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IMITREX
IMITREX ONLINE
Before Using This Medicine
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of using the medicine
must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision
you and your doctor will make. For sumatriptan, the following
should be considered:
Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever
had any unusual or allergic reaction to sumatriptan. Also tell
your health care professional if you are allergic to any other
substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.
Pregnancy—Sumatriptan has not been studied
in pregnant women. However, in some animal studies, sumatriptan
caused harmful effects to the fetus. These unwanted effects
usually occurred when sumatriptan was given in amounts that were
large enough to cause harmful effects in the mother.
Breast-feeding—Sumatriptan passes into human
breast milk. Breast-feeding mothers should discuss the risks and
benefits of this medicine with their doctors.
Children—Studies on this medicine have been
done only in patients 18 years of age or older, and there is no
specific information comparing use of sumatriptan in children with
use in other age groups.
Older adults—This medicine has been tested
in a limited number of patients between 60 and 65 years of age. It
did not cause different side effects or problems in these patients
than it did in younger adults. However, there is no specific
information comparing use of sumatriptan in patients older than 65
years of age with use in younger adults.
Other medicines—Although certain medicines
should not be used together at all, in other cases two different
medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur.
In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other
precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional
if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription
(over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine, especially other prescription
medicine for migraine headaches, or if you smoke tobacco.
When you are taking sumatriptan, it is especially important
that your health care professional know if you are taking the
following:
 | Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor activity (isocarboxazid
[e.g., Marplan], phenelzine [e.g., Nardil], procarbazine
[e.g., Matulane], selegiline [e.g., Eldepryl], tranylcypromine
[e.g., Parnate])—Taking sumatriptan while you are taking or
within 2 weeks of taking MAO inhibitors may cause sudden high
body temperature, extremely high blood pressure and severe
convulsions; at least 14 days should be allowed between
stopping treatment with one medicine and starting treatment
with the other. |
Proper Use of This Medicine
Do not use sumatriptan for a headache that is different
from your usual migraines . Instead, check with your doctor.
To relieve your migraine as soon as possible, use sumatriptan
as soon as the headache pain begins. Even if you get warning
signals of a coming migraine (an aura), you should wait until the
headache pain starts before using sumatriptan. Using sumatriptan
during the aura probably will not prevent the headache from
occurring. However, even if you do not use sumatriptan until your
migraine has been present for several hours, the medicine will
still work.
Lying down in a quiet, dark room for a while after you use this
medicine may help relieve your migraine.
If you are not much better in 1 or 2 hours after an injection
of sumatriptan, or in 2 to 4 hours after a tablet is taken, do
not use any more of this medicine for the same migraine. A
migraine that is not relieved by the first dose of sumatriptan
probably will not be relieved by a second dose, either. Ask your
doctor ahead of time about other medicine to be taken if
sumatriptan does not work. After taking the other medicine, check
with your doctor as soon as possible. Headaches that are not
relieved by sumatriptan are sometimes caused by conditions that
need other treatment. However, even if sumatriptan does not
relieve one migraine, it may still relieve the next one.
If you feel much better after a dose of sumatriptan, but your
headache comes back or gets worse after a while, you may use more
sumatriptan. However, use this medicine only as directed by
your doctor. Do not use more of it, and do not use it more often,
than directed. Using too much sumatriptan may increase the
chance of side effects.
Your doctor may direct you to take another medicine to help
prevent headaches. It is important that you follow your
doctor's directions, even if your headaches continue to occur.
Headache-preventing medicines may take several weeks to start
working. Even after they do start working, your headaches may not
go away completely. However, your headaches should occur less
often, and they should be less severe and easier to relieve. This
can reduce the amount of sumatriptan or pain relievers that you
need. If you do not notice any improvement after several weeks of
headache-preventing treatment, check with your doctor.
For patients taking sumatriptan tablets:
| Sumatriptan tablets are to be swallowed whole with a full
glass of water. Do not break, crush, or chew the tablets
before swallowing them. |
For patients using sumatriptan injection:
| This medicine comes with patient directions. Read them
carefully before using the medicine, and check with your
health care professional if you have any questions.
| Your health care professional will teach you how to inject
yourself with the medicine. Be sure to follow the
directions carefully. Check with your health care professional
if you have any problems using the medicine.
| After you have finished injecting the medicine, be sure to
follow the precautions in the patient directions about safely
discarding the empty cartridge and the needle. Always return
the empty cartridge and needle to their container before
discarding them. Do not throw away the autoinjector unit,
because refills are available. |
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For patients using sumatriptan nasal solution :
| This medicine comes with patient directions. Read them
carefully before using the medicine, and check with your
health care professional if you have any questions. |
Dosing—
The dose of sumatriptan will be different for different
patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the
label. The following information includes only the average
doses of sumatriptan. If your dose is different, do not change
it unless your doctor tells you to do so.
