I thought I would post on this topic as it is something that affected me at the end of my cycle back in April. Thanks to this site, this is my first cycle that I have had the proper meds to tackle the beast.

For 20 years I was prescribed nsaids which, as you know had no effect on my clusters whatsoever, so I stopped taking them and just rode out the pain until my cycle stopped. These cycles religiously lasted 6 to 7 weeks every two years and then stopped.

Not this one, no siree, as soon as I stopped taking big hits I had constant shadows for weeks. Due to this being my first year on meds, such as Prednisolone, Imigran Injections, 02 and a shit load of red bull. I  would definitely link all these meds to the weeks of hell I suffered with constant shadows. Don't get me wrong absolute life savers...!

I think it's important to get it out there...! that imitrex and red bull (Caffeine) etc may be prolonging your cycle and if 02 is not working for your shadows then maybe you might consider adjusting your lifestyle.I think it may be an option to try and ride out the shadows in the short time therefore breaking your cycle in the long term, because suffering these little shits for weeks upon weeks can suck the life straight out of you...!

Below is an article on rebound headaches.....



The Mayo Clinic 2006..
Rebound
headaches
Stopping the cycle of pain:

It's become automatic — when you feel a headache coming on, you reach for a pain reliever. And sometimes,because your headaches are
frequent, you even take pain medication in advance, as a preventive measure. But is this smart? Probably not. If you're taking pain relievers for headaches more than two or three days a week, the drug may actually be contributing to your pain in a phenomenon known as rebound headaches, or medication overuse headaches.Too much of a good thing

Rebound headaches occur when your body adapts to pain relievers. Taking too much medication may
affect your brain's ability to sense and respond to pain. When the drug wears off, your headache returns, often worse than before. You take more medication, and the cycle continues. Your body may also build up a tolerance to pain medication, requiring you to take even higher doses to relieve pain. The only way to stop the pattern of rebound headaches is to — under the guidance of your doctor — stop
taking the pain reliever that's causing them. Although this may cause short-term discomfort as your body goes through medication withdrawal, your long-term quality of life can be greatly improved.

Common culprits Almost any pain reliever, including
common non-prescription drugs such as aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and ibuprofen (Advil,
Motrin, others), can cause rebound Avoiding the trap
Getting enough sleep, exercising regularly, eating a
healthy diet, stopping smoking and reducing stress can help prevent many headaches and reduce the need for pain relievers. Recording when your
headaches occur and what you're doing when the pain
begins can help you identify headache triggers to avoid. P&in relievers are useful to treat the occasional headache, but take them only when your head actually hurts, if you're prone to more frequent or severe headaches, work with your doctor to
find a safe way to manage your pain.

if overused. Caffeine, a common ingredient in pain medications and dietary products, may also be a contributor. Some pain relievers or pain reliever combinations are particularly likely to cause
rebound headaches. These include:
• Combination pain relievers —
Pain relievers that contain caffeine,
aspirin and/or acetaminophen (Excedrin,
others) are strongly linked
to rebound headaches.

Some prescription drugs in this group also contain the sedative butalbital, and
include Fioricet, Fiorinal and Esgic. Migraine drugs — Medications developed for migraines can cause rebound headaches. These include ergotamines (Cafergot, others) and triptans (Imitrex, Zomig,
others). The drug dihydroergotamine (Migranal) may be less likely to cause rebound headaches.


• Opioids — Painkillers derived
from opium or synthetic opium
compounds include combinations
of codeine and acetaminophen (Tylenol
with Codeine No. 3 and No.
4, others).

These can lead to rebound headaches and dependency. Interestingly, people who aren't prone to headaches and who use daily pain medications to treat ailments such as arthritis don't usually get rebound headaches. Rebound headaches tend to
occur every day, sometimes waking you in the morning and continuing throughout the day. Although
each headache may vary, the pain is typically mild, with more severe episodes occurring when the medication wears off.

Lefty..!

