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Topic: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets???? (Read 474 times) |
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Samiam
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Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« on: Mar 13th, 2007, 7:41am » |
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My Doctor (DO) who is a friend of our called the drug rep to see if he can get me some samples of the nasal spray (Imitrex) but they told him they don't sample them anymore so they are giving him the new fast acting oral tablets. Now I know that this won't work when I'm out without O2 but do you think it will work in the even that I have to take them with the O2?
Has anyone used these with success? I have never used them because of the need to get something into my system faster then a pill.
Sami
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LeLimey
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #1 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 8:16am » |
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No pill is going to work fast enough Sami as they have to go through your stomach and it takes time for them to be digested and to pass into your blood stream.
Nasal sprays get the med in through thin membranes and so are pretty effective and the subcutaneous injections are the fastest method of all.
Sumatriptan is the dinosaur of all triptans, its the oldest and has the shortest half life - if you are going to try tabs you would be better off with Frovatriptan as it has a half life of up to 26 hours so can be taken in advance of a hit.
Zomig or Zolmitriptan nasal sprays are a far better option than Imitrex ones as well as they have a half life of up to twelve hours.
I hope this helps you
Helen
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chrisw
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #2 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 9:13am » |
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I have had great success with a combo of 30mg prednisone, (taking 20 an hour before bed), mixed with a 100 mg imitrex tablet an hour before bed. This hasnt stopped all attacks, but I have been able to get sleep. Mainly, my ch come in the morn. or at about 8-9 pm, when the 10 mg prednisone that I tak e in the morn wears off. The tablets are not good during an attack, but mainly for preventative measures. and I try to save them for when I have something to do the next day, so that I am not a zombie all day.
good luck,
chrisw
p.s. I tak e them an hour before bed, so that way if i need a rescue in the night, I will have two hours between doses of a triptan. however, i havent neeeded anything during the night with this combo
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chewy
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #3 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 11:04am » |
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Why not imitrex injections? Dont get any faster than that.
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Maffumatt
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #4 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 11:22am » |
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Maxalt MLT is a triptan pill that dissolves in your mouth. It works almost as fast as the injections for me and is now my abortive of choice. Is Imitrex now making a pill in that form?.
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Brew
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #5 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 11:56am » |
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on Mar 13th, 2007, 11:22am, Maffumatt wrote:| Maxalt MLT is a triptan pill that dissolves in your mouth. It works almost as fast as the injections for me and is now my abortive of choice. Is Imitrex now making a pill in that form?. |
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Matt - Maxalt MLT is designed merely for convenience, like in the car, or whenever you might not have access to water. It is still absorbed in the gut, and while it might be a little faster than the pill (because of the fact that it isn't compressed like a pill), it still is not absorbed through the lining of the mouth. I suppose one could achieve the same results by chewing up a regular Maxalt.
P.S. - It is my abortive of choice as well. There is a little lag vs. Imitrex injections, but I'm usually huffing O2 long before either would take effect.
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Rosybabe
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #6 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 12:02pm » |
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I do take the zomig rapid tablets and they work within 15 minutes, they do give me nausea...I have not tried Imitrex rapid melts and I still have a sample of Maxalt rapid tablets too..hope I do not have to check it out anytime soon 
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LeLimey
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #7 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 12:02pm » |
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I know Sami DOES have better triptans, I think you'll find her doctor was just trying to help out with asking for samples from the drug rep for her not switch her to a slower acting med
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Samiam
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #8 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 1:23pm » |
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Yes I do have better abortives. I have the nasal and because the nasal for 6 with insurance (which by the way we pay 1300.00 a month for) is 100 and I'm only allow 6 a month we were trying to figure out what I could take ALONG with the o2 at night. I didn't want to waste my nasals when my O2 does pretty good.
My doctor has also called in a script for hubby even though hubby doesn't need it just so we could have more. We did start the appeal process but that could take a bit of time but once on record it will stay there if approved.
I never took the tablets because of the time frame. I just thought that I could use this at night when I get hit which seems to be around an hour after falling asleep. The only thing I was wondering is could the beast catch on. This has happened before with me where we tried to get a jump on it and what happened was he just moved.
Lord knows I have done enough injections I hate them. I'm dealing with Angina so if the nasal is working without any problems I don't want to rush my system with the injection which is so much more faster.
I wanted to know if anyone took this along with O2 to help give them a bit more time to sleep. With the O2 only during the night it seems like I have to get up every 2-3 hours with the nasal I sleep through after getting up that one time and taking the imitrex. which is what I thought I could sub the pill for.
Thanks everyone
Sami
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Maffumatt
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #9 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 3:44pm » |
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Who is your insurance company? I had the same problem with mine. It took around three hours on the phone but I was able to get them to change from 1 vial every 34 days to a box of 5 every 10 days.
