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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2003 >> RELPAX (eletriptan HBr)
        
(Message started by: goaway on Jul 26^th, 2003, 11:26am)

Title: RELPAX (eletriptan HBr)
Post by goaway on Jul 26^th, 2003, 11:26am

This is my first posting. Diagnosed in 1987. Still a CHer. Episodic (don't know how a Chronic sufferer manages).

This cycle I decided to check with the Doctor to determine what I could take to handle the pain. I live in a small rural town, and the Dr. is a Board certified interenist who seemed to know a bit about CHs.

He presribed RELPAX. A Pfizer product. Member of the triptan family and generally recognized as treatment for migraines. Said I could take it every two hours (maybe he meant just once or twice a day, but I didn't understand it that way.)

IT WORKS IF YOU TAKE IT AT THE PRECISE MOMENT WHEN YOU ASK YOURSELF - - "Do I need to take it now?"
This would be before the onset of pain.

On refill: Was told by Pharmacist that I am only supposed to take one tablet per day maximum. I had been taking three per day. Oh yeah, he also said the insurance would only pay for one per day. No surprise there, huh?

QUESTIONS:
1. Anybody tried Relpax?

2. How much can a person take?

Hang in there folks. Also, so glad to find ya'll!!!

Title: Re: RELPAX (eletriptan HBr)
Post by godsjoy on Jul 26^th, 2003, 11:51am

Hi there.....I am back after a one year repreive of my clusters.....I have had them now for 14 years....episodic....usually 10 to 12 weeks every 10 months......Recently had to switch Drs due to my getting married and being on my husband's insurance....I got all my records transferred to my new Dr.....finall... including an MRI......I fought 10 years to get an MRI.....I loved my last Dr...HE CARED ......and ordered an MRI right away.....because my mother suffered with chronic headaches and ended up dieing suddenly from a cerebral hemorrage......due to a popped aneurism that she never knew she had... :'( :'( :'(( probably caused by so many episodes of clusters....only my summation...it doesn't take a rocket scientist....though the Neurologist that I had seen from the county hospital said it wasn't possible....yeah...some snotty nosed Dr. fresh out of college......thinks she knows it all.....she didn't even want to give me an MRI....knowing my family history....she said....Would you really want to know if you DID have an aneurism???? Duhhhhh!!!!!?????)....OK....test proved to have no aneurism.....good to know...BUT....then she put me on Verapamil......after the episode was passed.....I have very LOW blood pressure anyway....and it put me way....way....way....down....can't live like that either.....SO.......here I am with new Doc.....and he trusts the Rx that worked last...Maxalt...and prescribed that....he prescribed 30 per month....smart guy...and Maxalt works....most of the time....barring a killer nothing touches it one every now and then....NOW THE RUB.......Our insurance has rationed the RX to 12 pills a month!!!!!! What?????/ What do I do the rest of the month? I have been fighting tooth and nail these last few days to get an extension of pills paid for on the insurance.....What beurocracy! My Drs office hates to see me or hear from me as I ask them to Fax another request....filled out completely to the insurance.....I tell them...I'm not the enemy....the insurance Co is.....The regular cost at my pharmacy for 12 more pills is $278.00....so I beg....cry...plead for samples untill it comes through.....Fighting on.....

OK....Just ranting.....I would love to hear what OTHER preventative works besides Verap....

Blessings,
Karen

Title: Re: RELPAX (eletriptan HBr)
Post by goaway on Jul 26^th, 2003, 5:46pm

Karen-

You too, huh? 12 Relpax cost $200.00. Sounds like my deal is a bit better. Nevertheless, we should all keep on trying to reconcile the insurance co's policies with real life necessities.

Regards!

Title: Re: RELPAX (eletriptan HBr)
Post by klp on Jul 27^th, 2003, 8:27pm

you can take up to 2 relpax a day. there has to be 2 hours between dosing.
also. relpax is contraindicated if you are using verapamil.

being so new if you ask your md to contact the drug rep, they will usually give you 10 sample pills. hope this helps. krista

Title: Re: RELPAX (eletriptan HBr)
Post by Ueli on Jul 27^th, 2003, 9:51pm

on 07/27/03 at 20:27:55, klp wrote:

relpax is contraindicated if you are using verapamil.

Sorry, Christa, but that is plain and simply wrong. :-[

Eletriptan (Relpax), as any other triptan (suma-, zolmi-, riza-, nara-, almo- and frova-triptan), is an entirely different class of drug than calcium channel blockers, like verapamil. There is no interaction of any kind known between the two classes of drugs.
Hundreds of people on this message board use verapamil as a preventative and triptans as abortives, and there has never been any report of bad interactions.

It doesn't make much sense talking about numbers of Relpax pills, without stating their strength. Relpax comes with 20, 40 and 80 mg (and they all cost the same, an idiocy of Pfizer's, duh).

I have found somewhere that the daily dosis (for meegraines) should not exceed 160 mg.

I take 20 mg (half a 40 mg pill) at bed time, as a short time preventative for the night, with good success most of the time.

If you use Relpax as an abortive, keep in mind that it takes quite some time to kick in, as any other pill. You can speed this up a bit by chewing up the pill (tastes a bit bitter) and washing it down with some coffee.

PFNADs
Ueli