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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2003 >> Imitrex 100MG
        
(Message started by: doogienj on Oct 31^st, 2003, 10:09pm)

Title: Imitrex 100MG
Post by doogienj on Oct 31^st, 2003, 10:09pm

Hi Folks,

Well it's time again >:( I just started another cluster season after an 18 month break. So I ran to my PCP for some Imitrex. Previously I took the 50mg pills. My PCP advised me that the 100mg pills gives reliefe for up to 22 hours. Is this correct? Has anyone that has multiple attacks in the same day taken the 100mg pill and been ok for both attacks?

Is there anything new in the last 18 months? I heard a rumor that Pfizer is working on a preventive medication for migraines. Does anyone know more?

Thanks all, and be well.

Douglas

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by thomas on Oct 31^st, 2003, 10:27pm

Holy shit that's a lot of trex!!!! The only thing that ever gave me that much relief was amerge or dhe.

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by jflynn on Oct 31^st, 2003, 10:53pm

Not really "new" in the last 18 months, but still fresh is meletonin as a preventative. The idea is to take 6 to 10mg an hour before bed and after a few days of this some folks cease to have the headaches at all as long as they maintain the melatonin therapy. There are a few clinical studies backing this up although it only works for a fraction of sufefrers.

Certianly worth a look given the realtive safety and dirt cheap pricing of this OTC substance. I'd sugegst getting teh pure pills as opposed to the ones with added vitamin B since B can keep some folks awake at night. Make sure melatonin is not counterindicated against any other meds you are taking especially psychoactives.

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by doogienj on Nov 1^st, 2003, 7:52am

Here is an update on my Imitrex 100mg adventure. I had an attack in the in the morning and took the 100mg pill. Later that afternoon I felt another attack coming on, but it never really broke out. It was as if I could feel it in the background, but the pain was no more than a 2. Again at bedtime the same thing happened. The pain was then about a 3. But I could have been functional if I needed too.

Of course the problem with the 100mg is that the insurance wants to give you 8 pills a month which won't get me very far. Anyone else have feedback about the 100mg pills? Douglas

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by notseinfeld on Nov 1^st, 2003, 8:46am

Question:
Are you ok with a 20MG Imitrex nasal application? For me it works much more quickly and effectively than pills. 100MG is an AWFUL lot of Imitrex and it is supposed to be used as an abortive, not a preventative that a 22 hour ride would provide.

Resting my hopes on Clomid as it's the newest 'ray of hope' I've heard on the board. Check the thread and sorry you're part of the gang again!

nots

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by Prense on Nov 1^st, 2003, 9:27am

I have no experience with the trex pills, but I know that the injections come with a brochure that clearly says they wont prevent further attacks...just aborts the current one. I don't recall anyone else saying they were using trex as a preventative either.

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by Unsolved on Nov 1^st, 2003, 4:07pm

It's NOT a preventative ... and has been labeled as a drug that WILL cause rebounds by MHNI (http://www.mhni.com)

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by LasVegas on Nov 1^st, 2003, 11:06pm

100 mg trex tablets are strictly abortives designed for migraines and recently clusters. They do NOT work for my clustersquickly enough, 30 minutes till it kicks in. I use injections if I am not near oxygen. Otherwise, o2 works good enough for me and aborts within 10 minutes. The injections work within 2 minuts flat for me. Like you said, limitation on refills by insurance companies. Nasal spray can be effective, IF you do it right. Many people don't know how to use the spray. Back to the pills though, they also get me sick to my stomach. Spray I personally don't like and have only tried it twice. The injections are the Imitrex King! But, they do cause rebounds and there is alot of irecent posts about Imitrex, the medication itself and also a very recent thread about Imitrex and a longer cycle. Try oxygen to abort. Also, FYI, the insurance company WILL probably allow you to get a script filled for pills, another for spray and another injections. Now, you have triple ammo and alternatives. Get the oxygen though, no rebounds and aborts well. Read up. Good luck.
Gregg in Las Vegas

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by Prense on Nov 2^nd, 2003, 12:11am

Some are experiencing rebounds with trex, not all. It's a try it and see thing. I personally have not suffered from additional HAs of any sort with the usage of trex, and I use quite a bit of it.

Chris

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by tsayswhy on Nov 2^nd, 2003, 12:42am

Hello Douglas

I was on imitrex 100's for 5 years before they told me i had cluster up till then they said it was migraines.

I had 3 c/h a day usally every 8 hours{clock work} it took about 45-1hour to go away after taking trex neurologist told me if they dont start working in 20-30min they really are not working your just running the course of the headache

They did not pervent the next one from coming,lenth of pain and still got hit just as hard!Tari

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by doogienj on Nov 7^th, 2003, 1:03pm

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your feedback. I'm still on the 100mg and I'm sticking to it. I take a pill when I feel the headache coming on, and it works much fast than the 25/50mg pills did.

Also, the attacks are now down to 10-15 minutes, instead for 30-45. That's a big difference. I got one in a meeting the other day, and I was actually able to work through it.

It may not be the 100mg pills, but most days I feel another attack coming later in the day, and it does not hit with full force, and I am functional. I have never experienced this before.

I think the max to take in a day us 200mg, so I'm really just using half of that. Good luck everyone! Douglas

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by eyes_afire on Nov 7^th, 2003, 5:53pm

Hi Douglas,

I don't believe the imitrex 100 mg will have a longer lasting effect... certainly not 22 hours, of course I may be wrong, but I kinda don't think so. The advantage of getting the 100 mg is that it is the same price as the 50 mg but a stronger dose. It makes much more financial sense for me to get the 100 mg (I've become a Chronic Pill Splitter but trying to split that damn triangular shape is a bitch). But, the others are correct that the nasal and injectable work much faster, however pills are better than nothing... could mean the difference between a 40 min CH and a 90 min CH for me. And sometimes I use the pills as a 'Short acting preventative' just before bedtime if I fear I will get hammered and really need sleep.

