to the migraines I have a confirmed demylinating polyneuropathy of unknown cause but possibly hereditary.  (Peripheral Nerve problem).

Unfortunately, I seem to be having attacks on my cranial nerves as well.  Looks like I *may* have Trigeminial Neuralgia (electric shock pain across my right cheek bone into my nose that lasts only for a couple of seconds and come in rapid succession).  I'm not 100 % sold that what I have been experiencing is a cluster.

From the reading I have done a cluster is a least 15 mins long?  Mine is only maybe 2-5 mins.  I have had maybe 15 attacks in a day.  I have read that clusters max at 8 times a day?

Hi all, I have chronic clusters, chronic migraines (I am in bed in the dark with a bucket nearby about 4 or 5 days a week) trigeminal neuralgia and chronic persistent daily migraines. When the cluster hits I get a migraine and the TN flares up. They seem to feed off each other. I am trying to get disability but the judge seems to think I can work like this. Yeah right. NOT!!! Anyway, I cant stand energy drinks and they make me vomit so I chug iced coffee or cola. I keep washclothes handy for a cool rag on my face. I do not have any oxygen. My doctor thinks I dont need it. Boy is he wrong!!! So I am on pain managment now with up to 4 vicodin a day and 4 morphene tablets a week. I am also taking Valproate also known as Depakote because the newer epilepsy medications also used for this type of pain with the Trigeminal Neuralgia and Migraines does not work for me. I am also allergic (we are talking I cant breathe at all and have hives inside and out when I take these) to aspirin, ibuprophene and naproxen. So narcotics are my only option. I hate them actually but they do take the edge off the migraines, trigeminal neuralgia and chronic persistent daily headaches which in turn makes the cluster headaches arrive less often. It is an evil cycle. When I have them all flare up at once I am one miserable basket case. My advice is to keep after your neurologist (mine fired me because he couldnt help me any more so he said and I am looking for a replacement) to try different medications. There are so many available that something has got to work. I have also been diagnosed with Psuedotumor Cerebri and you may want to get checked for that as well. It involves a trip to the eye doctor to check your optic nerves for swelling. They do this by dialating the eyes and then shining a strong light in there to see the optic nerve. Clear your day for this because it MAY cause a migriane when this occurs. And you may possibly have to have a lumbar puncture. Yes they hurt and no it is not fun. Drink lots of caffiene afterwards and follow the aftercare instructions exactly. You will save yourself lots of pain if you do. I really hope this helped you. You are not alone in this. Feel free to pm me at any time. I check this board at least 4 times a week. Big hugs and hoping you have lots of pain free days. Sophia

I started getting CHs about 1990 each year since it has gotten a little worse, and about 4 years ago I also started to get migraines (not the same as CH) If my clusters go on for more than week it can trigger a migraine.  THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS 

    hope your days are pain free  Ed

Forgot to mention one thing in terms of aborting migraine vs clusters -

When I have taken a triptan for a migraine (I usually took maxalt MLT that melted on my tongue because they work faster than pills and if I was nauseous and vomiting it still absorbed) - I would then lie down in a dark quiet room awaiting the headache to subside.  I would sometimes fall asleep and a few hours later wake up and feel better.  Other times I would just lie there still until the throbbing subsides.

With clusters it is a whole other ball-game.  I cannot sit still while I am having a CH attack.  I am agitated, irritated.  I have paced.  I have rocked.  I have done everything EXCEPT lie down and wait out the pain.  I would never fall asleep if I were trying to abort one.  I could never try. 

Maybe this in part helps in the explanation of the differences??  This is, once again, my experience - of course!!  Everyone has their own side of the story...

Val

Sophia wrote on Jul 6^th, 2009 at 4:04am:


If you're in the US, they generally deny you 2-3 times BEFORE you get disability. It doesn't matter if you're about to die, unless you get a lawyer? They won't help you.

Hate to meet aonther sufferer of PTC. I had remission for 3 years, and it's back now.... Intracranial hypertension is the 'current' name for it. Going to have an LP soon. If you can take Diamox? It works in 50% of cases. Topamax and Lasix also work pretty well.

I'll be PMing you, I'd wondered if anyone else had both forms of this hell...

PFDAN
Mystina