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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Imitrex Overdosing
        
(Message started by: noranate on Dec 29^th, 2006, 9:59pm)

Title: Imitrex Overdosing
Post by noranate on Dec 29^th, 2006, 9:59pm

Has anyone been warned by their doctor that they should not take Imitrex more than three days a week. I know that you are not supposed to take more that two injections in a 24 hour period but now after 8 months of use my doctor is telling me I am not supposed to take it more than 3 days a week. I have never heard of that warning. I basically have to take it every day at this point and he is saying I am severely overdosing on it. When first prescribed he never mentioned the 3 day thing to me.

Title: Re: Imitrex Overdosing
Post by E-Double on Dec 29^th, 2006, 10:24pm

The only thing I would consider is the possibility of increasing the frequency of attacks.

Medicinal overuse headache or Rebound used be known specifically as Analgesic Rebound. When people used too much Advil or other OTC or opiates for example then they would wind up with horrible HA when not on it. The only way to get rid of it was to take the med. A vicious cycle.

Now they are considering Increase in attacks as "rebound" from triptan overuse.

I do not think it is overdosing perse' but you should be careful as a general rule.

Title: Re: Imitrex Overdosing
Post by noranate on Dec 29^th, 2006, 10:59pm

I understood the risk of rebound headaches. That is a side effect of half the crap the doctors put us on be he is saying that I am specifically endangering myself. The ironic thing is he will not give me the refills I need for that to help me abort the headaches so i can function but he is going to increase my Verapamil again for the 5th time so i can suffer through the side effects of that. Doesn't seem logical to me.

Title: Re: Imitrex Overdosing
Post by UN solved on Dec 30^th, 2006, 1:29am

Just by using it 3 days a week (or more) isn't going to make you 'overdose' with it. If it does work to abort the attacks, use it when you need to. I sometimes use the injections many times a day every day of the week. If it doesn't work, don't use it at all.

Goodluck

UNsolved

PS. Thank goodness for Imitrex injections !! They've kept me alive !!

Title: Re: Imitrex Overdosing
Post by Guiseppi on Dec 30^th, 2006, 9:13am

After over 25 years of clock like cycles, 2-4 month cycles twice a year, I introduced imitrex injections to the equation on my last cycle and ended up with an 8 month cycle.

Now with the beast you can never be sure what's up with the cause and effect thing because he morphs any time he pleases, but I have seen several people post lately about imitrex possible extending their cycles.

With all that being said I'm still not willing to give it up because even though it was an 8 month cycle, by using the trex, it was the first cycle where I never had an honest to goodness 10! As someone on the board told me years ago, sometimes we do get to "pick our poison!"

Guiseppi

Title: Re: Imitrex Overdosing
Post by E-Double on Dec 30^th, 2006, 9:30am

If you talk to your doctor about perscribing VIALS not the statdose, then you can assure him that you can use less medication.
Many of us find that less is actually more on two fronts.
1. We can abort with less than a full injection. Some of us can abort with 1/3. This is where the vials come in handy and if you can not get the vials then we split the dose using the "imitrex tip" (see the hyperlink on the menu bar)
2. It is much cheaper than!

Title: Re: Imitrex Overdosing
Post by Bob_Johnson on Dec 30^th, 2006, 12:31pm

Headache. 2004 Feb;44(2):178-82.

Frequent triptan use: observations on safety issues.

Robbins L.

Department of Neurology, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill. 60062, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the safety of frequent triptan use over extended periods. For a small group of patients with refractory migraine plus chronic daily headache, triptans are effective. METHODS: This retrospective study primarily evaluated the cardiac safety of daily triptan use in 118 patients and, in addition, hematologic tests were assessed. Each patient had utilized a triptan for a minimum of 4 days per week for at least 6 months. Patients with rebound headache had been withdrawn from the triptans. Most patients (97 of 118) averaged 1 tablet daily; most would occasionally go for several days without a triptan. Forty patients had taken a triptan for 6 months to 2 years, 37 patients from 2 to 4 years, and 41 for 4 or more years. RESULTS: Routine hematologic tests were performed periodically on all patients, and no abnormalities were attributable to triptans. Almost all patients had an electrocardiogram, and no abnormal electrocardiograms were felt to be related to triptans. Cardiac echocardiography was performed in 57 patients. The 10 abnormal echocardiograms were not due to triptans. All 20 cardiac stress tests revealed normal findings. Adverse events were minimal; 9 patients described fatigue due to triptans, and 5 had mild chest tightness. CONCLUSION: This long-term study of 118 patients indicates that frequent triptan use may be relatively safe.

PMID: 14756859 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
====================
Funct Neurol. 2000 Jul-Sep;15(3):167-70. Related Articles, Links

Sumatriptan overuse in episodic cluster headache: lack of adverse events, rebound syndromes, drug dependence and tachyphylaxis.

Centonze V, Bassi A, Causarano V, Dalfino L, Cassiano MA, Centonze A, Fabbri L, Albano O.

Dept of Internal Medicine and Public Medicine, University of Bari, Italy.

This observational study was designed to examine the pattern of sumatriptan use in patients with cluster headache using more than the recommended daily dose of subcutaneously injected (s.c.) sumatriptan. Thirteen patients suffering from episodic cluster headache were asked to record the characteristics of their attacks and drug intake for 1 year. All reported a high daily frequency of attacks (more than 3 per day) and the related overuse of s.c. sumatriptan. The results show that the overall incidence of adverse events among patients receiving sumatriptan injections for the treatment of cluster headache is low. The extended administration of this drug in episodic cluster headache did not result in tolerance problems or tachyphylaxis. Only 4 patients experienced minor adverse events and recovered more slowly than the others. They suffered from migraine without aura and cluster headache, and showed a family history of migraine. Even though they must be viewed with caution, due to the observational nature of the study and the low number of patients included, these results suggest that the profile of sumatriptan may differ in cluster headache compared with migraine.

PMID: 11062845

Title: Re: Imitrex Overdosing
Post by thebbz on Dec 30^th, 2006, 6:26pm

Never mix triptans! Instant overdose.
jb