--- Steve

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by vig on Nov 7^th, 2003, 6:29pm

I know I'm a drug lightweight to begin with, but 100mg!
I gave back all the free 20mgs.

My heart nearly exploded from a 6mg injection.
I would've died from a hundred.
OUCH!

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by Pinkfloyd on Nov 12^th, 2003, 1:44am

on 11/07/03 at 18:29:41, vig wrote:

I know I'm a drug lightweight to begin with, but 100mg!
I gave back all the free 20mgs.

My heart nearly exploded from a 6mg injection.
I would've died from a hundred.
OUCH!

Well Vig...it would have if you'd INJECTED 100mg of the injectable imitrex, at one time. The pills, sprays and injections are formulated differently, absorbed differently etc. One 100mg pill is NOT the same thing as 16.666 injections. Basically, a dose, is a dose, is a dose. The ways they are delivered to your system and the speed at which they will work, is different.

This is why, especially for clusters, saying, "well, a 100mg pill did me no good at all. How possibly could only a 6mg injection do any good. It's so much less medication."......is not necessarily the case.

PF

PF

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by NotH20 on Nov 12^th, 2003, 3:14pm

Douglas - the 50 mgs of Imitrex pills did nothing for my ch's....the 100 mg pills worked great for me in aborting the ch. They did NOT, however, abort any future attacks during the day - sorry to say.

Glad that it's working for you - keep us posted...
Mia

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by LSUnut on Nov 12^th, 2003, 5:12pm

The dosage of imitrex that is best for each person will vary considerably based on a number of factors ie. how big of a person you are and are you taking any other meds that may increase or decrease absorbance and clearance. Imitrex was the first triptan to market, so it's no surprise that it has the lowest bioavailabilty (usually on the order of 14-17% per dose). This is also why the pills in mg's are larger than most of the others. Some of the newer triptans like amerge have a bioavailability of almost 75% per dose, so you can take a much smaller dose. I also know that certain drugs, like in my case I take propranolol (bad side effects with verapamil), propranolol can increase the serum levels of some triptans as much as 70% because it gets metabolized in a similar way due to a similar functional group in the drug. This can increase the effects of the drug and also prolong the clearance time making it less safe to redose at a normal interval. These are all things your doctor or pharmacist should be aware of and discuss with you. You might have better results with one of the newer triptans, just FYI. ;)

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by doogienj on Nov 14^th, 2003, 1:13pm

Update:

I'm surprised to hear the so many seems to think that 100mg is that much. I mean, they make the 100mg for a reason. Furthermore, I am a big guy, 6'1, 230lb. I feel no different side effects that I did with 50mg. And you are ok taking up to 200mg per day. I'm only using half.

But it took a strange break for a few days, and I read an article that anti depressants can't not be ruled out as helping. I just posted in a new topic. I take effexor/wellbutrin and had no headaches for 5 days. Until I had a few drinks last night. But with the 100mg Imitrex, it was gone in 8 minutes.

I'm going to Spain next week and buying it (Imigran is the European name) over the counter. The cost about $15 per 100mg instead of here about $29. So almost half price. And some Spanish sufferers told me if you have a prescription you only pahy 40%. I'm stocking up baby! Viva Espana! Douglas

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by pinksharkmark on Nov 15^th, 2003, 12:54am

When I was still using Imitrex, I ended up taking literally thousands of the 100 mg pills over the years -- as many as 4 a day (occasionally 5) for months at a stretch.

They work pretty fast if you break them in half and take both halfs the instant you feel the warning signs of an impending CH. In my case it used to take about 20 minutes for the effects to be felt.

They never provided me with any more than 6 hours relief at a stretch, though, and sometimes less than that. It's just that the larger dose works faster. When I was still using Imitrex, I could often get by with just half a 100 mg pill for the first few weeks and the last few weeks of every cycle, but once The Beast was firmly established, I had to take the entire pill. I would ALWAYS split it in two, though, so it would be absorbed faster.

Even if you can get by with 50 mg pills, it makes financial sense to buy the 100s and split them. The price difference between the two dosages is negligible (what a ripoff, eh?), so you get twice the bang for the buck.

pinky

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG, has anyone ever tried
Post by forgetfulnot on Nov 18^th, 2003, 4:52pm

If you could extract a 100 mg pill into an injectable form you would get 16 6 mg injections from each pill.

As the cost of 2 injections is now around 120-130.00, what a savings.

Just an idea,

Lee :o

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by thomas on Nov 18^th, 2003, 5:08pm

I think it's a lot because I always took the 50mg pills. However, I will not be taking it ever again - so it's still a lot. ;)

Title: Re: Imitrex 100MG
Post by HannahFroukje on Nov 19^th, 2003, 2:54am

on 11/07/03 at 13:03:31, doogienj wrote:

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for your feedback. I'm still on the 100mg and I'm sticking to it. I take a pill when I feel the headache coming on, and it works much fast than the 25/50mg pills did.

You know best yourself if it's working or not for you. If you keep a headache diary, you can count out if the result is significant or not.

People please watch out with high doses of imitrex, there ARE people who can't take these high doses and then it might go REALLY wrong. Then again, there are people who have no problem with it. It's a receptor drug, it all depends on how your own body is reacting.

My hubby hasn't gotten any result of tablets, not to abort and not to prevent, only thing that works for him is imitrex injections, but luckily he can take those with hardly any side effects. ....