Posted by gary g (209.187.112.201) on October 23, 1999 at 21:26:50:
In Reply to: Ergots posted by Bob P on October 22, 1999 at 18:54:34:
quite a while back somebody recommended a SUPER web site with a pharmaceutical journal article aboute seratonin oriented-medications
what I got out of it was that FROM THE ASPECT OF CH RELIEF - imitrex and ergotamine work in GENERALLY the same way - at various classes of seratonin receptor sites in the neural system
the important difference is in WHERE they do this
the ergotamine compounds seem to affect MANY such sites, a lot of which have nothing to do w/CH - and that is why we have to be so careful about "side effects" - enough ergot, frequently enough to help CH, can really cause problems with some of hte other seratonin receptor functions
imitrex & its relatives, as I read it, affect a much more limited number of receptor site classes, but including those which are probably responsible for much of the neural tranmission at the root of our CH attacks, a finer targetting, as it were
this would seem to "second" what some of the others are saying -
don't do them both !!!!!!!!
for what it's worth - I am very skeptical of making assesments of the efficacy of ANY treatment when it is being taken along with a bunch of other meds, and/or immediately before or after others
it's a very very very hard thing to not jump from one to another when we are having poor results, but if we don't try them more than once, with consistent results, and without the variance from other meds, we really CAN'T come up with a defensible position
I agree with Drummer about "rebound headaches"
the very nature of CH is a series of short attacks, spaced close together - to me, if we "clear" for an hour or so, and then the pain starts again, it's just another attack -
welcome to CH land
I suspect this "rebound" idea is just trendy medspeak for withdrawal discomfort, in maladies where somebody takes a lot of meds, for quite a time, then just stops - the body reacts
another word for it: HANGOVER !