Not as bad as Trex....but it can...at least it appeared to with me one particularly bad cycle.

I consider any triptan an "emergency" drug.....

Rebound headaches. "Rebound Headaches--A Review", Au. John S. Warner, M.D., in HEADACHE QUARTERLY, 10:3(1999). (There is some confusion on the board about the meaning of "rebound". There appears to be an emerging consensus in the medical literature to define "rebound" as a headache which is caused by the overuse of any medication used to abort a headache or relieve pain. "Recurrence" [of a headache] is being used to refer to the redevelopment of an attack when its "normal" duration is longer than the useful life of the medication which has been taken. That is, the medication effectiveness is reducing before the headache has come to an end; the pain redevelops.)
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Sumatriptan has a hard initial punch and relatively short effective life--a combination which works well for most Cluster attacks. However, some people, whose Clusters have a longer life, find that the med is wearing down even as the pain continues. One can understand how this sequence comes into one's thinking: Attack, Imitrex injection, pain continues, it's a rebound cluster which has developed from the Imitrex. In fact, this is a recurrence of the attack, not a rebound.

This is one of the reasons that several other triptans were developed having less initial punch but longer effective life. While aimed at the migraine crowd, at first, a number of cluster users have found this characteristic of value to them.

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Good info, Bob. I have a question though. Given these definitions, where does the chronic cycle fit?  I mean, when I get hit regularly at 11AM, 2PM, 4PM, etc. Is this one long attack, a recurrence? It feels like separate attacks because I'm more or less normal in between. The abortives tend to either reduce the duration of the hit itself, or even cause me to skip several of the upcoming and expected hits. Just trying to understand what's going on with me. Blessings. lance

Definitions of these two terms is like the definition of many words in the dictionary--multiple, shaded meanings. At best to be treated as a guide and not as an absolute.

Definitely felt like I was getting more headaches when I was on zomig compared to sumatriptan....Also seemed stronger to me.  Sometimes I could take a 1/4 of a zomig and get help, where as the generic sumatriptan I take now I ALWAYS need a full one, sometimes two.  Sure did seem like the zomig was giving me rebounds, and I know another migraine sufferer that has felt the same.  No experience with the nasal form though....

Hey Jeanie, of course we're all different, but I just tried Zomig melts and inhaler's my last high cycle and I did feel I had more attacks after. It did give me 7 to 8hrs PF.

After using Migranal (DHE inhaler, Ergotamine) and finding it too slow to stop a hit I did get 24hrs PF after it, so since 2008 I've been using DHE intramuscular injections, these are very good for me to abort and give me 24hrs. It is one more thing for us CH'rs to try.

Still my best abortive is HIGH FLOW O2, and breathing techniques learned from Batch, my results are amazing.

Hope to see you again soon,,,, Don

I get most rebounds off sumatriptan after using it for a while, especially the nasal spray. I'm trying to switch myself to needles as they may be different, but have a fairly serious phobia so shooting myself up is proving to be hard, and at $70/shot i can't afford to unless i'll miss a meeting (i'm self employed).

Rizatriptan melts have been better for me - clearer abortive for the first few...now they're just ignoring me melting them down.

I guess all triptans can cause rebound headaches - imigran for me only started doing it after a few dozen doses had had no-rebound, then it became an 'every time a rebound' thing.

sorry for the rambles - i'm in cluster.