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Welcome to the Hangover Headaches Forum

How do you know the difference between a migraine triggered by alcohol and Immediate alcohol-induced headaches? I’ve always assumed alcohol was just my trigger. When I read about the Immediate alcohol-induced headache it seemed the same to me. Thoughts?

Paul, here is a link to the IHS classification of Immediate alcohol-induced headache http://bit.ly/rncbty I am not a headache specialist, but usually a Migraine is on one side, although not always. A hangover headache happens after a great deal of time, is usually two sided, and usually after over-intoxication. A correct diagnosis is only possible by seeing a doctor and discussing your symptoms with him/her. That said, if you are repeatedly having headaches that match the IHS criteria within a short time of the ingestion of alcohol and they are always two sided, I would think they probably qualify more as you have eluded to here – immediate alcohol-induced headache. Having a headache specialist would probably be extremely helpful in discerning (without need of repetitive exposure to alcohol and therefore headaches) what you have going on. Good luck, and I hope you will let us know what you find out!

Paul,

It’s not a sure-fire way to tell the difference, but a Migraine has symptoms other than headache. Also, the headache of a Migraine is usually made worse by physical activity. Some people can tell the difference between a Migraine and a headache by bending over or putting their heads between their knees to see if that makes it worse.