I am 26 and have suffered from what I have
always thought to be sinus headaches since
I was 18. I assumed it was sinus because
the pain is almost always behind my right
eye. Over the years i've taken every form
of otc sinus meds and finally saw an ent
specialist 1.5 years ago. She recommended
a septoplasty to correct my deviated
septum. I thought that would be the
answer to my prayers and after a very
painful surgery and recovery (it's just
like a nosejob) and then a follow up
surgery to cauterize a vein, I thought I
would finally find relief. Nope. It did
nothing. I now have a perfectly straight
nose and can breathe better through my
left nostril, but the headaches still
persist.
Anyhow, in all my years of agony, no doc
ever suggested that it may be a migraine.
A few weeks ago, I got what I define as a
"whopper"... One of those sinus headaches
so painful that it's positively
debillitating. When I get these, all I
can do is take a couple otc sinus pills
and hit the bed, hoping to sleep it off.
Well, I took sinus meds and it had no
perceptible affect. The next day the pain
was equally as severe so I gave up and
took an imitrex that my sister had given
me. I'd only taken imitrex once before
and it knocked me out so I vowed not to
take another one unless I absolutely had
to. In this case, I split the 50 mg pill
in half. Surprisingly, it made me a tad
drowsy but didn't knock me out and it
actually rid of the headache!!
Sooooo, to make this very long story
short, my question is this. Can imitrex
really be a permanent solution for me?
Anyone have any experience with this? I
guess my concern, aside from side effects,
is that I hate being medicated and avoid
drugs, especially prescription. I suffer
from these headaches on a weekly basis,
sometimes for several days at a time. So
can I end up taking an imitrex once or
twice weekly?
My last question is how in the world can
you differentiate between sinus and
migraine headaches? And can imitrex
alleviate those headaches that actually
are sinus?
I really appreciate any help or insight
anyone may have!
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Mariek3
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 3 Location: Fort Lauderdale
Posted: 06-28-05 15:55pm
Hi
i am also 26 and have been taking imitrex
for a little over two years. On average
I take it twice a week. I am concerned
about the long term affects it may have,
and just like you prefer not to be on any
medicine. I have done quite a bit of
research on the drug myself and several
sources state that people who do not have
a true migraine do not respond. Imitrex
is a new drug for migraine and cluster
headaches only. Imitrex containes what
is called triptans. Triptans are not
pain medication, pain medication only
increases your tolerence for the pain.
Triptans on the otherhand are suppose to
abort the migraine. I have also read
patients who thought they had migraines
were perscribed imitrex, but did not
respond to the drug. So if you are
responding they are probably classic
migraines or cluster headaches.
I have been dealing with migraines since I
was 12 and have found no solution.
Imitrex at least helps get rid of the
migraine, but will never resolve the
problem, migraine is only a sympton of the
problem. I just went to a new
nuerologist today. Like every other
doctor I have seen for migraines I told
him my goal is not to take any drugs, I
want to find out what the problem is and
fix it. But of course because we live in
such a money hungry world and corrupt
society I walked out of his office with a
new script. This time it as a
anti-depressent! It is suppose to help
prevent migraines. I am not giving up
hope yet to find a solution to this
ailment that I live with everyday of my
life....But doctors dont care anymore,
they are overbooked and rush you in and
out of their office and hand out drugs
without investigating the problem.
Mk
fort lauderdale, fl
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MyHeadHurts
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Jun 2005 Posts: 2 Location: Kentucky
Posted: 06-28-05 16:42pm
Wow, mariek3, thank you so much for that
information. It's very helpful. I'm
encouraged to at least realize now that
these are migraines and not sinus, as I
most definitely respond to imitrex.
I guess i'll ask for a prescription and go
that route now. I swear i'm to the point
now where nothing else works. Although I
guess it makes sense that sinus meds
aren't very effective, given that these
probably aren't sinus headaches.
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sandyallen
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 02 Feb 2004 Posts: 4580
Posted: 06-28-05 16:43pm
Hi there! In the 1st place never take
someone elses medication, this can be very
dangerous, even if it is your sisters.
If it does seem to help you get a
prescription of your own, they have
different strengths, what works works for
one may not work for another and some meds
should not be broken in half. I take 100
mg as soon as my migrane starts kicking
in, this is what works the best.
Sincerely,
sandy
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mixmastacoco
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 3 Location: virginia
Imitrex User Posted: 07-19-05 16:17pm
Im 16 and have been doing migrane studies
since I was 12 I use imitrex and my last
resort. It works very well for me and
wipes the headace out in 45 mins to an
hour ive noticed that the worse the side
effects are the better its working
