It’s not uncommon to experience headaches and migraines from time to time. In some cases, only a few over-the-counter drugs will do the trick. But what if you have a headache that just won’t go away? Imigran is one of the most common treatments for migraine pains and cluster headaches. It is available in tablet, injectable, and nasal spray form. Before you start using this drug, there are a few things you should know about it: its dosage, how it works, side effects, among other things!
Symptoms of Migraine
Migraine headaches come with a throbbing pain in the head and sometimes in the neck. Symptoms for migraine include:
- Nausea and vomiting
- Extreme sensitivity to light and noise
- Loss of appetite
- Dizziness and blurred visions
- Pain on one side of the head
Most people who experience migraines cannot tell the exact cause of the pains. However, there are instances where some migraine patients have a trigger like:
- Food or even drinks including alcoholic and coffee
- Hormonal changes in women: The fluctuations of estrogen levels during menstrual periods, pregnancy, or menopause may trigger migraines.
- Drugs such as oral contraceptives and vasodilators
- Hereditary: if there is a history of a migraine in your family, the chances are high that you may also suffer from it.
Migraine pain can last for hours or even days, and it usually gets worse when pressure is applied around the head.
When Should You Consume Imigran?
Imigran is a medication for people suffering from acute migraine headaches. One can also use it to treat cluster headaches. You should use Imigran as soon as you start experiencing migraine or cluster headache symptoms. Cluster headaches are when someone gets a lot of pain in one side of their head. The pains can occur in several weeks or months and then disappear.
Do not use Imigran to stop the occurrence of migraine attacks.
What is the Dosage of Imigran?
Imigran dosage will depend on your specific condition and response to the drug. The recommended dose of Imigran for adults is a single 6 mg injection (subcutaneous). However, if the symptoms reoccur, a further 6 mg subcutaneous injection can be administered within the first 24 hours, provided the first and second shots have a difference of 1-hour span. The maximum dosage is 12 mg that is two 6 mg subcutaneous injections. The injection dosage is recommended for people with cluster headaches.
In tablets form, Imigran is available in two strengths, 50 mg, and 100 mg. The drug is also available in a nasal spray form (10 mg per actuation). The tablets and nasal spray are ideal for people with migraines. If your migraine recurs after taking the first tablet or after using the spray for the first time, you can take another tablet or re-spray, provided it’s after two hours of your first dosage.
How to Get the Most out of Imigran Treatment
For Migraine Treatment
- Only take the drugs when the symptoms of migraine are developing. The drug is to relieve the pain and not to prevent migraine attacks.
- Do not mix other migraine treatments like ergotamine
- Whenever you get a migraine attack, keep a record of where the attack started, the food you had eaten, and what you were doing. These records will help you analyze the patterns of your migraine, which will help you plan how to avoid them.
- Imigran is only ideal for treatment when the pain has started; other drugs can stop migraine attacks. If you suffer from frequent attacks, your doctor can help you identify the drugs to prevent their occurrence.
Imigran for Treating Cluster Headaches
- Get Imigran as an injection; it will provide quick relief in five to fifteen minutes.
- An adult can only get a maximum of two injections, each 6 mg in 24 hours. The two injections must be at least one hour apart.
How Does Imigran Work?
Imigran is suitable for treating migraine headaches with or without ‘aura.’ Migraine headaches are s a result of the widening of particular blood vessels in the head. Therefore, Imigran tablets constrict the blood vessels returning them to their normal state, reducing the migraines’ pains. When taking the oral pills, the recommended dosage is 50 mg.
Side Effects of Imigran
Like other drugs, Imigran has a few side effects that you should be aware of. Some people who have used Imigran have reported the following side effects:
- Feeling tired and dizzy
- Having a sick feeling and sometimes one may vomit
- Feeling of heaviness or tightness in the chest
- An unfavorable change in blood pressure
- Muscle stiffness in the neck, shoulders, and back
- Blurred vision and dry mouth
Note: Imigran medicine does not require a prescription from the physician. However, you should consult a physician or pharmacist before using it. A physician or pharmacist will advise you whether the drug is safe to take with other medications or not.
Bottomline
Imigran is a drug that helps relieve pain from migraines and does not stop migraine attacks. It is available in three forms; oral tablet, injection, and nasal spray. The drug has several side effects, but its positive effects outweigh the negative, so it’s a good drug for relieving migraine pains.
