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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Imitrex as a preventative
        
(Message started by: Superpain on Mar 20^th, 2007, 7:46pm)

Title: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by Superpain on Mar 20^th, 2007, 7:46pm

I know... I'm not new to this... It's not a preventative.

But I've found over the past month after suffering for several months with basically NO sleep between hits, that the spray does act as a short term preventative and gets me through the night with 1-2 doses.

Oddly enough, shots do not work in the same manner...

So I'm wondering if maybe the pills would work the same way???

The sprays are putting me in a financial hole. I'm getting a discount at the pharmacy (no insurance), but they're still $30 per spray. That's $60 per night...

Does anyone have a similar experience with the spray or pills? Any input?

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by BB on Mar 20^th, 2007, 7:49pm

How do you use the sprays as preventive?

Do you mean you use it before you get a hit?

Annette

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by Brewcrew on Mar 20^th, 2007, 7:56pm

This is the big question with insurance companies now. There are several other triptans that have a longer half life, and while they work as an abortive (sort of), they will also keep them away for awhile. I've noticed this with Amerge. It's like a 12-hour preventative for me, and I have used it as such (not often, but when necessary).

Other preventatives are much cheaper, and that's why insurance companies won't pay for more than a few doses of triptans per month. My neuro wanted me to take an Amerge twice a day for a month, and one time my insurance company actually paid for it. They got wise to that pretty fast, though.

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by Superpain on Mar 20^th, 2007, 8:08pm

on 03/20/07 at 19:49:04, BB wrote:

How do you use the sprays as preventive?

Do you mean you use it before you get a hit?

Annette

No, I usually get hit as soon as I get sleepy. So I use O2 for the first one if it's before midnight, then once I know I'm gonna be able to got to sleep for sure I fall to sleep, get hit, take a spray and hit the o2, then go to sleep. That usually holds me till 2-3am then sometimes I have to use another at that time, and that keeps me throught till morning without anymore hits.

And I don't have any insurance, so I'm not confined by their silly rules. [smiley=laugh.gif]

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by Lobster on Mar 20^th, 2007, 8:10pm

The Indian ripoff of Imitrex is called Suminat.

They have nasal... a bottle is 10x 20mg doses.
http://www.unitedpharmacies.com/customer/product.php?productid=425

$3.50 a dose.

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by Samiam on Mar 20^th, 2007, 9:18pm

I have used Imitrex now for the last 4-5 cycles as a preventive. Well I have also used DHE45 also. My cycle lasts 4-6 weeks mostly 6 weeks the last two it will start to taper down.

What I do is use the nasal spray when I'm out and need a fast abortive since I now have the O2 I use the pills (1-100mg) along with 1 mg of Klonopin and I pretty much sleep through the night without any more hits.

Last night I used a nasal spray because I was out of the pills and 1 mg of klonopin and I not only slept through the night but I manage to go through the whole day without any hits.

I'm also working on my sinuses being inflamed so I also took sudefed 1 tablet (not the long acting one).

I'm so hoping to repeat this tomorrow. Sat will be the end of my 4th week. I like the pills for night time since I get hit about 1 hr after going to sleep so if I take it prior to going to sleep I seem to do OK. Not to mention using the O2 gives the pills time to work if I feel an attack coming on.

Sami

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by chrisw on Mar 20^th, 2007, 10:43pm

I have used imitrex tablets as a preventive, and they worked very good for me, I had many nights with no hits with a tablet before bed, the spray or the shot dont have the same long term effect. the only problem with the imitrex tabs was that I was getting hit in the late afernoon or early evening 8-9pm or so. this was a problemm for me since there is a lot of noise and light etc. at tha t time of day. I t also seemed that my hits were more severe after taking trex the noght before. So I think that they are great for a much needed night sleep, but watch out the next day.

chrisw

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by Chillrmn1 on Mar 21^st, 2007, 6:14am

I tried it as a preventative when I was using trex and it didn't work well for me. I was taking (1) 100 mg tab every 12 hours or so. About 4 hours after taking one I experienced the worst Kip 10 attack I can remember. I shot up with (1) Imitrex 6 mg SQ to try to abort but had no relief. About 30 minutes later at still the same pain level I shot up again with Trex and the attack started to dissipate and left me feeling like hell for the next two days. This was before I started using O2 to abort.

Definately not the smartest thing to have used so much Trex in that short of a time period but I was desperate. So I tried this method, it didn't work for me, and I will never try it again personally. If it works for others then great.

But that was my experience and can't help but think the amount of trex in my body may have been a contributing factor to such a severe attack and might have been the reason I had no response from the shots.

Regards

Edit to add: The first 2-3 days of taking the tabs for preventative purposes seemed to work but it was after the third day that the flood gates of hell opened on me.

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by Bob_Johnson on Mar 21^st, 2007, 10:26am

The clinical trial reports I've seen said Imi doesn't work to prevent. However,

Headache. 2004 Apr;44(4):361-4. Related Articles, Links

Eletriptan for the short-term prophylaxis of cluster headache.

Zebenholzer K, Wober C, Vigl M, Wessely P.

Department of Neurology, University of Vienna (Austria) Medical School.

BACKGROUND: A beneficial prophylactic effect from eletriptan 40 mg given to a single patient with cluster headache was observed. OBJECTIVE: To further evaluate the efficacy of eletriptan in the short-term prophylaxis of cluster headache. METHODS: We treated 18 patients; mean age, 40.5 years (standard deviation [SD], 9.9). The number of cluster headache attacks was recorded during a baseline period of 6 days, and during 6 days of treatment with eletriptan 40 mg twice daily. The primary outcome measure was the reduction in the number of attacks during the treatment period. RESULTS: In the 16 patients who completed the study (2 patients were lost to follow-up), the mean total number of attacks decreased from 10.9 (SD, 5.6) during baseline to 6.3 (SD, 3.7) during treatment with eletriptan (P=.01) The reduction in the number of attacks exceeded 50% in 6 patients. CONCLUSION: This small open-label study suggests that eletriptan 40 mg twice daily may be useful for the short-term prophylaxis of cluster headache.

PMID: 15109360 [PubMed - in process]

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by Superpain on Mar 21^st, 2007, 12:48pm

Thanks for the warnings on the tabs...

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by bluesunshine on Mar 24^th, 2007, 5:11am

imitrex and most of the triptans are not intented to be used as a prophylactic agent ( to prevent the onset of a CH attack)- nor as a continuous treatment. I know the fear of getting hit, but use them only to abort an attack.

And no physician or pharmacist will prescribe them for a steady use - read the monography of the drug.

Don't be a guinea-pig for the pharm co. Remember vioxx story? it was not intended in the first place for a long term treatment. you know the end of the story.

my 0.02$

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by nani on Mar 24^th, 2007, 7:03am

Prevents are much cheaper. I agree that it's dangerous to use triptans as prevents, there are lots of standard and alternative prevents that are much easier on your body. My 2 cents

Title: Re: Imitrex as a preventative
Post by Superpain on Mar 25^th, 2007, 4:10pm

It's only as a secondary effect that I use the term preventative. I don't use it with the intent to prevent, or take it without needing to immediately abort an attack.

But it is a nice side effect when sleeping. ;)