First time triptan user

Hello,everyone.A few months ago i tried a triptan drug for the first time (Maxalt) and it totally cured my migraine,both pain and pressure! (God bless) The problem i have now is the side effect of being tired for days after.Dose anyone else have this side effect? Is there another triptan type drug that has less of this tiring effect? After 32 years i found a cure.Now i need a cure for the cure! My doctor at the VA dosen't know alot about migraine and is not all that helpful about my headaches. I feel very lucky to have found somthing that works so well and it is great to finally be free of pain in my head,but it kind of stinks feeling so tired all the time.So if anyone has any information about this or has had a similar experience i would love to hear it.I know there are 7 triptan drugs available,my question is: Which one is the least tiring?

Hi Gracia,

Unfortunately that’s how it is with triptans. I seem to spend most of my life in a triptan induced haze and sleep like a horse at every possible opportunity. Stimulants like coffee and alcohol are a no no, because they in turn give me migraines. So it is either headaches or zombie like trance.

Love

P.

Oh ... forgot one more thing ....

Maxalt is already a good one. I find Imigran the worst offender in terms of side effects.

well, i consider the tiredness a huge blessing! this is because most of my worst migraines occur in the middle of the night, and the triptan i take allows me to fall back to sleep, in spite of the pain.

when i take them in the daytime, though, i don't get tired. strange, isn't it? my two, which i alternate, are maxalt and amerge. amerge is now generic, and i'm unsure whether it works as well as the brand name, but that's all i can get from my insurance plan now.

if you try amerge/naratriptan, be sure you realize it takes quite a bit longer to "kick in", but the pain-relief effect lasts much longer, also. at least for me.

if you can try all the rest of the triptans, be sure to do that. only the two mentioned work for me at all, and i've taken one or another since they first came on the market 17-18 years ago. they are related drugs but certainly not identical in their effects. good fortune to you! dianne

When I first used a triptan I had various side effects that were not there later. Maybe you will get used to it. I found Maxalt to be the most gentle for me and fast.

It is a shame you were not given a triptan sooner. They have been available for a long time. I see you metioned VA.? They have a small

limit on how many you can have a month. Hope you find enough to feel better all the time.

Thanks,i appriciate the input from you guys.One of the biggest problems is that i have to work and i need a lot of energy for work and life in general.I wonder if a very low dose of one of these meds would work? Enought to knock out the headache pain and yet not so much to put me into a near stupor.Thanks,again for the support.

Howdy Garcia,

I have been taking Maxalt - Mlt (the ones that melt under the tongue) since '98. It's the only thing that has ever completely knocked out my migraines. The first time I tried it, I was shocked. It worked so well and so quickly. I don't think I would have tried it the first time if I had to pay for it. As we all know, triptans are horrendously expensive.

A doctor gave me some samples. I should say, THE doctor. He is my surgeon and is the most unusual doctor I have ever met in his compassion and understanding. I wasn't seeing him for migraines. I had just mentioned to him that I had a problem with them. So when the drug rep gave him a bunch of Maxalt samples and he immediately thought of me.

One Maxalt has almost always worked for me. Rarely I have to take 2 or 3 over a period of several hours. Not only does it knock out the pain, it also gets rid of the light, sound, smell sensitivity, foggy brain, dizziness. It does make me feel a little sleepy but not so much that I can't work. I work fulltime in a job that does require clear thinking.

If a migraine starts creeping up on me at work, I take a Maxalt at the first sign. I am able to work the rest of the day in reasonable comfort. At work, if the sleepiness starts to be a problem, I focus harder on the task at hand and have some coffee. I truly feel that if it weren't for Maxalt, I would have had to quit working years ago along with giving up many things I like to do. I am very grateful for it. I hope that Maxalt works for you over the long haul as well as it works for me.

Chris

Thanks,Chris.I had pretty much the same response:Headache pain gone!,Pressure gone!,Sesitivity to light (which is constant,pain or no.) gone! I hope that it gets better over time as well,but in the mean time,i am dog tired.Happy but tired.I can also eat "Trigger foods" that would normaly kill me:Munster cheese,nacho cheese(MSG) ect. It's like i am immune to migraines but at a price.I wonder if i am feeling what other people experience as "Normal" and i am just not used to it? I've had headache pain for so long that i am a little hesitant to trust this new "Sensation". I feel like i am on thin ice and the bottom might drop out.But thanks again,Chris.I will keep on working as best i can.Dilemma:Is it better to work with intermitant, crappy,distracting,mood altering headache pain or have no pain but feel like i just spent a month at the Mustang Ranch and then swallowed a handful of Valium.Time will tell,i guess. GM

When I found out that Relpax with 80 mg cost exactly the same as the ones with 40 mg (in Switzerland, at least), I asked Pfizer (producer) if it was allowed to cut them into two pieces. They said no (no wonder!). I asked at the pharmacy, too. They denied as well (no wonder!). Finally I asked my doctor and he said yes.
That's what I have been doing for several years now and it saved me a lot of money. Best is to cut the little pills with pliers from the toolbox. Usually, I can do it with one half or I take the other one the next day.

I found it was less of a problem when I switched from the Immitrex 100mg pills to the 6mg injections. They don't make me nearly as tired.

Thanks everyone, the triptan I've been using at the moment Naramig doesn't seem to do anything at all. Think I'll ask my Doctor if I can try Maxalt.

Garcia,

I have been thinking about you and the tiredness with the use of Maxalt. If by chance you take a proton pump inhibitor like Prilosec, you need to be taking extra B12. Proton pump inhibitors deplete B12. That situation, by itself can make you feel tired. I have been taking Prilosec for a long time and did not realize how it affects B12. When I increased my B12 I noticed a dramatic increase in energy.

The B12 didn't do anything for my migraines but I'll settle for more energy!

Chris

The only supplements i take are Centrum and Fish oil once a day.I will try some B12 though,i hope it relieves some of the fatigue.Thanks for the tip,Chris.I'll keep you posted.- GM

Hi Chris - where did you get the information on the B12 and proton pump inhibitors interaction? is there anything on the internet that I can read up on? I take a proton pump inhibitor each day as I have ulcers from high daily aspirin dosage for daily headache.

Fascinating stuff if it works for you. I feel exhausted most days and would have no problem trying something for more energy. Is there a particular dosage you take?

Regards

Annabella

I have also had a blood test a while ago and found my iron was really low. I've been on supplements and definately feel my energy has improved.

Annabella, here is a forum on B12/folic Acid Deficiencies, it recommends a book on the adverse effects of deficiencies, dosages, what type of blood tests to take, and etc:

http://forums.wrongdiagnosis.com/showthread.php?t=9948

The book and forum both mention the impact of proton pump inhibitors on your B12/Folic levels.

As I have previously mentioned, a Vitamin D deficiency can produce some of the problems you mentioned.

I posted the above information on a previous thread: Homocysteines and Migraines.

Martin

Hi Martin - thanks so much for the prompt reply, I appreciate it.

I do take plenty of Vitamin D already but am very interested in the B12 and feel it may help, so I am off to get some.

regards

Annabella