I posted the following in reply to another thread but felt that it deserved to be a standalone topic. Hope it helps...........
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I found the following info on the mayoclinic website about rebound headaches, which I feel is useful for us CH'rs:

"Anyone who has a history of migraine headaches, tension-type headaches or other chronic headaches is at risk of developing rebound headaches from the overuse of pain relievers. Your risk increases if you use combination analgesics, ergotamine, or triptans 10 or more days a month or simple analgesics more than 15 days a month — especially if this regular use continues for three or more months.
Migraine medications. Various migraine medications have been linked with rebound headaches, including ergotamine (Ergomar, others) and triptans (Imitrex, Zomig, others). Interestingly, the ergot dihydroergotamine appears to have a lower potential for leading to this problem."

If you read the full article at the mayoclinic site then you'll see that rebound headaches are a serious problem and not a simple tension headache. I suspect that many of us have repeat CHs because of the rebound effect. We need to be careful in taking these drugs too frequently as I was. Now I have to endure the rebound withdrawls.

Good post,rebounds suck. Pain killers dont work on CH.
They do have their uses though. Demerol dont touch CH, it does however allow one to breathe while something else takes effect. Also nice for catching up on sleep.
Trex rebounds are worse that narcotic rebounds(mine were anyway) :-/...daily use of either one and you really need to be careful.
all the best
thebb

But don't confuse a rebound headache with a cluster.  From the Mayo site, they are two different things:

Quote:

Symptoms Rebound headaches are also called medication overuse headaches. These types of headaches tend to: Occur every day, often waking you in the early morning Hurt worst at the beginning of the headache, as your medication wears off Persist throughout the day Other signs and symptoms may include: Nausea Anxiety Restlessness, irritability and difficulty concentrating Memory problems Depression Trouble sleeping

I think the thing with triptans increasing the frequency of cluster attacks, in some people, is a different animal from rebounds.

I just finished 60 days of no pain meds at all to prove to my doctor I was not using too much medication. This was at her insistence. During this time we found out I had cluster headaches and migraines and chronic persistent daily headache and yes Virginia it is all in my head. (Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus) So I am now learning about the CH and really feel for you if you have the rebounds. I had them after a case of the shingles from opiate withdrawl and that bites. All I can recommend is lots of water and lots of patience. I was able to take phenergran (a mild motion sickness tablet available here in Denmark without a prescription) and you can get it by prescription I think in the USA. It is good as a mild sedative so you dont feel like acting on the impulses to strangle people for being annoying while you are detoxing. I had to use a low dose of Valium as well but I have PTSD and it is set off by horrible pain. That was so I didnt jump out the window. I wish you luck. Sophia

There seems to be 2 schools of thought:
1.those who believe rebound headaches can be CH (mine was)
2. those who believe rebound headaches are just tension headaches

I guess one doesn't really know if a CH is a rebound or not.   In my case the CH has been every day while & after 6 straight days of taking Amerge.

Yesterday I still had a CH at 8am in the morning which started at 1:30 am.My doctor had taken me off Amerge & prescribed Fiornal. So I grabbed one in my agony & took with water. Didn't help so I took a second one a few hours later with water. Unfornately the container didn't have a label saying take with food or milk and boy was I sick to my stomach. Both the CH and the stomach sickness lasted all day & evening. I finally tried to eat and that triggered a violent multiple throwup (otherwise known as a visit to Raplh on the porcelin phone).

So I learned my lesson, always read the directions b4 taking any drugs ,even if you are in a CH attack, which I was. :-X

My educated guess is that rebound headaches can trigger CH, migraine, sinus and or tension headaches or any variation thereof. I usually get migraine headaches for rebounds and that sucks because that is what I usually take codiene for. The Imitrex is reserved solely for CH's. And my doctor said to use either 02 OR Imitrex but not both together. I have no idea why unless it is because the Imitrex is so expensive. I live in Denmark so of course I have government help with my medications. But she only gave me 4 last week and I only have 2 left and this is supposed to last me a month. Yea right. My advice about the cluster headaches still stands that you just have to wait it out. They are absolutely no fun whatsoever but you dont want that demon on your back with the cluster headache demon too. That is too much for anyone. Wishing you all a pain free day. Sophia
I gotta laugh because it hurts too much to cry. 8-)