Imitrex for Migraine User Reviews (Page 2)

• HeyTe...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 16, 2013

"Migraines have become my worst enemy over the past 4-5 years. Thank goodness for Imitrex. I started with the pills, then the nasal spray and have worked my way up to the shots (plus nausea medicines). The pills had the least side effects. The spray was vile tasting, but fast acting and I could take it while working. When my headaches worsened, they added botox and upgraded me to the injected version. I needed something that acted FAST so I could stay in the classroom. The down side to the injection is the head rush, change of hear rate, and the flushing feeling. When I inject I have about 15-30 BAD minutes, then I kind of restabilize and about an hour later I usually feel better and capable of continuing to teach."

• Anony...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 9, 2013

"I have taken Imitrex ever since it came out in the 90s. It works and I'll be forever grateful that it does. If you, like me, know what it was like to get migraines before Imitrex came out, you'll understand why I sing its praise."

• Marissa
• January 22, 2012

"I hated my experience with Imitrex. It made my chest feel strange, heart beat increase and I felt very anxious while on it. I guess it shortened the duration of my headache, but I became very worried and preoccupied by its side effects."

• Steveo
• August 5, 2013

"Imitrex has truly been a miracle for me. I'm 36 and I've been having terrible headaches since as far back as I can remember. No over the counter medication ever made any difference in the pain at all. 5 years ago I was prescribed Imitrex and it has literally changed my life. It normally takes an hour or two for it to kick in for me, but when it does, it completely takes my headache away. I have never had any side effects either."

• RCCTh...
• May 29, 2015

"Saved my life. Nothing else worked. Other drugs intensified the headache. I much prefer the injection. Less of the drug is needed and the effective result occurs more quickly. Side effects - I can get night/sleep sweats and have "odd" dreams that do not otherwise occur."

• Mom...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• June 14, 2013

"I have migraines that are hormonal in nature and Imitrex has saved me from days' worth of pain many a time. I also have a grade-school daughter and if I have a migraine, believe me, the entire family suffers. The pain from a migraine can last 3 days for me so having something that will knock it out in a matter of minutes is in my eyes, miraculous. It doesn't ALWAYS work, especially if I have cluster headaches, but 90% of the time, it works for me on one dose. If the first dose doesn't work, I take another and that usually just completely wipes it out. "

• berly...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• December 15, 2013

"I have suffered from debilitating migraines for over 20 years. I feel like I have tried everything. Imitrex shots gave me my life back. After taking a shot I normally need to lay down for 15 min but then I feel great. I used to suffer for at least 3 days. I never had any side effects."

• Conce...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 30, 2018

"I have had menstrual headaches, so predictable for 10 years. Once a month, 36 hours or so, can't even lay on my head migraines. Just suffered through. Tried Imitrex last December and feel like I've been freed from bondage. I don't get a high or sleepy sensation, just relief, especially when taken with 2 Advil. I do not not have I ever uses prescription, pain meds. Seldom use even any NSAIDs. I was not interested in pain meds so this was a great option and a miracle. I can even take 2 without side effects. Sorry to those who have poor outcomes. FYI- I was discussing it today with a colleague and she said she felt high and loopy. I was stunned. Now in reading this, I see some people do react that way. So I guess I would say, take half, at home with someone around. Then make a choice from that result. Good luck!"

• Phil...
• February 19, 2017

"Works great, the only one for me, no side effects, 53 yrs old, started getting these headaches last yr, Excedrin, Aspirin, Fiercet, and Advil didn't work, takes about an hour to kick in, but since nothing else works, I can wait it out"

• Anonymous
• January 8, 2012

"At first, I thought it was great- no headache. Then, the more frequently I used the medication to treat my migraines, the more debilitating side-effects I began to experience. I could first mitigate the burning/pain and weakness in my head, neck and jaw and the general feeling of malaise/fatigue by the administration of Naproxen or Ibuprofen prior to the Imitrex, but then, even that ceased to be effective. I finally quit after experiencing total body weakness, a more severe burning/pain in my upper extremeties than ever before (accompanied by fluctuating hot/cold sensations everywhere else), irregular heartbeat and irregular breathing after administration. If you experiencing adverse side-effects- it gets worse! Please, find something else."

