A1,
A2,
B,
C1,
C2,
D,
E,
F,
G-H,
I-K,
L,
M,
N,
O,
P1,
P2,
Q-R,
S,
T,
U-V,
W-Z
Imitrex Patient, Information, Instructions - Sumatriptan Succinate (intranasal)
Imitrex Patient, Information, Instructions - Sumatriptan Succinate (intranasal)
PATIENT INFORMATION
PATIENT PACKAGE INSERT
Please read this information carefully before you take
sumatriptan succinate injection, tablets or nasal
spray. This provides a summary of the information available on your
medicine. Please do not throw away this information until you have
finished your medicine. You may need
to read this information again. This PATIENT PACKAGE INSERT does
not contain all of the information on sumatriptan succinate
injection, tablets, or nasal
spray. For further information or advice, ask your doctor
or pharmacist.
Information About Your Medicine
The generic name of
your medication is
sumatriptan succinate. It can be obtained only with a prescription
from your doctor. The decision to use sumatriptan injection, tablets,
or nasal spray is one
that you and your doctor
should make jointly, taking into account your individual preferences
and medical circumstances.
If you have risk factors
for heart disease
(such as high blood pressure,
high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, smoking, strong family history
of heart disease, or you
are postmenopausal
or a male over 40), you
should tell your doctor, who should evaluate you for heart
disease in order to determine
if sumatriptan succinate
is appropriate for
you. Although the vast majority of those who have taken sumatriptan
succinate have not experienced any significant
side effects, some individuals
have experienced serious heart
problems and, rarely, considering the extensiveness of sumatriptan
succinate use worldwide,
deaths have been reported. In
all but a few instances, however, serious problems occurred in people
with known heart disease
and it was not clear whether sumatriptan succinate was a contributory
factor in these deaths.
The Purpose of Your Medicine
Injection: Sumatriptan succinate
injection is intended
to relieve your migraine
or cluster headache,
but not to prevent or reduce the number
of attacks you experience. Use sumatriptan succinate
injection only to treat an actual
migraine or cluster
headache attack.
Tablets: Sumatriptan succinate
tablets are intended to relieve your migraine, but not to prevent
or reduce the number
of attacks you experience. Use sumatriptan succinate
tablets only to treat an actual migraine attack.
Nasal Spray: Sumatriptan nasal
spray is intended to relieve your migraine, but not to prevent or
reduce the number
of attacks you experience. Use sumatriptan nasal
spray only to treat an actual
migraine attack.
Important Questions to Consider Before Taking Sumatriptan
If the answer to any of the following questions is YES or
if you do not know the answer, then please discuss with your doctor
before you use sumatriptan succinate
injection, tablets, or nasal
spray.
- Are you pregnant? Do you think you might be pregnant? Are you
trying to become pregnant? Are you using inadequate contraception?
Are you breast-feeding?
- Do you have any chest
pain, heart disease,
shortness of breath, or irregular heartbeats? Have you had a heart
attack?
- Do you have risk factors
for heart disease
(such as high blood
pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, smoking, strong
family history of heart disease, or you are postmenopausal
or a male over 40)?
- Have you had a stroke, transient
ischemic attacks (TIAs) or Raynaud syndrome?
- Do you have high blood
pressure?
- Have you ever had to stop taking this or any other medication
because of an allergy or any other problems?
- Are you taking any other medications, including other 5-HT1
agonists or any other migraine
medications containing ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, or methysergide.
- Are you taking any medication
for depression
(monoamine oxidase
inhibitors or selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors [SSRIs])?
- Have you had, or do you have, any disease
of the liver or kidney?
- Have you had, or do you have, epilepsy or seizures?
- Is this headache
different from your usual migraine
attacks?
- Remember, if you answered YES to any of the above questions,
then discuss it with your doctor.
The Use of Sumatriptan Succinate During Pregnancy
Do not use sumatriptan succinate
injection, tablets, or nasal
spray if you are pregnant, think you might be pregnant, are trying
to become pregnant, or are not using adequate contraception, unless
you have discussed this with your doctor.
