stroke/aspirin/rebound

I was reading the article below. To prevent stroke, an aspirin everyday is recommended which I guess is good for all cardio diseases.
What about rebound? I never heard of someone having rebound from this and it is something doctors recommend a lot. That is why
I think the whole rebound thing is frustrating or if it even exists.
http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/related-conditions-540118-5.html?ic=6018

I have wondered that too Linda.
Just saw on our news a couple of days ago that aspirin protects against bowel cancer too.
I am brim full of aspirin....

Question; Do rebounds happen if you take it every day? so why stop for a day? Or is rebound only a way to blame headaches on us again?

If a migraine won't go away it is perscribed:
Take nothing for a few days and see what happens, you must have done something wrong with your medications, you must bear the suffering without.

Many people's thought;
How bad can your headache it really be?? You take too much crap.


I have been taking either ibuprophen or Naproxen almost every day this month and I found that I had a 9 day stretch with only one minor migraine inbetween. That is a record for me! I might be onto something here.

I agree with you Angela. Why stop taking something that works?

Had quite a chat with the neuro when he called me.
I dont think he is too into the rebound thing, but I guess NHS, he has to sort of keep the faith....

I did ask him what he thought about me....too many OTC and a lot of Triptans.
He said he didnt think I fell into the MOH category because of the way I use the and the fact that I never need more and more.

I told him about our Dianne here, and he said "sometimes that is all you can do."
You need to do what you can to get our of pain." They are a very save drug (Triptans).

So that's one neuro that isnt in the rebound society.....
Course doesnt mean he is right....oh and he says up to 12 Triptans a month is fine anyway...

pen

Pen - Nice to know triptans are a very safe drug. I wonder about some of the stuff they prescribe. But no matter what they
prescribe I think anything is safer than the migraine anyway. The whole talk on rebound, dependence, addiction etc. to me is ridiculous.
You do what you have to live. Migraine isn't living. Of course use common sense. You know when you are going a little overboard and when
it is time to tone it down.

I saw my neuro yesterday - he is a fairly famous doctor here. I asked him if I was taking too many medications (I have taken a shitload over the past two months). He said I'm taking a lot of medications, but he doesn't necessarily subscribe to the whole MOH/rebound thing. He told me that until my migraines are better managed I should do what I need to do to get through the day.

Hi All,

I used to worry about rebound, but don't much anymore. One reason is due to the fact that i have had more than one neuro tell me "You are way,way, past rebound." In other words, sometimes in complex cases, some drs discount it.

I don't think you would get rebound from basic aspirin therapy- as it is usually a low dose.

Pain free days,
sailingm

Jayme, that is good to read. Dont think my neuro is famous at all, but two of them with the same attitude on both sides of the pond.
Well that's something.
I wonder what other peoples neuros are telling them. Hell we have to live...

I have never had rebound and my doctors have never brought it up. I have taken abortives several days in a row at times in the past.

Until, they come up with a clearer criteria for what might be rebound/MOH I dont know how they can know.
I said to the neuro I think it might be a bit like addictions (although I know this isnt one), but some people have that way.

Like smoking. I gave up on the spot. Drugs. I was on Dihydrocodeine for years before I even knew it was addictive.
Not for me. I havent ever had anything I need.

He agreed that some of it seems to be the luck of the draw. Some peoples bodies just see to crave things and metabolise them differently.
But even then he he has never mentioned the words MOH /rebound to me. I have always asked him.

Aspirin for stroke prevention is usually low dose, like baby aspirin, 81mg if I remember correctly. I asked about this too, and doctors have told me that that small a dose would very rarely be enough to cause medication overuse headache, and if taken daily as it should be, it's irrelevant. So, of course, my next question was would it contribute to MOH from other meds. Again, the answer was not at that low a dose.

the baby aspirin in the uk is 75 mg. dosages for acute tx of migs is 800mg plus.

Does anyone have any professional info on just how long it takes to get into rebound?
I mean a bad week, a bad month.....

They say it takes 2 months to get out of it....Why so long.
People on here have said a week or so gets them back on track.

Finally. If it is the rise and fall of these drugs that causes this, then surely we should just medicate every day.
Is this just too simplistic....probably...

Pen - that would be me if I was in that position. I would just medicate everyday. End of problem as long as it was keeping me out of pain.

