Click this link to read a post I like on the clusterheadaches.com message board...

krys

CH.com Junior

Offline

I Love CH.com!

Posts: 44
DC/VA

Imitrex injections question
Feb 26^th, 2011 at 8:04pm

-Has anyone gotten a constant headache after starting to use Imitrex? my husband has had one for 3 days now...

-Doseage - We were told no more than 2 a day; and then also told no more than 2-3 injections a week. In general, have other doctors said the same about number of injections per week? (especially when your # of attacks is higher than 2-3/week...)

Back to top

IP Logged

Guiseppi

CH.com Moderator
CH.com Alumnus

Offline

San Diego to Florida 05-16-2011

Posts: 12063
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA USA
Gender: male

Re: Imitrex injections question
Reply #1 - Feb 26^th, 2011 at 9:01pm

I have not had that issue with trex, although I don't use very many, oxygen kills most of my attacks. I have read of many on the board using far more then 2-3 a week...sometimes that many in a day. Certainly not advocating that, just saying many have without any problems.

Oxygen has all but elimnated my use of trex.

Joe

Back to top

"Somebody had to say it" is usually a piss poor excuse to be mean.

IP Logged

krys

CH.com Junior

Offline

I Love CH.com!

Posts: 44
DC/VA

Re: Imitrex injections question
Reply #2 - Feb 26^th, 2011 at 11:28pm

Guiseppi wrote on Feb 26^th, 2011 at 9:01pm:

I have not had that issue with trex, although I don't use very many, oxygen kills most of my attacks. I have read of many on the board using far more then 2-3 a week...sometimes that many in a day. Certainly not advocating that, just saying many have without any problems.

Oxygen has all but elimnated my use of trex.

Joe

Thanks for the response. I don't know where the doctor came up with 2-3x a week, I can't find any reference to it anywhere, I've only read the limits on doseage in a 24-hour period.

I'm going to push for the oxygen again...and for another doctor.

Back to top

IP Logged

Guiseppi CH.com Moderator CH.com Alumnus Offline San Diego to Florida 05-16-2011 Posts: 12063 SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA USA Gender:	Re: Imitrex injections question Reply #3 - Feb 26^th, 2011 at 11:42pm Probably a good call on both points! Joe
Back to top	"Somebody had to say it" is usually a piss poor excuse to be mean. IP Logged

darren CH.com Newbie Offline I Love CH.com! heal the suffering Posts: 4	Re: Imitrex injections question Reply #4 - Mar 14^th, 2011 at 5:35pm hi ive had severe headache ive had too many imigran injections sometimes 4 a day have too when your in pain. so yes they can cause you pain. good luck anyway
Back to top	IP Logged

Glassman

CH.com Veteran

Offline

I Love CH.com!

Posts: 203
Ohio
Gender: male

Re: Imitrex injections question
Reply #5 - Mar 14^th, 2011 at 10:32pm

Imitrex nasal has a limit of 2 in a 24 hour period. I was not told of a limit over the course of a week. In cycles past (before oxygen) I'd go thru 2 a day for days on end and never felt any ill effects. My neck and shoulder muscles, on the same side as the CH, will often get super tight and sometimes cause a dull, nagging tension type headache. I attribute this to them getting tired from the pain of the CH since I experienced this tightness before Imitrex was available to me.

Back to top

Maine Coon Cat Crazy

IP Logged

Bob Johnson

CH.com Alumnus

Offline

"Only the educated are
free." -Epictetus

Posts: 5965
Kennett Square, PA (USA)
Gender: male

Re: Imitrex injections question
Reply #6 - Mar 15^th, 2011 at 8:16am

Changes in headache patterns are routinely reported here but individual experiences are not reliable guides to the general effect of a med. Medical literature does not support the idea that this is a widespread issues but, couple of studies, report that replacing the suspect triptan with another abortive resolves the problem quickly. All to say: looks like an individual response vs. being a geneal issue with this med.

The issue of dosing hasn't been clearly resolved. Literature reports people using high doses without a problem--when done for short periods.

My understanding is that the FDA has not set a standard on dosing frequency and this "rule" may have been established by insurance companies as a cost control tool.

I believe you should make this decision with your doc since there are considerations re. other medical conditions which may affect you.

Might be worth a trial of a triptan with a longer period of action to see if this would help.
=====

Headache. 2004 Jul;44(7):713-8.

Subcutaneous sumatriptan induces changes in frequency pattern in cluster headache patients.

