Question about Immatrex

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leavinglasvegas
leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
in Motivation and Support
I have been getting this stabbing pain in my head (right side above my ear) My doctor did a CT Scan to rule out any type of mass because my father had a brain tumor at my age. It didn't show anything thank God! Now we decided to treat it as a migraine before we do any further testing even though it is not like any migraine I have ever had. I have managed my migraines in the past with diet and exercize and occasional cleansing and it has worked wonders for me. This is very different and my doctor thinks that it may be from dealing with so much stress lately. I agreed to try the Immatrex one time. If it works then we will continue to treat the migraine, if not, we will do further testing.

I do not take any medications for anything except ibprofren for menstrual cramping. If I have any type of symptom that would be traditionally treated with meds, I find a holistic alternative and avoid meds at all costs. This case is proving to be different because the stress I am under is not totally in my control and therefore I am having a hard time managing it. Also, this is not a type of migraine that I have ever felt before and what I normally do for headaches and migraines is not working. That is why I agreed to try the medicine one time. He said if it works then we will go about finding other ways to treat it without medicine as much as possible. According to him, this is the easiest way to determine if it is a migraine since I am not on a private insurance plan. It will help me out with the cost. So I agree to give it a try.

My question is this: What can I expect from this medicine? He told me I might feel hot in my face for a little while but it will go away and I should still be able to drive and go about my normal day. If you have taken it, can you tell me how your body reacted to it?
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  • GTOgirl1969
    GTOgirl1969 Posts: 2,527 Member
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    I was put on Imitrex for migraines and the first time I took it it felt like all the blood in my body was rushing into my face....which freaked me out enough to make me stop taking it.
  • jb_sweet_99
    jb_sweet_99 Posts: 856 Member
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    I too try and take a natural approach with things but for migraines it is sometimes not possible. A lot of the time when you have a migraine (this is how my Dr described it) your blood vessels in your brain dilate and you need a vasoconstrictor to get them back where they need to be before the migraine pain will go away, which is why other things may not help. I take Maxaalt for my migraines, but my mom used to take Immatrex and she didn't have any issues with it. She was able to get up and go to work and go about her day like normal.
    I wish you luck and hope that the pain goes away, and can really make it difficult to get through the day.
    Jenn :flowerforyou:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    Sending you a PM>:flowerforyou:
  • tiedye
    tiedye Posts: 331 Member
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    Imitrex did not work for me. It was so expensive even with insurance I didn't feel like the results were worth it. For me, it reduced the pain of the migraine but did not relieve the migraine. I still had an odd feeling behind my left eye and in the left side of my face, but the pain dissipated over a few hours. I did not notice any other side effects. I've stopped taking it due to the cost.

    Migraines are a headache. Literally...
  • heather0mc
    heather0mc Posts: 4,656 Member
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    my mom took immitrex and it was the only thing that ever helped her migranes. however, she developed heart problems because of it :cry: she has a normal healthy heart, but has angina and cannot over exert herself. its crazy. she went thru testing for 2 years, the mayo clinic and everything. nothing, no blockage, no scaring, nothing! its sad because she cant take immitrex any more either and it really was a godsend for her.

    good thing she is a trooper! :flowerforyou:
  • Wecandothis
    Wecandothis Posts: 1,083 Member
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    A friend of mine had migraine headaches for years, which she look many different medications for. Turned out though, that it wasn't a migraine at all, it was she called a TMD Headache caused by a misaligned jaw. She was prescribed a mouth piece similar to what football players use to wear when she slept, it healed her headaches, and helped to realign the jaw.

    Now your pain may have nothing to do with that, but if the nerves near your jaw are enflamed, you would get pain there. Your ball joint to your jaw is right in front of your ear.

    It may be worth looking into, particularly if you are very stressed, and therefore clenching your jaw. You may not even need a mouth piece if indeed this were the case.

    I'm with you, I hate taking medication, and prefer to try and find the cause of the symptom, not just mask it.

