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$Title{Is There a Difference Between Tension and Vascular Headaches?}
$Subject{migraine cluster headaches Ill Defined Symptoms symptom brain
Vascular headache migraines}
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Tension Headaches*0003904.scf
Classic Migraine Headaches*0003902.scf
Common Migraine Headaches*0003903.scf
Cluster Headaches*0003905.scf
Where Headaches Originate I*0004001.scf
Where Headaches Originate II*0004002.scf}

Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993   Tribune Media Services, Inc.


Is There a Difference Between Tension and Vascular Headaches?


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QUESTION:  My girl friend insists that ordinary medications for headache don't
work for me because I have a vascular type headache not a tension type.  Is
there a real difference between tension headaches and vascular headaches?

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ANSWER:  There is a true distinction between the two types of headaches.
Tension headaches, as the name implies, can usually be traced to the stresses
of daily life.  The stress and anxiety cause the muscles in the scalp and neck
to tense up, exerting pressure and pain on nerves and blood vessels.  The pain
often feels like a tight band around the head.
     Vascular headaches occur when blood vessels in the head alternately
expand and contract, causing pain.
     Migraines and cluster headaches are forms of vascular headaches.  People
with migraines suffer from throbbing pain on one side of the head.  Migraines
can last up to 18 hours and are sometimes accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
     While researchers know stress causes tension headaches, they aren't sure
what causes vascular headaches.  They do know, however, that certain chemicals
trigger these painful attacks.  Foods containing monosodium glutamate,
tyramine and nitrates are know to spur attacks.
     The female sex hormone estrogen is associated with migraines, and some
women suffer the headaches before every menstrual period when estrogen levels
peak.
     Treatment of tension headaches and vascular headaches begin the same
way--with over-the-counter aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen.  These
remedies will often suffice for tension headaches, but most who experience
vascular headaches eventually resort to other drug therapies, which must be
prescribed by a doctor.  Your girl friend has been doing her homework.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.