When this occurs, you get migraine or cluster headaches every day, or more often than usual. In rare cases, taking Imitrex can cause serious side effects that could seem like your migraine or cluster headache is getting worse. These serious side effects include bleeding in your brain and very high blood pressure. If your headache gets worse after taking a dose of Imitrex, call your doctor right away.
You should check with your doctor about taking Imitrex before surgery. Imitrex works by narrowing your blood vessels, and it can sometimes cause changes to your blood pressure.
This could be dangerous during surgery. Talk with your doctor if you have a surgery scheduled. They can tell you if you should stop taking Imitrex in the days before the surgery. You may take Imitrex with certain other drugs to treat or prevent migraine or cluster headaches. However, you should only take Imitrex with other drugs if your doctor recommends it.
These may include:. Taking pain relievers of any kind too often can lead to medication overuse headache. This occurs when you have migraines or cluster headaches every day, or more often than usual. If you use pain relievers to treat migraine or cluster headaches 10 or more days a month, talk with your doctor. If you have nausea with your migraine, your doctor may recommend taking nausea medications, such as:. If you get frequent migraine or cluster headaches, your doctor may prescribe medication that you take on a regular basis to help prevent headaches.
Examples of medications you may take to prevent migraine or cluster headaches include:. Other drugs are available that can treat your condition. Some may be a better fit for you than others. They can tell you about other medications that may work well for you. Note: Some of the drugs listed here are used off-label to treat these specific conditions.
You may wonder how Imitrex compares with other medications that are prescribed for similar uses. Here we look at how Imitrex and Maxalt are alike and different. Imitrex and Maxalt are both FDA-approved to treat migraine with or without aura in adults.
Maxalt can also be used in children ages 6 to 17 years. The Imitrex injection is also approved to treat cluster headaches in adults. Neither drug should be used to prevent migraine or cluster headaches. Maxalt comes as a tablet that you swallow. It also comes as a tablet that dissolves on your tongue, called Maxalt-MLT. With both Imitrex and Maxalt, you take a dose when you have migraine. For adults, if you take one dose and still have migraine symptoms 2 hours later, you can take a second dose.
Imitrex and Maxalt have some similar side effects and others that vary. Below are examples of these side effects. These lists contain examples of the most common mild side effects that can occur with Imitrex, with Maxalt, or with both drugs when taken individually. These lists contain examples of serious side effects that can occur with Imitrex, with Maxalt, or with both drugs when taken individually.
The use of Imitrex and Maxalt in treating migraine has been directly compared in a number of clinical studies. A review of studies concluded that Maxalt was more effective for treating migraine than Imitrex. People who took Maxalt were more likely to have relief from headache and nausea 2 hours after taking a dose compared with people who took Imitrex. According to estimates on GoodRx. However, Imitrex taken by nasal spray or injection may cost more than Maxalt.
Imitrex and Maxalt are both brand-name drugs. Generic forms of both drugs are available. Imitrex is available as the generic drug sumatriptan, and Maxalt is available as the generic drug rizatriptan. Generics usually cost less than brand-name drugs. Like Maxalt above , the drug Relpax has uses similar to those of Imitrex.
Imitrex and Relpax are both FDA-approved to treat migraine with or without aura in adults. With both Imitrex and Relpax, you take a dose when you have migraine.
If you take one dose and still have migraine symptoms 2 hours later, you can take a second dose. Imitrex and Relpax have some similar side effects and others that vary. These lists contain examples of the most common mild side effects that can occur with Imitrex, with Relpax, or with both drugs when taken individually. These lists contain examples of serious side effects that can occur with Imitrex, with Relpax, or with both drugs when taken individually.
The use of Imitrex and Relpax in treating migraine has been directly compared in a clinical study. In this study, mg Imitrex tablets were compared with mg Relpax tablets and with a placebo a treatment containing no active drug.
Relpax was found more effective for relieving migraine than Imitrex. The severity of the migraine headache was reduced to mild or no headache within 2 hours of treatment in:.
In this study, Relpax was also more effective than Imitrex at reducing nausea and sensitivity to light or sound. Imitrex and Relpax are both brand-name drugs. Imitrex is available as the generic drug sumatriptan, and Relpax is available as the generic drug eletriptan. Imitrex may also be used off-label for other conditions. Imitrex is FDA-approved to treat migraine with or without aura in adults. Migraine is a neurological condition, which means it affects the nervous system.
