Status or rebound migraine?
Hi everyone,
I have been dealing with a migraine for several days now. It is rainy and stormy here and low barometric pressure is one of my most reliable triggers. The strongest non triptan med I have is Percoset; borrowed Fioricet has worked for me in the past but my neurologist is reluctant to prescribe that and also doesn't use steroids.
I know there are no magic answers but are there some rules of thumb for using medication when a migraine stretches over several days? how do you tell a status migraine from a rebound migraine? Is it worth going to the ER? Any suggestions appreciated!
Hi Delaney,
Thank you for your question and being part of the Migraine.com discussion forum! I am however, sorry you are having a rough time right now.
When migraine pain lasts longer than 72 hours it increases our risk of status migrainous and stroke. So, if it's been longer than that, and it sounds like it has, its a good idea to contact your doctor so he can help break this current migraine. Here is information on when migraine is an emergency; https://migraine.com/blog/what-is-emergency/.
Rebound, now called medication overuse headache, moh, may occur when we take pain reievers and/or migraine medications, whether they are over-the-counter or prescription, more than two to three days a week. To be diagnosed with moh, you have to take the offending medication (pain relievers and/or migraine medications) 10 or more days a month for three months. You can read more about that in this article; https://migraine.com/blog/help-how-can-i-not-overuse-migraine-medications/.
If you have more questions after going over this information, please let me know and I hope this cycle ends quickly.
Nancy