    Praying that you are restored to full health very shortly!
  • lynnv
    lynnv Posts: 4
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    I have suffered from migraine headaches for over 30 years and I think that Imitrex is a miracle drug. It is now available in generic and is not as expensive. I would describe the initial feeling as a kind of calming flush that is not uncomfortable or disconcerting. It says to me that the medicine is starting to work. I usually only have to take one tab but if I don't catch it quickly enough I sometimes have to followup with a second tab the next day. Good luck to you.
  • khskr1
    khskr1 Posts: 392
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    I know this is always a questionable treatment, but I used to work for a chiropractor and he treated a lot of people with mirgraines. They all said it helped considerably...even when medications could not. I don't get migraines...just regular old headaches. But seeing my chiropractor helps alot. I know it's controversial...but it's another alternative avenue.
  • chrissyh
    chrissyh Posts: 8,235 Member
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    My daughter (17 yo) takes this and has had no complaints of side effects and it does work for her.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    kurnek- thanks. I also have TMD and I do have a mouth piece. Those headaches, I have found, are easy to get rid of. This is totally different.

    lynnv- good to know it worked for you. I am about to take the first tab and hopefully I will be able to get to class and take my exam with both eyes open! Thank you for your comment.

    khskr1- I am a firm believer in chiropractic care! Unfortunately, I do not have the income to go that route at this time. My doctor is a DO, so he will try to help me out as much as he can. I have actually been looking for work in a chiropractors office lately, so maybe I will find something soon and I will be able to #1 releave the stress of being unemployed and #2 get some free adjustments:wink:

    Sarahemilryn- it is super expensive! I hope that the first tab works so that my doctor can help me concentrate on alternative methods.

    heather0mc- I'm so sorry that your mom has to go through that. I really hope I do not have to take it for long. Those are the kinds of side effects that I worry about with medications. I am very healthy with the exception of this yucky situation and I would hate to start failing in other areas just to treat a head ache.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    Sending you a PM>:flowerforyou:

    Thanks Hun!!!:heart:
  • teetsel4
    teetsel4 Posts: 288 Member
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    I took Immatrex many times. My doctor explained to me that I would feel a tightening in my chest and many people feel like they are going to have a heart attack, lol! I took it and yes I did feel all those affects. But, since I was warned about it first it wasn't bad, actually more interesting. It took care of my migraine best of all.

    Here's my question, and I mean no disrespect when I ask this... I am all for holistic and alternitive methods. But if something works, especially for pain such as Migraines, why not take the western meds? Again, I mean no disrespect, just curious...:flowerforyou:
  • adopt4
    adopt4 Posts: 970 Member
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    Imitrex worked for me, it even worked for "visual migraines" where you don't have the pain but everything you see is moving and wavy... no narcotic side effects, no hangovers, I worked in a job where my brain had to really work and I had no fuzziness or anything. I didn't experience any side effects or lose the ability to lose weight. I didnt' take it often, though. I have tried other migraine meds that do not work or gave me weird, stoned feelings, so I know your fear on that. Some meds work for some people and not others.

    Although I personally hate chiros (getting adjusted, not the people!) I do agree that depending on the cause of the migraine, everything everyone suggested can help. Unfortunately you just have to keep trying to find out what works for you, and each migraine might be different. Sometimes having a cup of coffee or something else with caffeine when the migraine first starts can stave it off.

    While the dr may have looked for a large tumor, it seems only an MRI can show a small one, and make sure to get your eyes checked as well as the pressure in your eyes checked (an opthamologist, not an optometrist) as either needing glasses or having too much pressure in your eyes can cause headaches.
    Hubby had them terribly, CAT scans and xrays showed nothing, turns out he had a pituitary prolactinoma tumor that was eating away at his sinuses and into his eye sheath - and they kept telling him he had sinusitis!

