Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Imitrex Migraine

Question:
I was diagnosed with migraine last month after suffering with (increasingly) frequent headaches since April '99. My doctor prescribed Imitrex 50 mg. Had a migraine 3/7, took Imitrex, went to sleep that night, woke up the next morning feeling good (like I'd been hit by a 2x4 in the back of the head, but hey, the migraine was gone.) Was excited about having found a cure. Wednesday 3/22 felt another migraine coming on. Went home after work, took one Imitrex and laid down to rest, as Dr. instructed. Felt pretty good by 9 p.m., went to bed. Woke up Thurs. 3/23 feeling good. By noon on Thurs., I realized the migraine was COMING BACK! Went home after work, took one Imitrex, laid down. Took another one 2 hours later. Felt good- migraine seemed to have gone. Went to bed. Woke up this morning, 3/24, and realized the migraine is back again! Is this normal? Does this mean Imitrex doesn't work for me? Or is this just a particularly severe migraine? Can I be having rebound after only taking the stupid stuff twice?!? I don't know what to do now. My doctor never said anything after If you need to take a second one after two hours, you can. Can I take three? Four? When do I give up or risk an overdose?!?

Answer:
This sounds like my experience exactly. If memory serves (it's been a couple of years), the first time I took Imitrex it worked fine. The second time it worked fine, but the HA came back, worse, about 24 hours later. Thinking it was just an unsually stubborn HA, I took another. Again, the pain went away, but 12 hours later I was in such pain that if I could have moved, I would have gone to the ER. I stuck it out, and the pain eventually went away. A couple of weeks later, the same thing happened. Yes, unless you typically get migraines lasting several days at a stretch, it's rebound. (A different type than the kind of rebound that may happen with long-term analgesic use.) No, I don't take Imitrex anymore. I'd stop the Imitrex for now, and go back to the doctor and ask to try something else. (I get rebounds from all the Triptans, but they were worst with the Imitrex. You might ask to try another Triptan, or try a different type of pain meds. [At the moment, Hydrocodone is my friend...])