Here is a list of things to remember when talking to your insurance company.
! if they limit what the doctor prescribes you, they are practicing medicine without ever seeing you.
2 always ask for their first and last name when you talk to them.
3. If they tell you that the FDA limits the amount of triptans that you can be given, you then have them by the balls. Here is where you ask for their name, first and last. If they ask you why, tell them that they are quoting non existent federal guidelines to deny you a lawfully prescribed medicine so they can save money. This is where you ask to speak to their supervisor, if you don't get what they want, you talk to their supervisors supervisor. Ask if they have a Dr. on staff and if they do, you want to talk to them. If they continue to state the FDA limits it, ask them to quote it on the record and tell them you are recording it.
THE FDA does NOT LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF DRUGS YOU ARE PRESCRIBED. The only limit on IMITREX is 2 vials in a 24 hour period and that is from the manufacturer, GSK.
4. If they limit the amount of IMITREX you can get because it is a migraine medication, it is malpractice because it is not being prescribed to you for migraines. Cluster Headaches and Migrains are two different conditions, you can not treat them as one medically.
If you need more help I can add more to this, be loud
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Brew
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #10 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 4:21pm » |
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I think they're limiting what they're going to pay for, not what the doc will prescribe. Hell, you can get a script for two vials every 24 hours filled. The insurance might only pay for 6 in a 30-day period - you're on the hook for the rest out of pocket.
Sami, if you can (if your doc will give you some), you might want to try Amerge before you go to bed. I've found Amerge to be a great preventative for me for a 12-hour period. It's expensive, though. At retail it's about $15-20 per dose. My doc funnels me samples as my insurance will only pay for 9 doses every 30 days.
Amerge is a triptan (naratriptan), so you will want to talk to your doc since you've mentioned angina.
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Maffumatt
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #12 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 4:27pm » |
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http://headaches.about.com/cs/advocacy/a/trip_limits.htm
*****hope I am not hijacking your thread, I just think you brought up an important topic that needed addressing.
Is Your Insurance Company Limiting Access To Triptans?
Is Your Insurance Company Limiting Access To Triptans?
UNACCEPTABLE! What you can do.
To date, over 1,000 people have completed our form to report insurance limiting access to triptans. I've worked with some of those Migraineurs, contacting their insurance companies as an advocate, and was able to get them the triptans they need.
Here are some pointers for what steps you can take and how to combat some of the excuses offered by the insurance companies:
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Call your insurance company about the possibility of a physician's letter of necessity for an exception/override of the limitation policy.
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Follow all appeals options outlined in your insurance plan.
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If they try to tell you the limitations are due to "FDA regulations," don't accept that answer. It's not true. I have the FDA on record saying it's not true.
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If they tell you it's the manufacturer's suggested limit, don't accept that answer either. It's not true. The only suggested limitation the manufacturer recommends is a maximum dosage not to be exceeded in a 24-hour period.
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If they try to tell you it's in the "FDA legend," again, not true. The FDA legend is merely the FDA-approved prescribing recommendations as outlined in the package insert. Again, the only recommended limitation there is the amount not to be exceeded in a 24-hour period.
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If they tell you triptans are addictive, ask them to provide you with copies of any data they have to substantiate that, including the credentials of the person(s) who say it's addictive. You can point out to them that the FDA legend for Maxalt® says:
o
"DRUG ABUSE AND DEPENDENCE
Although the abuse potential of MAXALT has not been specifically assessed, no abuse of, tolerance to, withdrawal from, or drug-seeking behavior was observed in patients who received MAXALT in clinical trials or their extensions. The 5-HT 1B/1D agonists, as a class, have not been associated with drug abuse."
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Have your policy/plan booklet in front of you when you call. If they tell you the limits are in your policy, tell them you have it in front of you, and ask them exactly where it is.
Those are the most common "reasons" I've been given when taking on insurance companies over this issue -- AND the rebuttal for them.
These are my assertions when I deal with an insurance company on this issue:
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By changing your attending physician's orders as expressed in the prescription he/she wrote, they are practicing medicine without a license.
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When they tell you they have a review panel that includes a physician, it's then my assertion that the physician on their panel is committing malpractice since he's changing your attending physician's orders as expressed in the prescription when he's never examined you.
Additional comments that can be made, but make them very politely, not in a threatening manner:
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ONE ER visit costs far more than a supply of triptans that would last several months.
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IF they don't cover your triptans, you won't have any choice after you run out -- you'll have to go to the ER for every Migraine attack after you run out.