    But if the medicine works for you - well then, it's a migraine, whew. While not good - it's better than the alternatives!
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    teetsel4- I don't like western pharmaceuticals because I used to take ALOT of them. I was anorexic and bulimic for most of my life and I took medications for everything you can imagine because I had every symptom you can imagine. I have learned recently abouit alternative methods and I firmly believe in treating the cause not just the symptoms. Oftentimes medicines can cover up the symptoms making it hard to find the cause. If it is absolutely necessary, like in my current situation, I will take the meds as limited as possible. If I am having these new migraines that just seemingly popped up out of nowhere, I want to get to the bottom of the cause, which is most likely stress if not sometihing physical. I have found that alot of things can be controlled without the side effects of modern medicine. As someone else stated in this thread, thier mother developed heart problems. I don't think it is a fair tradeoff. Migraines gone, develope another problem in its place because of the course of treatment.

    adopt4- thanks for that info. I have considered an MRI (very costly). That is why I agreed to try the meds first. My dad had a tumor at my age and I don't think it is something I should ignore. I'm glad the meds work for you, that gives me some hope. And I'm glad you mentioned weight! I am so worried about that! The meds I have been on in the past have caused such large amounts of weight gain and I am just finally returning to a state of normalcy in my body thanks to managing my diet exersize and being off all meds.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    I took the first tab about an hour ago. I DO NOT like the way I feel now! And the pain is not going away at all. I have an English exam in 1 hour. I think I should have just stuck with the pain, now I feel like I'm going to vomit.:explode: :sick:
  • Wecandothis
    Wecandothis Posts: 1,083 Member
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    I took the first tab about an hour ago. I DO NOT like the way I feel now! And the pain is not going away at all. I have an English exam in 1 hour. I think I should have just stuck with the pain, now I feel like I'm going to vomit.:explode: :sick:

    Hang in there!!! Praying!!
  • KatWood
    KatWood Posts: 1,135 Member
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    I recently (past few years) have started to get migranes. I was really scared at first especially by the visual effects. My dad recently had brain surgery so I was very freaked out. After seeing my doc and getting tests done it was determined to be migranes. However, I have also found out recently that I have some pretty severe allergies that I was not aware of (e.g. milk). One of symptoms I get from these allergies is migranes. So it might be worthwhile to get an allergy test to see if you can identify some triggers. Of course there could and probably are other triggers (e.g. stress, strong perfumes, etc) but being able to identify any triggers should be able to help you avoid getting migraines and thus also avoid taking medication.

    Good luck:flowerforyou:
  • teetsel4
    teetsel4 Posts: 288 Member
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    teetsel4- I don't like western pharmaceuticals because I used to take ALOT of them. I was anorexic and bulimic for most of my life and I took medications for everything you can imagine because I had every symptom you can imagine. I have learned recently abouit alternative methods and I firmly believe in treating the cause not just the symptoms. Oftentimes medicines can cover up the symptoms making it hard to find the cause. If it is absolutely necessary, like in my current situation, I will take the meds as limited as possible. If I am having these new migraines that just seemingly popped up out of nowhere, I want to get to the bottom of the cause, which is most likely stress if not sometihing physical. I have found that alot of things can be controlled without the side effects of modern medicine. As someone else stated in this thread, thier mother developed heart problems. I don't think it is a fair tradeoff. Migraines gone, develope another problem in its place because of the course of treatment.


    Thanks for the info and the food for thought! I've always wondered why, but was afraid to ask because I didn't want to offend. So I hope I didn't :flowerforyou: ! I've noticed that I have not had a migrine in a few years now, although I carry Immatrex with me just in case.s, My healthy life style change must be doing the trick! Good luck to you!
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    Thanks for the info and the food for thought! I've always wondered why, but was afraid to ask because I didn't want to offend. So I hope I didn't :flowerforyou: ! I've noticed that I have not had a migrine in a few years now, although I carry Immatrex with me just in case.s, My healthy life style change must be doing the trick! Good luck to you!

    I'm not offended at all. I appreciate the question.:bigsmile:
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
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    I take it for migraines. Have for about 2 years. Take it maybe 4x a year, give or take.

    My migraines make my head feel like it's going to explode (pressure) and HOT to the touch. When I take the meds, I experience relief. That is all. (THANK GOD) It's been a miracle pill for me. :flowerforyou:

    My current med is a birth control. I occasionally use an asthma albuterol inhaler. In the past, in conjunction with immatrex, I've also been on meds for acid reflux, an ulcer, high blood pressure and 2 different daily asthma meds. Never noticed any interactions or adverse side effects.

    :flowerforyou:

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