With migraine, you get a severe, throbbing headache. The pain usually affects one side of the head. This headache can last several hours or even days. The headache is typically accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. You may also experience a tingling sensation or have trouble speaking. Imitrex was found to be effective for treating migraine attacks in several clinical studies of the tablet , nasal spray , and injection forms of Imitrex. In these studies, researchers assessed how many people had relief from their migraine after taking Imitrex or a placebo a treatment containing no active drug.
Relief meant that a headache that was considered moderate to severe became a mild headache, or the pain went away completely.
Results varied depending on the form and dosage of Imitrex that was used. The Imitrex injection is FDA-approved to treat cluster headaches in adults.
Other forms of Imitrex are not approved for this use. Cluster headaches happen over a few days, weeks, or months. Imitrex injection was found to be effective for treating cluster headaches in two clinical studies. In these studies, researchers assessed how many people had relief from their cluster headache after taking Imitrex injection or a placebo a treatment containing no active drug.
In addition to the uses listed above, Imitrex may be used off-label for other purposes. And you may wonder if Imitrex is used for certain other conditions. Below is information on another possible use for Imitrex. Tension headaches are also known as stress headaches. This type of headache tends to affect both sides of the head. It may also be associated with stiffness in the neck or shoulders.
Tension headaches can have several triggers. These may include stress, anxiety , lack of sleep, eye strain, poor posture, and dehydration low fluid levels in the body.
If you have tension headaches, talk with your doctor. They can help you figure out possible causes and suggest treatment options. In these studies, Imitrex side effects occurred more often in children than in adults. There are no known interactions between Imitrex and alcohol. However, drinking alcohol can worsen a migraine or cluster headache. If you feel sleepy with Imitrex use, drinking alcohol could also make this worse. Drinking alcohol can also trigger migraine attacks or cluster headaches in some people.
For these people, avoiding alcohol or only drinking a small amount can help prevent migraine or cluster headache from occurring. If you drink alcohol and are concerned about how it might affect your condition, talk with your doctor. They can tell you how much is safe for you to drink during your Imitrex treatment. They may recommend other treatments for your condition. If you do decide to take Imitrex, you may want to avoid breastfeeding for 12 hours after you take Imitrex.
This can minimize the amount of the drug that your child is exposed to. Talk with your doctor about the best way to feed your child during that hour window. Animal studies found that the drug could cause birth defects when given to pregnant females. A pregnancy registry collected data from to about the health of babies who were exposed to sumatriptan the active drug in Imitrex during pregnancy.
Imitrex can interact with several other medications. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works.
Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. Below are lists of medications that can interact with Imitrex.
Before taking Imitrex, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Imitrex is a type of medication called a triptan. Triptans relieve migraine by narrowing blood vessels in your brain. However, triptans can also narrow blood vessels in other parts of your body. Taking Imitrex with other triptan medications can cause your blood vessels to narrow too much.
This could raise your risk for getting serious side effects, such as heart attack , stroke , or very high blood pressure. It could also raise your risk for other triptan-related side effects, such as serotonin syndrome high levels of the chemical serotonin. Imitrex relieves migraine by narrowing blood vessels in your brain.
Ergot drugs for migraine also work this way. Both types of medication can also narrow blood vessels in other parts of your body. Taking Imitrex with ergot medications can cause your blood vessels to narrow too much. This could raise your risk for serious side effects, such as heart attack, stroke, or very high blood pressure.
Imitrex enhances the activity of chemical called serotonin in your brain. Many antidepressants also work by increasing serotonin levels in your brain. If you take Imitrex with one of these antidepressants, it could raise your risk for a side effect called serotonin syndrome.
This is a dangerous condition caused by high serotonin levels. Examples of antidepressants that could raise your risk for serotonin syndrome if taken with Imitrex include:. If you need to take more than one medication that affects your serotonin level, your doctor may monitor you more often for signs of serotonin syndrome.