• Anonymous
• October 15, 2009

"Something that really works for me when my schedule allows is to take a short nap after taking Imitrex. I wake up with little discomfort. My head is clear. I can think. One of the worst symptoms of my migraines is that I cannot stay focused on a task. If I am unable to nap the Imitrex has little effect on me. This is horrible when you are at work as many of you know. "

• Beefree
• September 16, 2017

"I am perimenopausal age 53 and for last several years suffered from debilitating migraines. I days wasted because I was too sick from these headaches. Forget Excedrin for migraines or any other OTC drugs no relief whatsoever. This past weekend I had a migraine that pretty much knocked me out - the pain was horrific, nausea, vomiting and cried like a baby. Finally went to emergency room and they gave me Imitrex. .. Within 30 minutes headache was gone. I was very sleepy but I don't know if that's a side effect or just from not sleeping the prior 3 days."

• jaqpink
• September 21, 2013

"The only medication that works for my migraines, that last typically 3 days at a time, right side of my head, in my eye, down the back of my neck and upper back. I take the 100mg tablet, 1 every 12 hours, or when I feel it coming back on. Imitrex kicks in within 20 minutes of taking it. As close to instant relief as you can get. GREAT medication."

• Erinl...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 7, 2017

"Reading some of these reviews makes me wonder how much of a chance they gave the medication. I've had 'vascular' migraines since I was 13. I'm 35 today. I take Excedrin migraine for my headaches. I take Imitrex for my migraines. Used to be hard to tell the difference. I understand now the difference. But before I found Imitrex, I took all kinds of 'prevention' meds. Amitriptyline, nortriptyline, Zoloft, more than I can remember. Never prevented a darn thing. Just ended up with side effects from those. As a teen, that meant acne and weight gain. Aka, hell. It's been years now since I've found Imitrex. And like many, I was worried about trying it. But there came a day I couldn't NOT try it. 20 minutes later, I kicked myself for waiting."

• Minlet
• July 7, 2017

"I preferred Relpax, but my insurance stopped covering it. Imitrex works at least 95% of the time, but maybe 10% of those times, the headache recurs and I have to take another one (which almost never happened with Relpax). My side effects are weird but not debilitating: sense of pressure in head, neck, chest, shoulders, arms; tingling in face; dry burning eyes; skin sensitivity to hot/cold; taste sensitivity to spicy/sour; lack of appetite; sweat; thirst; diuretic. A bit sluggish and sometimes drowsy, but not truly fatigued. Almost never nauseous; never dizzy. A couple of hours later, I often feel mild muscle soreness. The side effects are stronger if I take it on an empty stomach, but it also works faster."

• heada...
• November 3, 2014

"Great. I've taken it twice and didn't experience any major side effects. Kicked in after 20-30 minutes, was fully ready to go at 60 minutes after. That said I did experience some side effects including: -mild heartburn-like feeling during the first 1-2 hours after taking it. -moderate heaviness/tightness in my jaw that lasted just about 12 hours after taking. -some drowsiness -some mild neck pain (which could have been the migraine) -a tightness/tingling (very mild) in my forearms. But I'm free and clear of the headache. Definitely plan on taking again"

• Kdhow
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 20, 2018

"I have had migraines (growing blind spots, with nausea and pain), and also tension migraines since childhood. Starting with my 3rd child, I started getting debiltating migraines. I’m talking, tingling fingers, trying to talk but my brain can’t find my words, PAIN that lasts at least 2 days with 1-2 of my brain not working. I tried Fioricet and it didn’t work. Magnesium aspartate supplements helped a ton with the tension and blindness headaches. Finally my dr gave me this and OH MY GOSH 30 mins later I felt so much better, by an hour it was gone!! I still feel like my brain is dulled for several hours but even though I can no longer feel the headache, it’s still there messing stuff up. On occasion I have to take two. If I let the pain get really bad before I take it, it takes longer to work. I can usually count on it being gone for 6-20 hours before I need to take again. I love it. Yes, neck stiffness, some jaw tightness... A MILLION AND TWELVE PERCENT better than a migraine though."