| For nasal dosage form (nasal solution):
| For migraine headaches:
| Adults—5 milligrams (mg) or 10 mg (1 or 2 sprays
into each nostril) or 20 mg (1 spray into one
nostril). If pain is not relieved, another spray (5
mg, 10 mg, or 20 mg) should not be used for the same
migraine attack. Another spray (5 mg, 10 mg, or 20 mg)
may be used for a migraine that occurs at a later time
as long as it has been at least two hours since the
last spray. Do not use more than 40 mg in a
twenty-four-hour period (one day).
| Children—Use and dose must be determined by your
doctor. |
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| For oral dosage form (tablets):
| For migraine headaches:
| Adults—25, 50 or 100 mg as a single dose. If you
get some relief, or if the migraine comes back after
being relieved, another dose may be taken two hours
after the last dose. Do not take more than 200 mg
in any twenty-four-hour period. If you are taking
the tablets after using an injection, you may take
single doses up to 100 mg a day with two hours between
doses. Do not take more than 200 mg in a
twenty-four-hour period.
| Children—Use and dose must be determined by your
doctor. |
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| For parenteral dosage form (injection):
| For migraine or cluster headaches:
| Adults—One 6-mg injection. One more 6-mg dose may
be injected, if necessary, if the migraine comes back
after being relieved. However, the second injection
should not be given any sooner than one hour after the
first one. Do not use more than two 6-mg injections
in a twenty-four-hour period (one day). However,
some people may be directed to use no more than two
6-mg doses in a forty-eight-hour period (two days).
| Children—Use and dose must be determined by your
doctor. |
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Storage—
To store this medicine:
| Keep out of the reach of children since overdose is
especially dangerous in children.
| Store away from heat and direct light.
| Do not store tablets in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink,
or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the
medicine to break down.
| Keep the injection and nasal solution forms of sumatriptan
from freezing.
| Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.
Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of
children. |
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Precautions While Using This Medicine
Check with your doctor if you have used sumatriptan for three
headaches, and have not had good relief. Also, check with your
doctor if your migraine headaches are worse, or if they are
occurring more often, than before you started using sumatriptan.
Drinking alcoholic beverages can make headaches worse or cause
new headaches to occur. People who suffer from severe headaches
should probably avoid alcoholic beverages, especially during a
headache.
Some people feel drowsy or dizzy during or after a migraine, or
after taking sumatriptan to relieve a migraine. As long as you are
feeling drowsy or dizzy, do not drive, use machines, or do
anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy or are not
alert.
Side Effects of This Medicine
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some
unwanted effects. Most side effects of sumatriptan are milder and
occur less often with the tablets than with the injection.
Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur
they may need medical attention.
Stop using this medicine and check with your doctor
immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
| Rare
| Chest pain (severe); changes in skin color on
face; convulsions (seizures); fast or
irregular breathing; puffiness or swelling of
eyelids, area around the eyes, face, or lips;
shortness of breath, troubled breathing, or wheezing |
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Check with your doctor right away if any of the following
side effects continue for more than 1 hour. Even if they go
away in less than 1 hour, check with your doctor before using
any more sumatriptan if any of the following side effects occur:
| Less common
| Chest pain (mild); heaviness, tightness, or
pressure in chest and/or neck |
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Also check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the
following side effects occur:
| Less common
| Difficulty in swallowing; pounding heartbeat ;
skin rash, hives, itching, or bumps on skin |
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Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical
attention. Some of the following effects, such as nausea,
vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness, and general feeling of illness or
tiredness, often occur during or after a migraine, even when
sumatriptan has not been used. Most of the side effects caused by
sumatriptan go away within a short time (less than 1 hour after an
injection or 2 hours after a tablet). However, check with your
doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are
bothersome:
| More common
| Burning, discharge, pain, and/or soreness in the nose;
burning, pain, or redness at place of injection;
change in sense of taste; discomfort in jaw, mouth,
tongue, throat, nose, or sinuses; dizziness;
drowsiness; feeling of burning, warmth, heat,
numbness, tightness, or tingling; feeling cold,
“strange,” or weak; flushing;
lightheadedness; muscle aches, cramps, or stiffness;
nausea or vomiting |
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| Less common or rare
| Anxiety; general feeling of illness or tiredness;
vision changes |
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Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some
patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor.
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