Imitrex Injection
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Imitrex Injection Overview
Imitrex (generic: sumatriptan) injection is a prescription medication used to treat migraine headaches once they have started. Imitrex belongs to a group of drugs called serotonin receptor agonists or "triptans", which relieve pain by narrowing blood vessels around the brain.
This medication comes as a tablet, a nasal spray and in an injectable form to be injected under the skin when migraine symptoms appear. This article focuses on Imitrex Injection.
Common side effects of Imitrex include warm, hot, burning feeling to the face, weakness, and tiredness. Imitrex can cause drowsiness. Do not drive a car or operate machinery if you have these symptoms.
Uses of Imitrex Injection
Imitrex is a prescription medication used to treat migraine headaches once they have started, with or without aura.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Side Effects of Imitrex Injection
Some possible side effects of Imitrex Injection:
- Some patients feel pain or tightness in the chest or throat when using Imitrex Injection. If this happens to you, tell your healthcare provider before taking any more Imitrex Injection. If the chest pain, tightness, or pressure is severe or does not go away, call your healthcare provider right away.
- Call your healthcare provider right away if you have sudden and/or severe abdominal pain after you take Imitrex Injection.
- Some people may have a reaction called serotonin syndrome when they take certain kinds of medicines for depression called SSRIs or SNRIs while they are taking Imitrex Injection. Symptoms may include confusion, hallucinations, fast heartbeat, feeling faint, fever, sweating, muscle spasm, difficulty walking, and/or diarrhea. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have any of these symptoms after taking Imitrex Injection.
- Shortness of breath; wheeziness; heart throbbing; swelling of eyelids, face, or lips; or a skin rash, skin lumps, or hives happens rarely. If it happens to you, then tell your healthcare provider right away. Do not take any more Imitrex Injection unless your healthcare provider tells you to.
- Some people may feel tingling, heat, flushing (redness of face lasting a short time), heaviness, or pressure after taking Imitrex Injection. A few people may feel drowsy, dizzy, tired, or sick. If you have any of these symptoms, tell your healthcare provider at your next visit.
- You may have pain or redness at the site of injection, but this usually lasts less than an hour.
- If you feel unwell in any other way or have any symptoms that you do not understand, you should contact your healthcare provider right away.
Imitrex Injection Interactions
Some medicines may interact with Imitrex Injection which may increase side effects, and increase or decrease the action of either drug. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medicines or carefully monitor for side effects if you are taking medicines that interact with Imitrex Injection.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:
- other triptans (zolmitriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, almotriptan, frovatriptan, eletriptan)
- ergotamine-containing medicines
- dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45, Migranal)
- methysergide (Sansert)
- monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) (phenelzine, isocarboxazid, tranylcypromine, selegiline)
- SSRI antidepressant medicines (citalopram, escitalopram, paroxetine, fluoxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine)
- SNRI antidepressant medicines (duloxetine, venlafaxine)
Imitrex Injection Precautions
Caution for activities requiring alertness: You may feel drowsy or dizzy because of your migraine or treatment with Imitrex Injection. Use caution for activities requiring alertness (like driving or using machines).
With Imitrex use there is an increased risk of myocardial ischemia (a painful heart condition caused by a lack of blood flow to the heart), heart attack and other heart problems.
Chest, jaw, or neck tightness is common after Imitrex Injection. These symptoms are rarely related to heart problems when used with Imitrex, but because Imitrex increases the risk of heart problems, seek emergency medical attention if you experience these symptoms while using Imitrex Injection.
Imitrex Injection should be used with caution in patients with a history of epilepsy.
Overuse of migraine treatments has been associated with exacerbation of headache (medication overuse headache) in some patients.
Imitrex Injection may accumulate in parts of the eye and may possibly cause long-term ophthalmologic (eye) effects.
Instruction on the proper use of Imitrex Injection should be given to patients who will be self-administering (injecting).
Avoid injecting into muscle (intramuscular injection). Imitrex Injection is intended to be given subcutaneously (under the skin).
The risk of serotonin syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition involving too much serotonin (a brain chemical), exists with use of Imitrex and some antidepressants (SSRIs or SNRIs). Talk to your doctor about all the medicines you are taking.
Imitrex Injection Food Interactions
Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of Imitrex Injection there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving Imitrex Injection.
Inform MD
Tell your doctor if you have risk factors for heart disease such as:
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol
- being overweight
- diabetes
- smoking
- strong family history of heart disease
- you are postmenopausal
- you are a male over 40 years of age.
If you do have risk factors for heart disease, your healthcare provider should check you for heart disease to see if Imitrex is right for you.
Tell your doctor if you:
- are allergic to Imitrex (sumatriptan) or any other medications
- currently have or have ever had liver or kidney problems
- have epilepsy or seizures
- are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
Imitrex Injection and Pregnancy
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Do not take Imitrex Injection if you are pregnant. It may harm your unborn baby. If you are not pregnant and you plan to use Imitrex Injection, use adequate contraception and talk to your doctor.
Imitrex Injection and Lactation
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed. Imitrex (sumatriptan) is excreted in human milk following subcutaneous injection. Avoid breastfeeding for 12 hours after treatment with Imitrex Injection to avoid exposing your baby to this medicine.
Imitrex Injection Usage
Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take sumatriptan exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Imitrex is taken by subcutaneous (just under the skin) injection, as soon as your migraine symptoms appear.
- You should feel relief of your symptoms within 1 hour (maybe within 10 minutes).
- If your symptoms then return after the first injection, you may take a second injection after 1 hour. But do not use more than two injections in a 24 hour period. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take sumatriptan exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
Imitrex Injection comes in an autoinjection device so that you can self-inject this medication into your thigh or deltoid area (shoulder joint). Your doctor or pharmacist should show you how to load the injector and administer the medication. Also read the instruction pamphlet and be sure that you understand the correct injection technique before you use the autoinjector. If possible, it is best if you try the autoinjector for the first time in your doctor's office to be sure you are using it correctly and to monitor for side effects.
Imitrex Injection Dosage
Take Imitrex Injection exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. Your doctor will determine the best dose for you.
The maximum recommended adult dose of Imitrex Injection is 6 mg injected subcutaneously (under the skin). The maximum recommended dose that may be given in 24 hours is two 6 mg injections separated by at least one hour.
Imitrex Injection Overdose
If you have taken more Imitrex Injection than has been prescribed for you, contact either your doctor, hospital emergency department, or your local Poison Control Center.
Forms of Imitrex Injection
Imitrex Injection is available as follows:
Imitrex STATdose System, 4 mg, containing 2 prefilled single-dose syringe cartridges, 1 Imitrex STATdose Pen®, 1 carrying case, and a patient information leaflet with instructions for use.
Imitrex STATdose System, 6 mg, containing 2 prefilled single-dose syringe cartridges, 1 Imitrex STATdose Pen, 1 carrying case, and a patient information leaflet with instructions for use.
Imitrex Injection single-dose vial (6 mg/0.5 mL) in cartons containing 5 vials.
Two 4 mg single-dose prefilled syringe cartridges for use with Imitrex STATdose System with a patient information leaflet with instructions for use.
Two 6 mg single-dose prefilled syringe cartridges for use with Imitrex STATdose System with a patient information leaflet with instructions for use.
The active ingredient in Imitrex Injection is sumatriptan succinate.
Other Requirements
Keep your medicine in a safe place where children cannot reach it.
Store your medicine away from heat and light. Keep your medicine in the carrying case that comes with it. Do not store at temperatures above 86°F (30°C). The expiration date of your medicine is printed on the back of the Cartridge Pack. If your medicine has expired, throw it away.
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