PERHAPS.....


Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2001 Feb;5(1):55-9. 


Premonitory symptoms in cluster headache.

Raimondi E.

Catedra de Neurologia, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, 9 de Julio 3826, Rosario 2002 PKP, Argentina. raimondi@cablenet.com.ar

Cluster headache is one of the most excruciating headaches affecting human beings--especially the male sex. Most of the cluster headache cases are of episodic nature, with active cluster periods lasting generally between a few weeks and 2 or 3 months. A still undetermined percentage of patients report nonpainful sensations preceding the onset of the pain attack for a variable period of time. If occurring only a few minutes or a few hours before the onset of pain, such symptoms are called prodromal. When occurring for several days, weeks, or months before the pain, they are termed premonitory symptoms. The author believes that premonitory symptoms have not been properly diagnosed and emphasizes the need to investigate their presence, because by knowing them advances can be made in the understanding of the physiopathology of this particular cephalalgia. Furthermore, it can also allow the physician to be ahead, by giving preventive treatment and stopping or diminishing the intensity and duration of the pain attacks.

Publication Types:
Review

PMID: 11252138 

hi, thanks for the info

sorry, I'd meant to say that this background headache started the same day as the CH.

I have a long history of chronic headache as part of my Behcet's Disease (have been at different times on beta blockers, amitriptyline, topamax, pizotifen, carbamazapine, calcium blockers to try to control them) and it was always of this background type with a few cycles of what I now know is CH and also frequent migraine (very easy to tell them apart), but I do remember that when I have a CH cycle, I have this background headache pretty much 24/7 as well.

I have been having some episodes with running nose, watery eye, tender area on forehead, prickles down side of nose, sweating on one side of forehead, getting hot, fast heart rate...... i.e. all the symptoms I get during a hit (plus the usual head pain), but with a much less severe headache, I thought these were shadows? I also tend to get this half an hour before the hit.
Im wondering if they are hits but are less severe as maybe my verapamil is helping? Im still pretty much confused about working out what is what with all this (sure you can tell!  )


thanks for all your help - I'll stop rambling at some point soon I promise!