These articles chronicle a long battle with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida over their limitation of Maxalt. In the first one, you'll also find the name of the FDA contact who told me that they do NOT place any restrictions on dispensing medications:
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Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida Limits Access To Meds
For many Migraineurs and ClusterHeads, the only medications that provide relief are triptans. Without triptans, we endure days of pain and other symptoms, resort to emergency room visits, or - in thankfully fewer cases - risk a stroke. Yet too many insurance companies limit the quantity they will pay for regardless of the prescription and the high insurance premiums patients have paid.
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BCBS Still Limiting, Declined Response
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida had offered no resolution to the problems faced by their subscribers whose access to triptans is being limited.
Here's a follow-up on the situation and what can be done to work toward a resolution for all patients who suffer these limitations.
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BCBS Says Triptan Limit Was an Error
In the case we've been following, BCBS of Florida now says that limiting Ms. Brown's triptans was "a mistake." Is this truly a victory? Let's explore the case and decide.
If your insurance company is limiting your access to triptans, I want to know about it. I encourage you to follow the steps outlined in this article to appeal their limits. Whether you succeed or not, your information is valuable to us in fighting this issue. There are spaces on the report form to let me know the outcome of contacting your insurance company.
[b][/b]
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| « Last Edit: Mar 13th, 2007, 4:32pm by CaSS » |
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Samiam
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #13 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 5:27pm » |
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Ok I want to sit down and cry. Don't they know that I'm burned out and I have one nasal left.
When I called on Monday I was told that I was limited to 6 and I could get another 6 on 3/24. I find out now that I can have 18 in a 30 day period and that I can also have my doctor write a letter telling them why I need more. Why didn't that bitch tell me this on Monday. See told me I could only have 6 in 30 days
The man on the phone now told me what to do. He Told me to have the drug store call furture script and tell them to do a refill override and ask for 12 more. I can do this one time a year. Now I may not be able to get that due to the doctor writing the script per how the women told him to for 6 with 5 refills.
So now I sit here waiting to see if this goes through.
I tried Amerge and it didn't do a thing for me nor did the Fiorv (sp?) I tried that when it first came out.
If one more person tells me they understand migraines I will rip out their eyes. One women up there overheard this and told me she understood all too well she gets these h/a's that she has to take 3 advils......
Drug store just called me back and I can get my 12 more and hopefully that will give me enough time for the appeal to go through.
I really gotta take this one day at a time.
What would I do without any of you.
Sami
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Maffumatt
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #14 on: Mar 13th, 2007, 8:29pm » |
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Ask your doctor for a PRN prescription on your CH meds. It will help your pharmacists fill your prescription. I had talked to mine while going through the same as you. One thing I noticed which got me to talk to him was that my insurance company wanted me to go to approved pharmacy's. Walgreens charge $200 dollars more to fill a prescription of 5 Imitrex vials than our local pharmacy. He is the one who told me to ask for the PRN prescription saying it was harder for the Insurance companies to deny payment. Not sure what it is for, maybe our local RNs will let us know.
Good Luck
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| « Last Edit: Mar 14th, 2007, 6:39pm by CaSS » |
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Maffumatt
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #15 on: Mar 15th, 2007, 10:00am » |
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Did your insurance company change their mind about how many sprays they cover? Just wondering.....
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Samiam
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #16 on: Mar 15th, 2007, 11:25am » |
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Ok so far I'm allowed 18 in a 30 day period. I have an appeal process going to have 45 in a 30 day period or at the very lease 30 one a day. I can get by with that now that I have the O2.
I'm now fighting for the Botox. We will see what that brings. I do believe that the Botox and nerve blocks do help me in some ways. I can't say for sure but the first time I used them it didn't shorten my cycle but I did go into the longest remission ever 5 yrs.
Sami
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thebbz
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #17 on: Mar 15th, 2007, 3:40pm » |
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Just in case you missed......NEVER MIX TRIPTANS ever.
Subcuetaneous injection..fastest
jb
Federal guidelines for CH???? what next.
all the best
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Maffumatt
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #18 on: Mar 15th, 2007, 4:16pm » |
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Wouldn't it be nice if more doctors actually followed the guidelines? Think of how much sooner people would get the right treatment. The very first option for treating acute attacks is O2. How many people here have had their Dr's give O2 after their diagnosis as their first line of defense against attacks? Not many I bet. My insurance company didn't want to pay for O2 either until I showed them this guideline. It is hard to deny when its the government saying it is the first line in treatment.
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Samiam
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Re: Fast acting oral Imitrex tablets????
« Reply #19 on: Mar 15th, 2007, 5:18pm » |
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Wait! If I take a pill I can't take a nasal in a couple of hours later (Imetrix)? Or do you mean not to mix migrinal with Imetrix? I was told not to do this within the same 24 hr period. But I have used both. One one day then the other the next day. I have never used Imitrex and if the h/a came back used migrinal a couple of hours later.
Sami
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