Imitrex Injection (Sumatriptan Succinate Injection) Patient Information: How Should I Take the Drug at RxList

Pill Identifier Search

May 27, 2012

Imitrex Injection

Migraine »

What is a migraine headache?

A migraine headache is a form of vascular headache. Migraine headache is caused by vasodilatation (enlargement of blood vessels) that causes the release of chemicals from nerve fibers that coil around the large arteries of the brain. Enlargement of these blood vessels stretches the nerves that coil around them and causes the nerves to release chemicals. The chemicals cause inflammation, pain, and further enlargement of the artery. The increasing enlargement of the arteries magnifies the pain.

Migraine attacks commonly activate the sympathetic nervous system in the body. The sympathetic nervous system is often thought of as the part of the nervous system that controls primitive responses to stress and pain, the so-called "fight or flight" response, and this activation causes many of the symptoms associated with migraine attacks; for example, the increased sympathetic nervous activity in the intestine causes nausea, vomiting,...

Read the Migraine article »

« Previous
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Next »

Imitrex Injection User Reviews >>

Imitrex Injection

View the Headaches and Migraines Slideshow Pictures

A Visual Guide to Migraine Headaches Slideshow Pictures

Headache and Migraine Triggers Slideshow Pictures

Take the Migraines Quiz

font size

Imitrex Injection Patient Information including How Should I Take

What should I discuss with my health care provider before using sumatriptan injection (Imitrex Injection)?

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to sumatriptan, or if you have:

a history of heart disease, angina (chest pain), blood circulation problems, or history of a heart attack or stroke;
ischemic bowel disease;
severe or uncontrolled high blood pressure; or
severe liver disease.

Do not use sumatriptan if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or phenelzine (Nardil) in the past 14 days.

Sumatriptan can cause rare but serious side effects on the heart, including heart attack or stroke. Before using sumatriptan, tell your doctor if you have:

epilepsy or other seizure disorder;
high blood pressure;
liver disease;
kidney disease; or
coronary artery disease (or risk factors that include diabetes, menopause, smoking, being overweight, having high blood pressure or high cholesterol, having a family history of coronary artery disease, being older than 40 and a man, or being a woman who has had a hysterectomy).

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely use sumatriptan.

FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether this medication is harmful to an unborn baby. Before using sumatriptan, tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

Your name may need to be listed on a sumatriptan pregnancy registry when you start using this medication.

Sumatriptan can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

This medicine should not be given to anyone under 18 or over 65 years of age.

How should I use sumatriptan injection (Imitrex Injection)?

Use this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not use the medication in larger or smaller amounts, or use it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Overuse of migraine headache medicine can actually make your headaches worse. Follow the instructions on your prescription label.

Use sumatriptan as soon as you notice headache symptoms, or after an attack has already begun.

Your doctor may want to give your first dose of this medicine in a hospital or clinic setting to see if you have any serious side effects.

Sumatriptan injection comes in a prefilled cartridge to be loaded into an autoinjector syringe. Each cartridge contains only one dose that you will inject into your skin. This medicine comes with patient instructions for injecting it. Do not give yourself an injection if you do not understand these instructions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions.

After using an injection: If your headache does not completely go away after the injection, call your doctor before using a second sumatriptan injection. If your headache goes away and then comes back, you may use a second injection if it has been at least one hour since your first injection. Do not use more than two (2) injections in 24 hours. If your symptoms do not improve, contact your doctor before using any more injections.

Contact your doctor if you have more than four headaches in one month (30 days).

Store this medicine at room temperature away from moisture, heat, and light.

Related Drug Centers