Clusterheadaches.com Message Board
        (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Maxalt ??
        
(Message started by: wifesupporter on May 21st, 2005, 11:24am)
Title: Maxalt ??
Post by wifesupporter on May 21st, 2005, 11:24am
back from the neuro and as I thought she confirmed my wife as a CHead without a doubt.  She had suggested all the standard treatments, as well as this maxalt tabs that I have not seen on here.  It is a triptan i believe, just wondering if anyone has tried them?

We are now out of cycle thanks to all and also thanks to melatonin I think,  Neuro was a bit suprized when I showed her the info on melatonin.  but if it can help her other people then hooray for us.

well, peace and PF

Steve.
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by Marc on May 21st, 2005, 8:49pm
Steve,

Maxalt is in the Triptan family of meds which includes Imitrex, Zomig, Frova, Amerge, Relpax and Axert.

It's available in MLT (melt in your mouth) and regular tablets. Use the search function near the top of this page and you will find many, many posts regarding Maxalt. It works for some, but not others.

You said that her Neuro suggested all the standard treatments. I'm curious what they are?

Good luck,

Marc
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by wifesupporter on May 22nd, 2005, 9:09am
trex injections, O2, for abortives.  nsaids, steroids and verapamil.  but will be waiting for her next cycle to investigate these.

thanks for the reminder of search.

Steve
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by brewcrew on May 23rd, 2005, 8:35pm
My neuro said that rizotriptan (Maxalt) is absorbed in the gut, not through the mouth. The tablet form, therefore, actually goes to work about 5 to 10 minutes sooner than the MLT version. I've used both, and they both work for me, but when in the grip of the beast, it's hard for me to tell the difference 5 or 10 minutes makes (i.e., my internal clock isn't exactly working properly at that point).

I hope it works for your wife. When I'm in cycle, I take 10mg of Maxalt and hit the O2 bottle when the beast comes to visit. It's usually gone in 20-25 minutes. Good luck!

Bill
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by PerryGR on May 24th, 2005, 1:19am
Hello Steve,

You said that

on 05/21/05 at 11:24:24, wifesupporter wrote:
She had suggested all the standard treatments, as well as this maxalt tabs that I have not seen on here.


and when you were asked what the standard treatments you wrote

Quote:
trex injections, O2, for abortives.  nsaids, steroids and verapamil.


Just a word of precaution that i'm sure you've read before on this board: DO NOT MIX TRIPTANS. As stated above by Marc, Maxalt and Imitrex are in the Triptan family and they are not to be taken within 24-hours of eachother.

I'm glad your wife is out of cycle, hope they never come back but if they do you're now more prepared to fight them.

PFDAN to all,
Perry.
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by sandie99 on May 24th, 2005, 8:05am
I use Maxalt MLTs with my attacks. It works quickly for me. :)
The only side effect is that I'll be sleepy few hours later...

Best wishes,
Sandie
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by Ueli on May 24th, 2005, 10:29pm
Fact is, The MLT version was developed for people who cannot swallow a pill without a liquid.
The rumour spread, not unwelcome to the manufacturer, that the MLT form acts faster, but that's not true, as brewcrew said.

Ueli
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by wifesupporter on May 27th, 2005, 6:52pm
Thanks for all your input and as perry stated we are now prepared to fight the next cycle.  It has been hard without all of you for the last 6 years and without a propper diag.(migranes, sinus, etc...)  I probably wont be posting a lot during this PF time however I will keep y'all posted in the future.  I am not looking forward to the next cycle as this one was quite longer than all her previous ones.


Anyway,  Have a great summer guys and THanks.


Peace, love and Freedom(from the Pain.)

Steve and Judy. ;)
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by jokrs2 on May 27th, 2005, 8:00pm
I used Maxalt in the beginning and then I was moved over to Imitrex (same family). No cloud of doom intended here...but these both became ineffective for my chronic clusters and started to cause rebound headaches, so I eventually went on to "alternative treatment", which has sent the demon into remission for over 2 months now. Best wishes, Joe
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by athimmel on May 31st, 2005, 4:24pm
Hi wifesupp...