Hmm if people are prone to headaches, and lets say hallucinogens doing miracle work, working in other way? I havent red these can cause Medication overuse headaches. hmm.

MattyAA wrote on Sep 13^th, 2009 at 7:44am:

Hmm if people are prone to headaches, and lets say hallucinogens doing miracle work, working in other way? I havent red these can cause Medication overuse headaches. hmm.

cant say i've ever over done hallucinogens but they do cause one hell of a rebound. its good to  have plenty of o2 after you clusterbust ;)

-johnny- wrote on Sep 13^th, 2009 at 3:03pm:

cant say i've ever over done hallucinogens but they do cause one hell of a rebound. its good to  have plenty of o2 after you clusterbust ;)

So far I haven't experienced rebounds from the hallucinogenes but maybe I'm simply a lucky guy.

Oliver

Lefty-

My experience, so far, has been that anything I take that helps me can also make me rebound.  Agony and ecstasy...yin and yang...sort of thing.

-Joni   :( 

Quote:

My experience, so far, has been that anything I take that helps me can also make me rebound.  Agony and ecstasy...yin and yang...sort of thing.

Well put Joni....!

I think we all have to find a balance that works for us as individuals.


Lefty..!

My CH cycles went completely haywire and I became chronic because of my constant use of sumatriptans. My last cycle that lasted 4 months ended in 3 days when I switched to oxygen. ::)

Joni wrote on Sep 13^th, 2009 at 4:11pm:

Lefty- My experience, so far, has been that anything I take that helps me can also make me rebound.  Agony and ecstasy...yin and yang...sort of thing. -Joni   :(

Ditto....well said

Good post Lefty & a subject that needs discussing if only to help the newbie’s cope.
I’m not a pill popper other than those that come in a 375ml aluminium can & is amber in colour.

I went chronic nearly 6 years ago & live with shadows constantly; I don’t take anything to try & kill them & I think that is what’s helped me manage the situation better, anything below a Kip 4 is left alone & I won’t hit the Red Bull or o2 until I’m verging on a Kip 8 & I think that is the reason I get almost immediate results from the RB or o2 when I need it because I haven’t let my body get used to the abortive.

Through my last three high cycles I haven’t got hit above a Kip 8 & I think the reason being that the o2 works so effectively & kills the hit before it can go higher

Cheers
Barry.

Barry_T_Coles wrote on Sep 17^th, 2009 at 11:58pm:

I went chronic nearly 6 years ago & live with shadows constantly; I don’t take anything to try & kill them & I think that is what’s helped me manage the situation better, anything below a Kip 4 is left alone & I won’t hit the Red Bull or o2 until I’m verging on a Kip 8 & I think that is the reason I get almost immediate results from the RB or o2 when I need it because I haven’t let my body get used to the abortive.

For the braver Cluster headers out there..above is some good advice ...!


Lefty..!

Barry_T_Coles wrote on Sep 17^th, 2009 at 11:58pm:

Good post Lefty & a subject that needs discussing if only to help the newbie’s cope. I’m not a pill popper other than those that come in a 375ml aluminium can & is amber in colour. I went chronic nearly 6 years ago & live with shadows constantly; I don’t take anything to try & kill them & I think that is what’s helped me manage the situation better, anything below a Kip 4 is left alone & I won’t hit the Red Bull or o2 until I’m verging on a Kip 8 & I think that is the reason I get almost immediate results from the RB or o2 when I need it because I haven’t let my body get used to the abortive. Through my last three high cycles I haven’t got hit above a Kip 8 & I think the reason being that the o2 works so effectively & kills the hit before it can go higher Cheers Barry.

Ditto, except for the amber colored brew  :D  and I may draw the Kip line at between 3 and 4 kip when at work.  Other than that I don't use abortive until I go above a 3 or 4 depending on where I am.

I deal with almost constant daily shadows and am chronic by a few years as well.

I can understand though how a newbie may go ahead and reach for that abort the minute they feel one coming on though.  It takes time for each person to learn what's good to do and when it's good to do it.