Posted by Luke (208.236.74.188) on December 09, 2000 at 10:12:50:
In Reply to: Imitrex TABLETS...why..are you going to... posted by Luke on December 08, 2000 at 21:59:03:
You guys all speak of the tablets working in a different way then what I was talking about. Imitrex to me is an abortive, not a preventive. Now, when it comes to preventives, I have used the tablets occasionally, with moderate success. This is usually when I'm leaving to go to a party or something and know I'll want to guzzle down a few beers, which will provoke an attack. I'll take the pill about the same time as I start drinking, and hope it holds me off for a few hours.
However, I don't understand how you guys can talk about them being successful as abortives. Like I mentioned to Todd earlier, a pill takes 30-40 mins to dissolve! Probably about 25-30 mins before even the slightest effects are felt. How is this useful in clusters!? I don't know about you guys, but my attacks last approx. 1 hour to and hour and twenty minutes. They usually peak after 15-20 minutes. How is a pill effective in this scenario? Look, we all know how unbearable the pain is, so yes, cutting down the attack by 20 minutes IS in a very CRUCIAL way a big deal. But overall, I can't take them seriously as an abortive. With an ailment where attacks are of excruciating pain and short(compared to other things anyway) duration...a pill is not a viable option(IMHO only, of course). We need something that works within 5-10 minutes. After that, it's pushing it. That was the point I was trying to make.
Luke.