Since I was diagnosed with CHs, I have used several triptans.

I liked Maxalt because I didn't need water to take it...just pop it and wait.

The problem is, it has since stopped working for me.  I'm currently trying to find something that will work.  But don't be afraid to try the Maxalt.  It works pretty well.

Best wishes.
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by Cynde on Jun 28th, 2005, 1:31pm
First bout in more than 17 years.  Now into my fourth week of CHs, have been on tapering prednisone for last two weeks (horrid drugs) and calcium channel blockers...CHs continue, although not daily.   Ended up in ER on Friday night with two whoppers back to back -- oxygen got the second one under control (I let the first one run its course, like an idiot).  Doc at ER gave me imitrex scrip, got it filled (primary care doc hadn't given me any abortive medicines).  Then last night had two more CHs.  One at 6, took imitrex tablet, 20 minutes later felt OK.  Fell asleep, awoke with monster at midnight, took another imitrex, better within 20-25 minutes, had sound sleep.  Saw doc again this morning, gave me maxalt sublinguals, which I read are specifically NOT tested for CHs, but who cares?  If they can give relief in less than 20-25 minutes, I'll take them.  I don't know why the doc won't give me oxygen to have at home, but I'm seeing a neurologist next week, and maybe she'll prescribe it.  I would prefer not to take meds if O2 will work.
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by BMoneeTheMoneeMan on Jun 28th, 2005, 4:09pm
I used Maxalt and it did not give me any relief.  I took the melt in your mouth ones, and not only did it not give me relief, it gave me a rebound CH like a bastard.  After that, i started using trex injections and they work 100% of the time.  I dont understand how, if they are basically the same med, how the trex works well and the maxalt sucked.
I think that general consensus is Imitrex injections are almost 100% effective, unless you take too much and become immune to it.  It's too bad that shots suck so bad.
PF wishes to all
BMonee
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by Cynde on Jun 30th, 2005, 6:04pm
I had to use the Maxalt three times in the last several days -- two headaches one day, one the next -- and it worked each time!  Within less than 15 minutes, and the pain never crescendoed to the point it did on Friday night, when I had two monsters from hell back to back and ended up in ER.  So I think it's working for me...for now..But the headache pattern still isn't broken, even after 16 days on prednisone and channel blockers...I'm hoping this is the tail end...
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by brewcrew on Jul 2nd, 2005, 10:58am

on 06/30/05 at 18:04:30, Cynde wrote:
Within less than 15 minutes, and the pain never crescendoed to the point it did on Friday night, when I had two monsters from hell back to back and ended up in ER.  So I think it's working for me...for now..

I hate to be the turd in the punchbowl, but if your h/a was aborting in less than 15 minutes, it wasn't the Maxalt that was doing the trick. Could be that it was just the natural life cycle of your h/a - it was already on the way out. Maxalt takes a minimum of 30 minutes to become effective, with most people 45 minutes.
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by Cynde on Jul 3rd, 2005, 7:20pm

on 07/02/05 at 10:58:10, brewcrew wrote:
I hate to be the turd in the punchbowl, but if your h/a was aborting in less than 15 minutes, it wasn't the Maxalt that was doing the trick. Could be that it was just the natural life cycle of your h/a - it was already on the way out. Maxalt takes a minimum of 30 minutes to become effective, with most people 45 minutes.


The sublingual meds don't take 30 minutes.  I tried Imitrex tabs, and they definitely needed 25 or 30 minutes.  But I've never had an untreated CH that lasted less than an hour, so I'm fairly confident that the Imitrex sublingual is getting me what I need within the 15 minutes...
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by brewcrew on Jul 4th, 2005, 1:39pm
But correlation does not always equal causation.

Even the documentation from the manufacturer of Maxalt says minimum effect won't happen for 30-45 minutes. It is not absorbed through the bloodstream, it is absorbed in the gut.

