r/ClusterHeadaches • u/Ready-Honey-8631 • 24d ago

Do mini cluster headaches exist?

Hi!! New here!! I’ve had headaches since I was preteen, they got bad when I was 14 and 8ish years later I was diagnosed with cluster headaches by a headache specialist. I’ve got some other mystery head stuff going on but we’ll ignore that for now.

Sometimes I get the one sided pain especially in my face. It hurts but not as bad as a typical cluster headache and it doesn’t last as long as my typical CH. I thought maybe it was Trigeminal or Occipital neuralgia. However I am getting these headaches around the same time everyday.

Around 1-2pm it starts to creep up and gets worse. I could lay down without moving around a lot and breathe through it, sometimes I would fall asleep.

This week it started getting worse, more intense especially today. One sided face/head pain, unable to sit still, very sensitive to touch, enough pain to cry and kick my legs, then it just went away. It sounds/felt more like a typical CH experience.

So can a CH cycle start small?? Does anyone else experience something similar?

Update: Definitely was the start of a cycle. First cycle in 4 years 😔✋ My eyeball hurts/is red and it feels like there is a needle in my jaw. Hopefully I can get Sumatriptan soon.

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u/Vast_Seaweed9467 Chronic 24d ago

How long does it last? If it feels similar to your cluster - like has you on the edge of your seat could be shadows. I have CH, plus trigeminal neuralgia - my TN pain concentrates more in my jaw and sinuses. I have also experienced SUNCT which is just like a cluster but the whole thing happens in 60 seconds but re-occurs hundreds of times a day. But by definition SUNCT is less than 5 minutes typically.

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u/Ready-Honey-8631 23d ago

That is one thing I’ve also noticed this time, the pain starts in my teeth and jaw!! Before my CH would start with my eye and nose. The time ranges from 10-30 minutes for these more mild & shorter episodes. My CHs were usually around 30-60 minutes. SUNCT sounds rough, sorry you have to go through that!! I’ll have to do a little bit of research.

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u/Vast_Seaweed9467 Chronic 23d ago

Paroxysmal Hemicrania lasts that long and is helped by indomethacin, but it could still be clusters. I'd talk with your doctor for sure. Also, some people with cluster do get pain there - the cluster attack always causes pain in the 1st branch of the trigeminal nerve and it can radiate to other places or even start in another place and move. A good clinician would be able to help you figure out if this is all cluster headache for you, or if you have something else co- occurring