Cluster headaches are nothing like ordinary, run of the mill headaches, as anyone who has ever suffered one can tell you. They are far more painful than the regular variety. Believe it or not, they’re even worse than migraine headaches. The pain of a cluster headache is so intense that most people describe it as unbearable, and when one comes on there is no way for the person to function, unlike a low grade garden variety headache, which can usually be managed. Most people say a cluster headache feels like they’re being stabbed in the eye.

There are two kinds – episodic cluster headaches, and chronic ones. In this article, we’ll be talking about the episodic form. Just like the name would suggest to most people, episodic cluster headaches come and go, with intervals in between attacks, which are called cluster periods. These intervals can vary widely. And not only from person to person, but in the same individual. You can have regular cluster headache every few days for weeks, and then go months or longer without another one, only to once again start suffering these painful attacks on a regular basis. Some people, thankfully, only suffer the rare cluster headache, while others live in constant fear of another attack.

There seems to be little rhyme or reason to episodic cluster headaches and when they occur. Doctors and medical researchers don’t even really understand cluster headaches in and of themselves, let alone why some people suffer them constantly, while others go for long periods of time between attacks. But it’s important to know the difference between episodic cluster headaches and the chronic kind. If you’re suffering from cluster headaches, but sometimes go long periods between them, it’s easy to convince yourself that they’re gone for good, only to be terribly disappointed when they return. Some people can even go years between attacks, so your experience isn’t out of the ordinary, and if you’ve had cluster headaches in the past, you’re likely to have them again.