They may also adjust the dosage of your medications. In addition to raising the risk for serotonin syndrome, taking MAOIs with Imitrex can also increase the level of Imitrex in your blood. This could raise your risk for other side effects of Imitrex. Talk with your doctor about your other treatment options. However, you should still check with your doctor or pharmacist before using any of these products while taking Imitrex.
If you have any questions about eating certain foods with Imitrex, talk with your doctor. Do not use more Imitrex than your doctor recommends. For some drugs, doing so may lead to unwanted side effects or overdose. You can also call the American Association of Poison Control Centers at or use their online tool. But if your symptoms are severe, call or your local emergency phone number or go to the nearest emergency room right away. Instructions for using these forms of Imitrex are also provided in the leaflet that comes with your medication.
However, you can also take it at any point during the headache. Swallow the tablet whole with a drink. If you have trouble swallowing the tablets whole, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. As with all medications, the cost of Imitrex can vary. To find current prices for Imitrex in your area, check out GoodRx. The cost you find on GoodRx. Before approving coverage for Imitrex, your insurance company may require you to get prior authorization. This means that your doctor and insurance company will need to communicate about your prescription before the insurance company will cover the drug.
The insurance company will review the prior authorization request and decide if the drug will be covered. If you need financial support to pay for Imitrex, or if you need help understanding your insurance coverage, help is available. Imitrex is available in a generic form called sumatriptan. And generics tend to cost less than brand-name drugs.
To find out how the cost of sumatriptan compares to the cost of Imitrex, visit GoodRx. They may have a preference for one version or the other. This drug comes with several precautions. Before taking Imitrex, talk with your doctor about your health history. Imitrex may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health.
These include:. When you get Imitrex from the pharmacy, the pharmacist will add an expiration date to the label on the packaging. This date is typically 1 year from the date they dispensed the medication. The expiration date helps guarantee that the medication is effective during this time.
If you have unused medication that has gone past the expiration date, talk to your pharmacist about whether you might still be able to use it. How long a medication remains good can depend on many factors, including how and where you store the medication.
Keep Imitrex in a tightly sealed container away from light. Avoid storing this medication in areas where it could get damp or wet, such as bathrooms. This helps prevent others, including children and pets, from taking the drug by accident. It also helps keep the drug from harming the environment. This helps prevent others, including children and pets, from taking the drug by accident or harming themselves with the needle. You can buy a sharps container online. You can also ask your doctor, pharmacist, or health insurance company where to get one.
This article provides several useful tips on medication disposal. You can also ask your pharmacist for information on how to dispose of your medication. Imitrex tablet, nasal spray, and injection are approved to treat migraine with or without aura in adults. The Imitrex injection is also approved to treat cluster headache in adults. Imitrex should only be prescribed if there is a clear diagnosis of migraine or cluster headache. It should not be used to prevent migraine or cluster headaches.
Imitrex should be taken when the pain of migraine or cluster headache first starts, though it can also be taken later in the attack. Imitrex contains the serotonin agonist sumatriptan. Imitrex causes constriction of cranial blood vessels, thereby reversing the vasodilation that is believed to be key in causing migraine and cluster headaches. Imitrex may also inhibit activity in the trigeminal nerve that can contribute to the symptoms of migraine. Sumatriptan undergoes first-pass metabolism and is incompletely absorbed.
Clinical response begins 5 minutes following subcutaneous injection, 15 minutes following nasal administration, and 30 minutes following oral administration.
Sumatriptan is primarily metabolized by MAO-A. The elimination half-life is approximately 2. Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date.
However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or other healthcare professional before taking any medication. Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature, away from excess heat and moisture not in the bathroom.
Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily.
To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location — one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach. In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at You should keep a headache diary by writing down when you have headaches and when you take sumatriptan.
Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription. It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription over-the-counter medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital.
It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies. Sumatriptan pronounced as soo ma trip' tan. Why is this medication prescribed? How should this medicine be used? Other uses for this medicine What special precautions should I follow? What special dietary instructions should I follow? What side effects can this medication cause? What should I know about storage and disposal of this medication?
Brand names Brand names of combination products. Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer's information for the patient. Other uses for this medicine. What special precautions should I follow? Before taking sumatriptan, tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to sumatriptan, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in sumatriptan tablets.
Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you more carefully for side effects. Your doctor may tell you not to take sumatriptan.
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