Home › Cheat Sheets › Physiological Adaptation

Cluster Headache — NCLEX Cheat Sheet

Severe unilateral periorbital pain

🔖 Save

👤 By the CinnaRN Clinical Content Team 🕐 Updated 2026-07-11 🏷️ Physiological Adaptation 🔖 Free to read, print, and share

💡

Use this quick-reference guide to spot, treat, and prevent Cluster Headache on the NCLEX. Keep it handy during review and on exam day!

🩺

Signs

What to look for

Excruciating unilateral eye/temple pain
Ipsilateral tearing, nasal congestion
Ptosis + miosis (Horner's)
Restless, paces (vs migraine)

📌

Pattern

Key facts

Clusters, same time daily
Often wakes at night

🧪

Meds

Key numbers

Acute: 100% O2 via mask
Abortive: triptans (sumatriptan SQ)
Prophylaxis: verapamil

✨

Quick Tip

Severe, sharp, unilateral periorbital pain that occurs in clusters of daily attacks lasting 15 minutes to 3 hours, often at the same time each day or night.

📖 Related Topics

Hypokalemia Hyperkalemia Hyponatremia Heart Failure

Was this helpful? ✎ Suggest an edit

Master Cluster Headache with practice, not just reading

4,700+ NCLEX-style questions with rationales, 51 interactive NGN cases, and an AI tutor — free every day, no card needed.

Practice Physiological Adaptation questions free →

Related Physiological Adaptation cheat sheets

HypokalemiaK+ < 3.5 mEq/L HyperkalemiaK+ > 5.0 mEq/L HyponatremiaNa+ < 135 mEq/L Heart FailurePump fails → congestion Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)Glucose > 250, pH < 7.35 HypoglycemiaGlucose < 70 mg/dL COPDChronic airflow obstruction Sepsis and Septic ShockInfection → organ failure