In hemicrania continua, basal pain is a dull aching pressure similar to that of TTHs (Tension-Type Headaches) that occurs nearly always on the same side of the head and face.

The nature of pain changes during the exacerbation phase, becoming more piercing, throbbing, and intense, generally paired with other highly debilitating symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and sensitivity to light and sounds.

During these exacerbation phases, hemicrania continua may mimic other primary and secondary headache disorders, with up to 70% of patients fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for migraine.

Physical exertion, changes in sleep patterns, stress, or alcohol consumption can make the headache pain more severe in some patients.

[11] There have also been reports of two patients who were successfully managed with topiramate 100–200 mg per day (Topamax) although side effects with this treatment can also prove problematic.

2, by G.S.Davis,[16] and the incident has been cited in King's American Dispensatory (1898 and later editions)[17] in the description of the strong analgesic Jamaican Dogwood, a relatively low dose of which reportedly produced convulsions and prolonged respiratory depression over six hours in an elderly woman with this condition.

[18] However, rising awareness of the condition has led to increasingly frequent diagnosis in headache clinics, and it seems that it is not as rare as these figures would imply.