Rossi P, Lorenzo GD, Formisano R, Buzzi MG.

Objectives.-To document the relationship between the use of subcutaneous (SQ) sumatriptan (sum) and a change in frequency pattern of cluster headache (CH) in six patients. To discuss the clinical and pathophysiological implications of this observation in the context of available literature. Background.-Treatment with SQ sum may cause an increase in attack frequency of CH but data from literature are scant and controversial. Methods.-Six CH sum-naive patients (three episodic and three chronic according to the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria) are described. Results.-All six patients had very fast relief from pain and accompanying symptoms from the drug but they developed an increase in attack frequency soon after using SQ sum. IN ALL PATIENTS, THE CH RETURNED TO ITS USUAL FREQUENCY WITHIN A FEW DAYS AFTER SQ SUM WAS WITHDRAWN OR REPLACED WITH OTHER DRUGS. Five patients were not taking any prophylactic treatment and SQ sum was the only drug prescribed to treat their headache.

CONCLUSIONS.-PHYSICIANS SHOULD RECOGNIZE THE POSSIBILITY THAT TREATMENT OF CH WITH SQ SUM MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH AN INCREASED FREQUENCY OF HEADACHE ATTACKS.

PMID: 15209695 [PubMed]

{Note from BJ: Review of PubMed in 1/11 found no citations with this type of data in the last 10-years. The absence of newer reports suggests that experience of recent date is not stimulating much attention on this topic. In view of this reports comments about quick return to the former headache pattern, it appears such changes in frequency is not a significant issue.}

Back to top

« Last Edit: Mar 15^th, 2011 at 8:17am by Bob Johnson »

Bob Johnson

IP Logged

River_Rat

CH.com Old Timer

Offline

Posts: 420
Bettendorf, IA 52722
Gender: male

Re: Imitrex injections question
Reply #7 - Mar 21^st, 2011 at 10:40am

I try to avoid the trex injections as much as I can, I get rebounds, a lot of times when I get hit and take an injection I will end up getting hit again within a couple hours.

Now sometimes I just can't take the pain so I just say heck with it and have taken as many as 4 to 5 injections in a day, I only use 3ml as apposed to the recommended 6ml, my Dr. write's my script so I receive vials. using 3ml will almost always kill the beast within 10 minutes for me.

I have also used Amerge, they are very expensive but when I take one in the evening I can almost always make it through the night.

Right now I am in cycle and PF taking 960MG verap and 10,000 I.U. D3 and 3600 MG Omega 3 Fish oil.

Good Luck To You

Back to top

IP Logged

michael

CH.com Old Timer

Re: Imitrex injections question
Reply #8 - Apr 9^th, 2011 at 3:10pm

When I was first given imitrex, I thought I`d found the silver bullit. Wiped out an attack in 6 minutes. But then the headaches increased in quantity - and I also shadowed continuously between cluster attacks. I am convinced this was due to the imitrex and the price I had to pay. Over the last 4 years, I have controlled each cluster bout with verapamil carefully ramped up under supervision, and massively cut down on imitrex.

Back to top

IP Logged

Mike NZ

CH.com Hall of Famer

Offline

Oxygen rocks! D3 too!

Posts: 3785
Auckland, New Zealand
Gender: male

Re: Imitrex injections question
Reply #9 - Apr 9^th, 2011 at 5:59pm

michael wrote on Apr 9^th, 2011 at 3:10pm:

When I was first given imitrex, I thought I`d found the silver bullit. Wiped out an attack in 6 minutes. But then the headaches increased in quantity - and I also shadowed continuously between cluster attacks. I am convinced this was due to the imitrex and the price I had to pay. Over the last 4 years, I have controlled each cluster bout with verapamil carefully ramped up under supervision, and massively cut down on imitrex.

Have you tried using oxygen instead of imitrex?

Back to top

IP Logged

oxyrunner

CH.com Junior

Offline

In the middle of difficulty
lies opportunity

Posts: 41
Kent UK
Gender: female

Re: Imitrex injections question
Reply #10 - Apr 10^th, 2011 at 4:17pm

I also thought that imitrex was a god send and took it every night just before bed and it stopped my night time hits but I immediately started getting loads of rebound headaches all day and felt so rough that I decided to stop taking it. I had a bad couple of days and then started to feel much better - and went back to my usual night time hits only. I am in cycle at the moment and have found the D3 regime works for me.

Back to top

IP Logged

	Welcome, Guest. Please Login or Register
	Search box updated Dec 3, 2011... Search ch.com with Google!