• MamaA...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• December 21, 2016

"I have suffered migraines maybe 4 times a year or so since I was little. Usually accompanied by vomiting and complete inability to function. The past two years, after having my second daughter, the migraines have amped up to 3 or 4 a month- sometimes more. Imitrex works almost always to eliminate the migraine. Every once in awhile I wait too long and have to take two. I have no side effects to speak of which is crazy to me because I can't even use herbal remedies without experiencing weird side effects. I'm thankful for the scientists who created this drug. I always have it with me just in case and it keeps me from being out for the count with my two little girls."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 10, 2012

"The first time I took this I got a severe panic attack. It felt like I couldn't breathe, my heart was racing and chest hurt. It did nothing for the pain or any of the other things associated with migraines. I did try it once more, as per my Dr, and it happened all over again. Maxalt is what I use now."

• Sleep...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 29, 2016

"I was diagnosed with severe painful and silent migraines a few months ago, but the neurologist said I've most likely suffered from silent migraines my entire life (I'm 17 by the way), but recently they have started getting painful. Imitrex was the first medication I was put on. I was excited to start feeling better, but imitrex made me feel awful. I suffer from extreme nausea before, during and after a migraine and it's completely life ruining. I've tried imitrex many times, in hopes of it finally working. Every time I'd take it, I'd get a horrible burning in my throat, and my migraine would worsen. It didn't help nausea, aura, pain or any other migraine symptoms I suffer from. I've recently been put on another medication that'll hopefully work."

• one...
• December 22, 2015

"I have been suffering from migraine's since around 16 and now at 36 although they have became less frequent over the years. They are horrible as I usually am out for the entire day bedridden in a dark room. I have always been very paranoid to try a actual migraine medicine so have taken vicodin for the pain. I recently had a migraine at work and decided to try a imitrex my doctor prescribed me. I was nervous to try it but am so happy I did. I waited a few minutes of having the migraine before I took it but it relieved me of my migraine within 30 minutes. I did experience some effects like muscle stiffness in my neck, tightness in my face and a burning feeling in my nose and forehead for about a hour but I'll take that any day over a migraine."

• Amc
• November 16, 2013

"Works super fast and well. Gets rid of my migraines fast when I take with a Motrin 800, BUT......it makes me sweat buckets. I took it at work before my shift and 2 hours later my migraine was gone but I had sweated through 2 shirts and was visibly dripping. It was pretty bad. It does it every time I take it so I try not to use it if I can help it."

• Miche...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 29, 2023

"I've had one experience with Imitrex. I was living in the midwest near a AFB hospital (in the mid to late 1990s). My mother and I came down with migraines the same evening. By the third night we both had tried everything that we had been prescribed and the migraines were just getting worse, but it was the 90s and migraine medication besides pain meds was in its infancy. I was in the best condition so I drove the short distance to the base hospital and within an hour we both found ourselves a participant in a drug trial for Imitrex with the promise that if it didn't work we'd get "something stronger". Soon we were both having chest pains and heart palpitations, and I couldn't catch my breath. Why? We both have heart valve issues that we didn't know about. We were on heart monitors for hours afterward, but we did get "something stronger" to cut the pain. I know people who swear by Imitrex, but please take your first dose at a Hospital/Dr. Office! It has interactions that can be quite serious."

• Anonymous
• March 13, 2009

"God bless Imitrex. I can take the injection either at the start of a migraine or right in the middle of it and it works like a charm each time. I don't know what I would do without it. My migraines were crippling but thanks to Imitrex, I have my life back."

• Elect...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 1, 2018

"This drug will get rid of my migraine about 70% of the time, but I only use it when nothing else works because the side effects are almost as bad as the migraine itself. It makes my skin feel prickly and tight, and my throat feels tight and like I can't swallow. It gives me such intense nausea that I often don't speak when I take it because I feel like if I open my mouth, I'll throw up. From trial and error, the nausea seems to abate if I take it with food, but if I forget to take it with food I have to force myself to eat through the nausea. My brain also feels really foggy and basic actions are difficult when I take it. I'm glad there are people who don't react like this, but I am definitely asking to be switched to a different medication."