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How should you take this medication?
Take Imitrex ( Sumatriptan ) tablets exactly as directed by your doctor. If you do not understand these directions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you. Take each dose with a
full glass of water. Take one tablet as soon as you notice symptoms of a migraine, or at any time during an attack. If your symptoms go away, but then return, you can take additional doses as needed e
very 2 hours, up to a maximum of 300 mg in 24 hours, unless otherwise directed by your doctor. Never take more than this amount. If your symptoms do not improve at all, call your doctor before taking
any more doses of Imitrex ( Sumatriptan ). More medication will not further treat symptoms.
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Why is this medication prescribed?
Imitrex is prescribed for the treatment of a migraine attack with or without the presence of an aura (visual disturbances, usually sensations of halos or flickering lights, which precede an attack). T
he injectable form is also used to relieve cluster headache attacks. (Cluster headaches come on in waves, then disappear for long periods of time. They are limited to one side of the head, and occur m
ainly in men.)
Imitrex cuts headaches short. It will not reduce the number of attacks you experience
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Precautions while Using this Medicine
Check with your doctor if you have used .Imitrex for three headaches, and have not had good relief. Also, check with your doctor if your migraine headaches are worse, or if they are occurring more oft
en, than before you started using .Imitrex.
Drinking alcoholic beverages can make headaches worse or cause new headaches to occur. People who suffer from severe headaches should probably avoi
d alcoholic beverages, especially during a headache.
Some people feel drowsy or dizzy during or after a migraine, or after taking .Imitrex to relieve a migraine. As long as you are feeling dr
owsy or dizzy, do not drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy or are not alert.
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Significant Interactions:
Tell your health care professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine, especially other prescription medicine for migraine headaches, or if y
ou smoke tobacco.
When you are taking .Imitrex, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking the following:
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor
activity (isocarboxazid [e.g., Marplan], phenelzine [e.g., Nardil], procarbazine [e.g., Matulane], selegiline [e.g., Eldepryl], tranylcypromine [e.g., Parnate])¡XTaking .Imitrex while you are taking
r within 2 weeks of taking MAO inhibitors may cause sudden high body temperature, extremely high blood pressure and severe convulsions;
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Proper Use of This Medicine
If you feel much better after a dose of sumatriptan, but your headache comes back or gets worse after a while, you may use more sumatriptan. However, use this medicine only as directed by your doctor.
Do not use more of it, and do not use it more often, than directed. Using too much sumatriptan may increase the chance of side effects.
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Before Using This Medicine
Older adults¡XThis medicine has been tested in a limited number of patients between 60 and 65 years of age. It did not cause different side effects or problems in these patients than it did in younger
adults. However, there is no specific information comparing use of .Imitrex in patients older than 65 years of age with use in younger adults.
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