Cluster Headaches vs. Migraines: How Are They Different?

Your head hurts so much, and you feel so bad that you can’t possibly have an ordinary headache. It’s gotta be a migraine. 

But does it? Although migraines often come with headaches, migraines have key features that common headaches don’t have. While you may think you have migraines, you could have a type of headache called a cluster headache.

At Advanced Medical Care in Queens and Brooklyn, New York, our experienced neurologists diagnose and treat all types of headache disorders, including migraines and cluster headaches. We can design an individualized treatment plan that addresses the type of headache that pains you.

Do you get cluster headaches or migraines? The following brief may help you better understand your head pain.

How long does your headache last, untreated?

If your headache goes away on its own after 30-90 minutes, you may have a type of headache disorder known as a cluster headache. If the ache returns after a short period of relief, that’s another strong sign that you’re dealing with a cluster headache.

Migraines, in contrast, tend to last much longer than 90 minutes without treatment. In fact, migraine pain can last all day or even several days and is relentless. You don’t get more than one migraine a day; it simply ebbs and flows.

Where is your headache located?

Cluster headaches usually occur on one side of your head. You may feel pain in your temple area or around your eye, for example.

Migraines can develop behind your eye, too. But they can also affect the front of your head, the back of your head, either side, or your entire head.

Both types of headaches can cause eye redness, tearing, and runny nose. However, with a cluster headache, those symptoms are limited to the side of the head that has the headache. With a migraine, both eyes are affected.

Do rest and darkness relieve your pain?

Migraines often involve your senses. Smells, sounds, or exposure to light may make you feel lightheaded or even cause nausea and vomiting. You may find relief by sitting or lying quietly in a darkened room.

If you have cluster headaches, darkness doesn’t help. In fact, resting in darkness may make you feel agitated and edgy. Instead, you might feel better if you walk around.

To make things even more complicated, however, you can get feelings of nausea or dizziness with cluster headaches, too. If you have cluster headaches, your forehead might start to sweat.

Does the pain throb?

The pain from cluster headaches tends to be continuous and unrelenting. Although migraines can also feel continuous, they tend to have a more throbbing type of pain; you may get the sensation that you feel your heartbeat in your head.

As mentioned, the pain from a cluster headache can go away completely and then return. With migraines, the throbbing pain may diminish, but it never completely goes away. After it eases for a while, it builds up again.

You could have both

Finally, what makes it extra difficult to distinguish a migraine from a cluster headache is that you may have both of these headache disorders. The only way to know for sure which type of headache you have is to consult with a neurologist for a thorough workup.

You may need a variety of therapies to combat your headache pain and prevent or minimize future headaches. Depending on your diagnosis and your degree of pain and dysfunction, we may recommend:

• Botox® for migraine prevention
• Nerve blocks
• Physical therapy
• Acupuncture
• Medication
• Lifestyle adjustments

Find out what type of headache you have so you can get the appropriate, targeted treatments you need. Book your appointment today — online or over the phone — for a migraine and headache evaluation with the neurology team at Advanced Medical Care.