How to Use Sumatriptan Succinate?
Injection: Before injecting sumatriptan succinate,
check with your doctor
on acceptable injection
sites and see the instructions (on or inside the carton) on discarding
empty syringes and loading
an autoinjector device.
Never reuse a syringe.
For adults, the usual dose
is a single injection
given just below the skin. It should be given as soon as the symptoms
of your migraine appear,
but may be given at any time
during an attack. A second injection
may be given if your symptoms of migraine
come back. If your symptoms do not improve following the first injection,
do not give a second injection
for the same attack without first consulting with your doctor. Do
not have more than two injections in any 24 hours and allow at least
1 hour between each dose.
Tablets: For adults, the usual dose
is a single tablet taken whole with fluids. A second tablet
may be taken if your symptoms of migraine
come back or if you have
a partial response
to the initial dose, but not sooner than 2 hours following the first
tablet. For a given attack, if you have no response
to the first tablet, do not take
a second tablet without first consulting with your doctor. Do not
take more than a total
of 200 mg of sumatriptan
succinate tablets
in any 24-hour period. The safety of treating an average
of more than four headaches in a 30-day
period has not been established.
Nasal Spray: Before using sumatriptan nasal
spray, see the enclosed instruction
pamphlet. For adults, the usual dose
is a single nasal spray administered into one nostril. If your headache
comes back, a second nasal
spray may be administered anytime after 2 hours of administering
the first spray. For any attack
where you have no response
to the first nasal spray, do not take
a second nasal spray without
first consulting with your doctor. Do not administer more than a
total of 40 mg of sumatriptan
nasal spray in any 24-hour period. The effects of long-term repeated
use of sumatriptan nasal
spray on the surfaces of the nose
and throat have not been
specifically studied. The safety of treating an average
of more than four headaches in a 30-day period
has not been established.
Side Effects to Watch For
Some patients experience
pain or tightness in the
chest or throat
when using sumatriptan succinate
injection, tablets, or nasal
spray. If this happens to you, then discuss it with your doctor
before using any more sumatriptan succinate. If the chest
pain is severe or does
not go away, call your doctor
immediately.
If you have sudden and/or severe abdominal
pain following sumatriptan
succinate, call your doctor
immediately.
Shortness of breath; wheeziness; heart
throbbing; swelling
of eyelids, face, or lips; or a skin
rash, skin lumps, or hives
happen rarely. If it happens to you, then tell your doctor
immediately. Do not take
any more sumatriptan succinate
injection, tablets, or nasal
spray unless your doctor tells you to do so.
Some people may have feelings of tingling, heat, flushing (redness
of face lasting a short time), heaviness or pressure
after treatment with
sumatriptan succinate
injection, tablets, or nasal
spray. A few people may feel drowsy, dizzy, tired or sick, (or experience
nasal irritation with
the nasal spray only).
Tell your doctor of these
symptoms at your next visit.
If you should feel unwell in any other way or have symptoms that
you do not understand, you should contact
your doctor immediately.
NOTE for Injection: You may experience
pain or redness at site
of injection, but this usually lasts less than an hour.
What to do if an Overdose is Taken
If you have taken more medication
than you have been told, contact
either your doctor, hospital
emergency department, or nearest poison
control center immediately.
Storing Your Medicine
Keep your medicine
in a safe place where children cannot reach it. It may be harmful
to children. Store your medication
from heat and light. Tablets
and Nasal Spray: Do not store at temperatures above 30°C
(86°F) or below 2°C (36°F).
If your medication
has expired (the expiration
date is printed on the treatment pack), throw it away as instructed.
If your doctor decides
to stop treatment, do not keep any leftover medicine unless your
doctor tells you to.
Throw away your medicine
as instructed.
For Injection: Do not throw away your autoinjector. Keep
your medication in the
case provided and do not store
at temperatures above 30°C (86°F).
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