I recently switched from GSK Imitrex to Dr. Reddy's generic sumatriptan. The latter works fine, but I've noticed a lot of rebound headaches lately, approaching one a day. Anyone else experiencing the same thing?
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1/30/10 7:53pm
Hi Stoic,
First let me say taking Migraine abortive meds such as triptans or any kind of pain med more than two days a week, puts us at risk for medication overuse headache (MOH), aka rebound. See Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfires for more information on this. In a MOH situation, nothing we take is going work, neither prescription nor "natural" medications nor over-the-counter. If that's the case, we need to work closely with our doctor to stop the medication causing the problem.
Now, having said that, some people don't do as well with generic forms of medication as the brand name. It may be the binder or filler or whatever. You may find this article interesting: Did You Know Generic Migraine Medications Can Vary?
I hope this helps,
Nancy
1/31/10 3:04pm
I just had an IV infusion of magnesium sulfate this past week. IV Treatment of Refractory Migraines has the information you are looking for as far as the IV infusion drugs you are looking for.
Good luck
Nancy
1/28/10 9:18am
Yes, I've noticed the same thing...so has my daughter. We've both recently switched back to Imitrex with better results. It might have something to do with whatever they use as their binding ingredients. That has happened with other generic drugs. Just speculating at this point.
8/12/10 12:08am
YES!!! I finally got a clue! I have had horrible rebound headaches for one year and today I am coming across these websites showing that the generic for Imitrex could be the clue. I have been on the bathroom floor with an ice pack, taking 10-12 Dr. Reddy's Imitrex a month. Not to mention all the headaches in between. I feel off balance, lots of pressure in my head, nausea, etc..I will make an appt and try to get the real stuff again!
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By Stoic— Last Modified: 12/24/10, First Published: 01/25/10
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Thanks to both of you for responding to my question. I finally saw my neurologist yesterday morning, and he seemed to acknowledge these variations between generic and brand name sumatriptans. Mercifully, by the time saw him, I'd managed a couple of days off the medication altogether, and while I was still suffering headaches, was managing them with other meds. So I think I'm out of that nasty little cycle. Unfortunately, my health insurance makes anything other than the generic sumatriptan unaffordable.
The good news is that, had my cycle continued, my neurologist was ready to put me on an IV-drip to snap me out of it. He told me what was in the IV and apparently it will be on-call for me in future, similar situations. Does anyone know what this is by any chance?