Clusterheadaches.com Message Board


    
      
        Clusterheadaches.com Message Board
        (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2004 >> Prednisone and rebounds
        
(Message started by: Reecy on Jan 16^th, 2004, 11:55am)

Title: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by Reecy on Jan 16^th, 2004, 11:55am

Is it possible after a Prednisone trial to have rebound headaches? I finished my pred just 2 days ago and I am being hit nearly hourly today. I suppose it may only seem that often but I think the longest I've gone without pain is 2 hours. I am sucking the O2 and I'm getting worried. I don't have any other abortive other than O2 which works well. Then I have 600mg Ibuprofen and 10mg Compazine for pain. Or the more powerful dilaudid but I use that only in an absolute emergency.

Anyway, just wondering if it is common to rebound after the Pred.

Thanks,

Reece

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by Prense on Jan 16^th, 2004, 1:46pm

on 01/16/04 at 11:55:14, Reecy wrote:

Anyway, just wondering if it is common to rebound after the Pred.

There have been many stories of attacks returning with a vengence after a pred taper...

I have no first hand experience with pred. Someone will be along to offer you some first hand knowledge.

Chris

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by JDH on Jan 16^th, 2004, 6:31pm

Reece,
I've used pred several times in the past and it will stop my headaches cold until I start tapering down then they return full force. Also some nasty side effects to be had.
Stick with the o2 as long as it's working, probably a lot safer than those pain meds.

Jim

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by TxBasslady on Jan 16^th, 2004, 7:15pm

Well, anything is possible when you're dealing with the beast.

The Pred worked for me, but for most here, the ha's returned. Just goes to show that not all meds work the same on everyone.

The narcotic type pain meds do nothing for CH. Glad you got the 02.

Let us know how things are going for you.

PF vibes,

Jean

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by Reecy on Jan 17^th, 2004, 1:54am

Thanks everyone,

I'm sitting here after being awakened by the beast. Went to bed early tonight with my son who had day surgery today and the beast thought I needed a wake up call. So I sit after a hit of O2. Only took the edge off this one, downed a Percocet with a Pepsi and I await sleep.

I appreciate the response and the encouragements! :D

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by TxBasslady on Jan 17^th, 2004, 2:06am

Hi Reecy

Sorry the beast won't let you rest :'(

CH is tough to deal with. Wish we all could understand it!

Hope your son is doing ok.

Hang in there, sweetie.........we're here for you, when you need us!

Lots of pf vibes........hope you can get some sleep

Jean

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by jmorgan52 on Jan 17^th, 2004, 8:57am

I have used Pred numerous times over the years and have vowed never to again.

Every time I tapered down after about 5 days the CH reappeared with a vengeance. I tried a 3 week course in case I did not do it for long enough. After 5 days into the course the CH came back worse than ever.

The Pred gives you a short respite from CH (the Ch Holiday) but has never broken a cycle for me, and I think it lengthens the cycle by the amount of respite you get added onto the end of the cycle.

Only possible "good" use for Pred seems to provide short term relief while some other med is given a chance to kick in, but it is useless in my opinion.

John

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by Bob_Johnson on Jan 17^th, 2004, 9:20am

It sounds like several of you have a doc who is not up to speed on treatment. That clusters return quickly after stopping pred is well known.

Pred stops a cycle very quickly -- BUT you should also be starting, at the same time as using the pred, another med for long term prevention.

You buy time with Pred while the other meds, such as Verap..., has time to become effective.

Suggest you get one of the following books. The last one is a real bargain.

HANDBOOK OF HEADACHE MANAGEMENT, 2nd ed., Au. Joel Saper, MD, 1999, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. A highly condensed volume for doctors but good for "advanced" clusterheads who have a grasp of medical terminology and medications. Covers all types of headache with the section on cluster being brief. Sections on general considerations in treatment and on medications are important.

MANAGEMENT OF HEADACHE AND HEADACHE MEDICATIONS, 2nd ed. Lawrence D. Robbins, M.D.; pub. by Springer. $49 at Amazon.Com. This volume is better organized and easier to read for nonprofessionals compared to Saper's book. It covers all types of headache and is primarily focused on medications. While the two chapters on CH total 42-pages, the actual relevant material is longer because of multiple references to material in chapters on migraine, reflecting the overlap in drugs used to treat. I'd suggest reading the chapters on migraine for three reasons: he makes references to CH & medications which are not in the index; there are "clinical pearls" about how to approach the treatment of headache; and, you gain better perspective on the nature of headache, in general, and the complexities of treatment (which need to be considered when we create expectations about what is possible). Finally, women will appreciate & benefit from his running information on hormones/menstrual cycles as they affect headache. Chapter on headache following head trauma, also. Obviously, I'm impressed with Robbins' work (even if the book needs the touch of a good editor!) (Somewhat longer review/content statement at 3/22/00, "Good book....")

HEADACHE HELP, Revised edition, 2000; Lawrence Robbins, M.D., Houghton Mifflin, $15. Written for a nonprofessional audience, it contains almost all the material in the preceding volume but it's much easier reading. Highly recommended.

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by Reecy on Jan 17^th, 2004, 9:53am

Thanks Bob! I'll check out that book. My doc isn't very well versed in headache management. I'm awaiting a visit with a neuro but that won't happen until the 30th unless there is a cancelation. So I am in limbo until then.

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by JDH on Jan 17^th, 2004, 12:18pm

on 01/17/04 at 01:54:26, Reecy wrote:

downed a Percocet with a Pepsi and I await sleep.

I appreciate the response and the encouragements! :D

You might be causing rebound ha's using narcs.

Jim

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by Cooked Brain on Jan 21^st, 2004, 4:07pm

according to what i have been told there is no such thing as rebound headaches, what is considered a rebound is a new seperate attack

???

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by Prense on Jan 21^st, 2004, 5:59pm

on 01/21/04 at 16:07:15, Cooked Brain wrote:

according to what i have been told there is no such thing as rebound headaches, what is considered a rebound is a new seperate attack

???

I'm fairly certain that is incorrect...

Title: Re: Prednisone and rebounds
Post by Patrick_A on Jan 26^th, 2004, 12:13am

on 01/21/04 at 17:59:32, Prense wrote:

I'm fairly certain that is incorrect...

I am absolutely positive that is incorrect!

Now for the topic, My neuro put me on a 60mg Prednisone taper, and 120mgs of verapamil twice a day. That stopped my cycle in 3 days. Within 10 days i was off of the Prednisone, and a week after that, i decided to stop the verapamil to see if my CH's were gone, and they were!
I must say though, The Prednisone itself gave me a whopper of a headache until i had tapered down to about 30 mgs. But the headache didnt compare to a CH, more like a migraine.
I dont know about other drugs, but i do know that IMITREX causes rebounds!

Patrick :)