It does sound that way Linda doesnt it? Makes you wonder if it isnt that we take too much.
We dont take enough.....

When I first got migraines, but they were lesser and I didnt know what I had.
I was gulping down 2 OTC once and twice every day. 60/120 a month.

Now I have more pain and take less than 30 a month and get beaten up for it......
Maybe i need to go back to the 120????

I would take whatever it takes but check with my doctor first to make sure it is safe. I wouldn't be worried about rebound though. So
what if you have to take something every day to be pain free when without it you aren't living anyway. We aren't living forever.

I am not living at all, most of the time Linda.
This isnt living, it's existing....

I did just wonder about the "science/logic" behind this though.
Assuming it even exists....how can you rebound from something you take continually?

Thing is they tell you it is not safe.....
Drugs bad, rebound bad, so the responsibility is thrown right back at you....

Pen - If I had to live with migraine without relief, I would rather be dead. I do what it takes to live migraine-free. For me I think
it is healthier than any side effects from the drugs I take which are minor. In my case, I don't know of any long term effects from the drugs I take at the dose I take. I think they are safe. Even if they weren't, at our age, I think I would rather side with the drug than the migraine. In fact, I know I would.

Thanks Linda, I am rapidly coming around that. I am just so sick of medication warnings and rebound horror stories.
My neuro says no. Dawn has just been to a conference, and the neuro whom I admire, and who told me last february I dont have rebound.
And he thinks too much is made of it, is now on the cusp it seems.
Why cant they make up their bloody minds.....

P

Pen - It doesn't sound like you have rebound. I would just take something every time you have a migraine. You have nothing to lose. Get your life back.

estre004 wrote:Pen - It doesn't sound like you have rebound. I would just take something every time you have a migraine. You have nothing to lose. Get your life back.

According to what he said to Dawn, I do....:(paraphrased so's not to directly nick Dawn's comment to me)....

if one takes 2 triptans for a mig then has a 2 day break then the next mig you have 2 more and it continues through the month and have 12 or more the next month following that pattern you have MOH!

Well the last 3 months I took 9. 12. 13.
I have had a LOT of stress and am not surprised. August, the 9 month is more normal.
I usually have say 10. I do find I need two Migards to shift it, but then I go anything from 4 to 8 days to the next one.

My own Neuro said, nope, not go it. Like I said, cant they make up their minds.
This is the dr that categorically told me last year I do NOT have it.
He has changed his perspective.....

I notice a difference between here and America.
It seems a lot less pushed or subscribed to in America.
The limitations seem to be on cost more than anything.
Well it could be the same here, but they wont ever admit it because the NHS
doesnt want it to seem people are going without because of cost....big controversy.

Pen - I get 8 Migranol vials a month. When I ran out and tried to get more before the month was out I was denied. I called my doctor and
he said it had nothing to do with him, it was the insurance only willing to pay for so many since it isn't a generic drug. I called my insurance company and was able to get more after raising a stink. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if it is because of money that you aren't prescribed more.
You can take all the over the counter you want, and they supposedly are big culprits for rebound.

Pen - in response to your comment "if you take 2 triptans for a mig then in another 2 days take 2 more" it doesn't sound like you have MOH. Sounds like you have out of control daily M that respond to triptans for the first 72 hours. Think about the pattern. Why, after aborting (or at least masking) a m, would you again have one after the normal first cycle ends?

It sounds like they are trying to get you to take fewer triptans and then blaming it on the patient when they take one when they need it because they have too many m.

I'd never heard of MOH until I came to this forum. The neuro didn't want me taking more than necessary so I didn't develop a tolerance to the medication. Granted he took it to an extreme but I've been taking the same meds for over a year and for the most part, they are still effective.

I guess I'd rather take the medication when I need it and not suffer. If things got suddenly and dramatically worse, I'd look at what I'd been taking and see if there possibly was a problem with the meds but I'm not going to worry about it. I need to work and live and I'd like a social life (ha ha ha). Once I decided to be in control, lot less stress on whether I should take something or not and I feel much better.

Heelderlady - I agree 100% with what you said. I never heard about MOH either except on this forum. I believe you should take something for every migraine from the very first inkling of one coming on. I think by letting them take over, they actually get worse.