Ive been having rebound migranes for 11 days. How do I stop them? I'm completely off my meds.
Have taken Imitrex and Treximet
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Leshia, I'm a bit unclear about your question. In the first part, you said you're completely off your meds. In the second, you said you've taken Imitrex and Treximet.
I'm going to answer based on the premise that you were taking Treximet and Imitrex, and they're what caused the rebound cycle.
The way you stop rebound is by stopping the meds that caused it AND any other meds in the same category. Imitrex is a triptan, and Treximet containes Imitrex, so you need to avoid all triptans -- Imitrex, generic sumatriptan, Maxalt, Amerge, Relpax, Axert and Frova. Treximet also contains naproxen sodium, an NSAID. So you need to avoid all NSAIDs too -- ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin, etc.
How long it takes to get out of the rebound cycle depends on your body, what caused the rebound, and how long you took it.
The rebound cycle is bound to be making you miserable. Your doctor might be able to suggest something you could take to give you at least some relief without extending the rebound cycle.
You can read more about rebound, aka medication overuse headache in Medication Overuse Headache: When the Remedy Backfires.
If you'd like to talk with other Migraineurs and get some additional information and support, come join our discussion forum. You'll need to register again once there because it's a separate membership database, but you can use the same member name, email address, and password that you used here. You can find our forum at http://forums.healthcentral.com/discussion/migraine/forums.
Hope this helps!
Teri
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Leshia
Monday, July 06, 2009 at 10:24 AM
Teri Robert
Monday, July 06, 2009 at 10:48 AM
Leshia,
Oh, girl! You're very welcome. I feel so bad for you.
The best way I know of to avoid the rebound cycle is to limit each type of medication to no more than two or three days a week. You may want to stick with Imitrex if it works as well as Treximet for you because Treximet is actually TWO types of meds -- the triptan Imitrex/sumatriptan and the NSAID naproxen.
When I was having Migraines five or six days a week, my doctor prescribed Imitrex that I was to limit to two days a week and a pain medication that I was to limit to two other days that week. When I had Migraines more than four days in a week, beyond the four days, all I could do was take nausea meds, go to bed with an ice pack, and try to sleep. It was very difficult, but it kept me out of rebound while we worked on finding an effective preventive regimen for me.
Have you talked with your doctor about this yet? IMO, that should be your next step. Sit down and discuss options with your doctor so you get relief as many days as possible without getting into that rebound hell again.
Teri
Leshia
Tuesday, July 07, 2009 at 05:52 PM
I have an appointment tomorrow with my doctor, and I am determined to get this figured out ASAP! Thanks again! Your words of wisdom and encouragement have helped immensely!
Leshia
Teri Robert
Tuesday, July 07, 2009 at 06:05 PM
Leshia,
Glad you got the appointment and that I've been able to help.
Please keep me posted?
Teri
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Thank you for your response. I was afraid that would be the answer. I haven't taken the Imitrex or Treximet for 5 days now. I've had migranes every day except one. However they do seem to be becoming milder. I just need to know how to treat the migranes from now on so that I don't start this vicious cycle of rebounds again. Thanks again!