Migraine

I fear that I am in rebound or in a MOH cycle, because even though I am taking 150 mg of Topamax, when I do get a headache, it seems if I take one dose of advil or frova, I then get a series of headaches lasting for days that I just can't kick, and the cycle of taking more advil begins again.

My question, is how do I get out of this cycle? Do I just need to not take any pain reliever whatsoever for a certain amount of time? I'm really afraid of this option because I mean..I need to go to work! Is there ANYTHING I can take at all to help? Would a muscle relaxer such as Robaxin or Flexeril be helpful and not cause rebound?

Any advice you all can give me on this would be greatly appreciated. I've read the article on MOH - so I know this can sometimes just take time...

Britt

I would suggest calling your doctor and asking him about this. When I was suffering from MOH I had the same concerns you have about going to work, and I called my doctor's office and they prescribed a prednisone pack for me which worked really well.
Don't worry- MOH isn't any fun, but it's easier to address it SOONER than later- so I would suggest calling your doctor as soon as you can!
Please let us know how you are feeling later, okay?

Valerie

Valerie is correct that contacting your doctor should be your first step. There may be things the doctor can do to improve your quality of life while you get out of this rebound cycle.

Eventually, to get out of it, you will have to stop the med/meds that brought it about.

If it's any comfort to you, our forum members who have been in MOH have no regrets about the effort it took to get out of MOH.

Contact your doctor, take care, and keep us posted. We'll support you through the process.

Nutcracker is right, Britt. The only way out of rebound is through and past. What that means is getting rid of the offending med and staying completely away from it until the rebound is good and broken. Sometimes you can then try the med again, slowly. But some people find that once they rebound, they're more susceptible to rebound, and then trigger it again more easily.

Some people go cold turkey with the offending med. Others need to taper down off of it. Either way, your doctor needs to be part of the equation, and involved throughout the process.