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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2004 >> Strange/Bad Imitrex Effect!!!
        
(Message started by: pamstroud on Jun 28^th, 2004, 11:46pm)

Title: Strange/Bad Imitrex Effect!!!
Post by pamstroud on Jun 28^th, 2004, 11:46pm

First, I agree with the proposition that Imitrex increases the # of headaches. I found I could abort with only 2 mg, but the headaches would come every 2 hours. BUT I slowly realized that something else bizarre happened this cycle that I do not recall happening last one (3 yrs ago): the headache would immediately intensify -- as if I could feel arteries painfully constricting -- before subsiding. (And then be sore.)

However, I don't know if it was the Imitrex or some anomoly I have developed, because I finally decided (late in the cycle when the CHs were not too bad) to stop all injections and try oxygen when I had this experience: trying to abort w/o meds, I drank a bunch of water and then exercised, and got the same intensifying/constricing effect I'd been getting from the injections. It really freaked me out: just from drinking water and exercising! It was like my arteries had been trained to have that response.

This is the only place I can explain this, because by the end of every cycle so many bizarre things have happened that I start thinking I have lost my mind. One good thing from reading here is that I realize now that I was not crazy when during one cycle 15 yrs ago I decided the CHs were yeast related and insisted on being given Nystatin. Now during this cycle I read about this connection here.

Title: Re: Strange/Bad Imitrex Effect!!!
Post by UN_SOLVED on Jun 29^th, 2004, 12:38am

Glad to hear that exercise and water helps.

BTW ... my attacks ALWAYS intensifies quickly after an injection. I always know 'it will be over soon' though ... Thank god it still works.

Unsolved

Title: Re: Strange/Bad Imitrex Effect!!!
Post by pamstroud on Jun 29^th, 2004, 12:58am

on 06/29/04 at 00:38:53, UN_SOLVED wrote:

Glad to hear that exercise and water helps.

BTW ... my attacks ALWAYS intensifies quickly after an injection. I always know 'it will be over soon' though ... Thank god it still works.

Unsolved

Ah -- so I am not losing my mind? Seems like early on in the cylce the Imitrex just made the CH melt away, like it did my last cycle 3 yrs ago. At first I didn't connect the intensification w/ the shot. I have tried to figure out why it started doing this. I was 400 mg of Topomax and developed the theory that maybe the Topomax inhibited constriction and made it painful?

Pam

Title: Re: Strange/Bad Imitrex Effect!!!
Post by alleyoop49 on Jun 29^th, 2004, 6:53am

on 06/29/04 at 00:38:53, UN_SOLVED wrote:

Glad to hear that exercise and water helps.

BTW ... my attacks ALWAYS intensifies quickly after an injection. I always know 'it will be over soon' though ... Thank god it still works.

Unsolved

DITTO [smiley=huh.gif]

Title: Re: Strange/Bad Imitrex Effect!!!
Post by Kris_in_SJ on Jun 29^th, 2004, 9:38am

Hi Pam,

Glad to hear you might be on the downswing of this one.

I've read in several articles that CH sufferers often report that their pain increases ALOT right before the HA starts to go away. - with or without meds. Kind of like it's a signal that it's almost over.

This tells me that you're definitely not losing your mind! Hang in there ....

Kris

Title: Re: Strange/Bad Imitrex Effect!!!
Post by Melissa on Jul 3^rd, 2004, 7:32pm

on 06/29/04 at 00:38:53, UN_SOLVED wrote:

BTW ... my attacks ALWAYS intensifies quickly after an injection. I always know 'it will be over soon' though ... Thank god it still works.

I attribute this to the body relaxing because it knows that help is on the way. I think that you know what happens when you relax, you are probably going to get slammed. Sort of like the more tense you are, the less intense the pain is...sort of. :-/

:)mel

Title: Re: Strange/Bad Imitrex Effect!!!
Post by Prense on Jul 4^th, 2004, 2:59pm

Interesting thread...

I am completely different than all those posting here. For me, the attack ramps down as quick as it does naturally starting about 8-10 minutes after injecting. There is no ramp up typically before it fades for me when using the injections.

Chris