What is the difference between cluster headaches and trigeminal neuralgia?
Cluster headaches are severe headaches that typically affect the area around the eye or the temple (the flat areas on the side of your forehead). Like trigeminal neuralgia, cluster headaches occur in bouts. During a bout, you will get a headache at least once every two days but rarely more than once or twice in a day. This is usually on the same side of your head and can last between 20 minutes and two hours. Bouts of cluster headaches last for weeks or months. Some people have remission periods, where the headaches stop for months or years before returning. Unlike trigeminal neuralgia, cluster headaches tend to start at night and the pain is worse when lying down. Light touch to the face doesn’t trigger pain and the pain is steady unlike trigeminal neuralgia. Cluster headaches cause redness and watering of the eye, which doesn’t occur in trigeminal neuralgia.