Just repeating my experience plus what the drug maker has stated. It could very well be that your headache ran it's course before the Maxalt took effect. I don't know what the stats are for Imitrex. Either way, it's gone, right? ;;D
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by Cynde on Jul 5th, 2005, 3:17pm

on 07/04/05 at 13:39:04, brewcrew wrote:
But correlation does not always equal causation.

Even the documentation from the manufacturer of Maxalt says minimum effect won't happen for 30-45 minutes. It is not absorbed through the bloodstream, it is absorbed in the gut.

Just repeating my experience plus what the drug maker has stated. It could very well be that your headache ran it's course before the Maxalt took effect. I don't know what the stats are for Imitrex. Either way, it's gone, right? ;;D


The documentation from Maxalt does not state that minimum effect will not occur for 30 minutes.  It states that maximum bioavailability occurs within 1 hour for sublingual tabs.   That's maximum bioavailability.  But only a minimum of medication is likely needed to stop the headache, so even a small percentage of the total dose can quell a headache.  
Maxalt isn't really a sublingual, I'll give you that.  It's a "pre-dissolved" tablet -- it dissolves upon contact with saliva, which facilitates its absorption through the stomach, thereby hastening its absorption into the bloodstream.  Nevertheless, the absorption rate is higher for the sublingual Maxalt than the regular tablets, according to the pharmacokinetic data provided in the insert.   Also, women absorb it better than men, according to the insert, and have up to 30% more bioavailable per dose.  So while it may not work for you, it does work for me, and for many others.  Maybe it's better for women than men, in general, which is worth noting.
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by StressFree on Jul 5th, 2005, 3:32pm
Maxalt worked quite well for me too. I've had the rebound effect from Imitrex tabs, which caused multiple daily attacks for me on previous cycles. First time that had happened! Haven't experienced this trouble with the Maxalt. Although I haven't had to use it a lot since cycle is (hopefully) near end. Also, I'm not sure of the sublingal absorbtion and what-not, but I take the tabs with hot water and on an empty stomach. I get results right at 15 minutes to 20 minutes maximum. I've noticed very similar time frames previously with pain pills too. Best of luck and pain free wishes for you all, Rich
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by brewcrew on Jul 13th, 2005, 2:19pm

on 07/05/05 at 15:17:07, Cynde wrote:
The documentation from Maxalt does not state that minimum effect will not occur for 30 minutes.  It states that maximum bioavailability occurs within 1 hour for sublingual tabs.   That's maximum bioavailability.  But only a minimum of medication is likely needed to stop the headache, so even a small percentage of the total dose can quell a headache.  
Maxalt isn't really a sublingual, I'll give you that.  It's a "pre-dissolved" tablet -- it dissolves upon contact with saliva, which facilitates its absorption through the stomach, thereby hastening its absorption into the bloodstream.  Nevertheless, the absorption rate is higher for the sublingual Maxalt than the regular tablets, according to the pharmacokinetic data provided in the insert.   Also, women absorb it better than men, according to the insert, and have up to 30% more bioavailable per dose.  So while it may not work for you, it does work for me, and for many others.  Maybe it's better for women than men, in general, which is worth noting.

I guess I'm about to find out. Just entered cycle again last week after 5 pf months. Called the neuro's office because I'm running low on Maxalt. New nurse (again) - she phoned in the Rx for regular Maxalt tabs instead of the usual MLT (which is what I always use). I'll let you know.

Which reminds me....I better check my O2 supply. :o
Title: Re: Maxalt ??
Post by Manda on Jul 14th, 2005, 6:03pm
hey there!!!
I have tried Maxalt...Didnt WORK!!!  Moved on...Taking Zomig!!  WORKS GREAT!!!!
Good luck


Clusterheadaches.com Message Board » Powered by YaBB 1 Gold - SP 1.3.1!
YaBB © 2000-2003. All Rights Reserved.