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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Imitrex Question ...
        
(Message started by: TonyG1 on Feb 4^th, 2005, 9:28pm)

Title: Imitrex Question ...
Post by TonyG1 on Feb 4^th, 2005, 9:28pm

Interesting thing happened this a.m. --- took the nightly verapamil and decided to try sleeping in my bed vs. my recliner where I've been for more than a few nights ... the verap has worked the past several nights while I slept in a semi-sitting position in the recliner ... being brave, I decided to try the bed ... the beast reared its head for a brief while at about 5 a.m. -- Maybe a K level 4 bordering a 5 ... tolerable but annoying... the imitrex tabs seemed to work exceptionally well (15 minutes) this a.m. -- caffeine chaser (must have the java). After the beast was put in its box (thank goodness I didn't have to do the dance!) and the pain had passed, I took a shower to get ready for work... My skin felt as if I had a mild sunburn... didn't look flushed ... just curious if anyone else had ever experienced this with imitrex ... not even sure the Rx was the cause ... ?

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by Rock_Lobster on Feb 5^th, 2005, 12:24am

Nope. Normal niacin will flush me. That is the closest I have ever come to that feeling.

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by Racer1_NC on Feb 5^th, 2005, 1:11am

on 02/05/05 at 00:24:20, Rock_Lobster wrote:

Nope. Normal niacin will flush me. That is the closest I have ever come to that feeling.

I should have known you wouldn't have experienced it from embarassment. ;;D

Bill

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by TonyG1 on Feb 5^th, 2005, 11:12am

Thanks for the replies. The beast visited again at 5a.m. this morning (even in my recliner) and decided to stay a while... did the dance ... took the trex and still I had to dance for a few hours (3 or 4) ... <sigh...> It always gets worse before it gets better ... [smiley=gocrazy.gif]

Just have to pick myself up by the proverbial boot straps and say hell no to the beast within ... to my personal beast I say [smiley=finger.gif]

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by Rock_Lobster on Feb 5^th, 2005, 11:21pm

on 02/05/05 at 01:11:56, Racer1_NC wrote:

I should have known you wouldn't have experienced it from embarassment. ;;D

Bill

lol... i spit on my keyboard from that! dosing right now, you know.

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by Kris_in_SJ on Feb 8^th, 2005, 8:13pm

Hi Tony,

Just a comment aside from the flushing thing - never experienced that.

Have you tried or asked for either Trex injections or NS? For must clusterheads, pills are totally useless - they simply take too long to work.

Nobody should have to suffer a cluster for 2-3 hours when there are abortives that work in as little as 5-10 minutes!

Hugs and good wishes,

Kris

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by TonyG1 on Feb 8^th, 2005, 10:34pm

I haven't tried the injections. I've had the CHs for about 18 years; however, finally just went to the doc and was diagnosed a week or so ago. I thought about calling the doc as I noticed ... it takes a Lonnnnnngggggg time for the pills to do any good. I had to travel out of town (in a hotel as we speak) and didn't want to try the injectables in the event the have a different effect on me than the pills. ( it would be terrible to be in a hotel and have a bad reaction to the injectable -- that would be bad enough at home) :) I'm going to ask my doc about it when I have my follow-up appt.

I suspect I'm nearing the end of my cluster cycle (I hope) as they normally don't last over 3 weeks -- it is week 3.

Thanks for the insight!!

Tony

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by RDJ on Feb 11^th, 2005, 2:08pm

Hi new to the board here, but am also a cluster sufferer, do try the imitrix nasal, 4 out of 5 times it stops em dead in 5 min or less, the key I have found is to blow the nose good before the spray, and lay back head tilted, and 5 min they are gone, I have also found that a tooth pick pushed into my gum on the side of attack right behind the cannine tooth helps

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by Eb on Feb 11^th, 2005, 3:00pm

Tony,

I've gotten that "sunburn" sensation after having had an Imitrex injection followed shortly thereafter by a shower...damnest thing....

Eb

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by Kris_in_SJ on Feb 11^th, 2005, 8:11pm

Ohmigod!!!! A toothpick in your gum?!

I would simply call that self-inflicted torture. I much prefer pulling out my hair.

Kris

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by RDJ on Feb 11^th, 2005, 10:19pm

well, I do not bury the toothpick, but rather about like going between the teeth as you would use a toothpick, but apply slight pressure agianst the gum. It does help, This was the method that I used the most before I got Imetrex, so that was the fix for 15 of my years of pain. Why do all Dr.s seem to brush a cluster patient through so fast? I have seeen 8 Dr.'s and they all say try asprin, my god, tell them you are taking 8 nuprin at an attack, and they freak....

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by bigred on Feb 12^th, 2005, 10:18pm

My doc gave me both nasal and injec, imitrex.
We did not consider the pill as an option,
For me the nasal did not hit the beast hard enough to knock it down. But the injection took care of the worst Ch IVE HAD IN TWO WEEKS, in 6 minutes flat.
And the second Ch that came along was gone in 7min. This is just my responses and yours may be differant
But I am sold on imitrex being one of the best quick sollutions in emergancies
bigred

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by MorDog on Feb 15^th, 2005, 7:08pm

I tried the pills a few episodes ago. At first I thought they worked until I realized that the CH lasted the same amount of time whether I took one or not. I now have the nasal and it is working great for me. It has been working in 7 - 15 mins. I have noticed that the earlier in my attack I use the nasal the quicker it will work. I have never tried the injections but if the nasal quits working that will be the next choice.

Title: Re: Imitrex Question ...
Post by terach on Feb 22^nd, 2005, 9:19pm

Hi Guys, I have been a CH suferer for about 8 years, i am currently 34, i have tried and spend a g-d load of money on every type of doctor and treatment that i think there is out there, (if anybody knows of anything new let me know) short of surgery, i find that the Imitrex is the best to stop an attack in it's tract, and only with a shot, the pills are totally useless even if you take 100 mg, it simply takes too long! the nasal is better then the pill, but as you fellow CH sfferers will agree a minute with a cluster is like 24 hours with your worst enemy in a 4x4 room locked! so! the shot is the best way to go, i do use the advice that i found on ch.com about dividing the 6 mg shot, but i took it to the next level. you can get a box of vial's that are really made for hospitals they come six in a pack get a ordinary insulin needle push thru the rubber cover suck out 2 mg shoot yourself with the insulin needle! done! this usually prevents recourse, and will stop the Ch in it's tracks, if you are having one of those severe headaches take 4 mg or take 2 mg more 10 min later as needed.
In order to stop the cluster, this i got from my doctor, i found that prednisone taken 80 mg the first day 80 mg the second day and then 7 - 60 - 50 so an will stop it, the nice thing is that on the second day u usually don't get a CH anymore, although sometimes the cluster will return a few days later then i will repeat the treatment and that should get rid of it! but i will tell you that there are sometimes that nothing will stop the train it is simply too strong and has too much steam, in that case it is imitrex 2 mg approx. every 4-6 hours.

Imitrex will sometimes make me sweat, or flustered. then again a CH does alot worse!