... more than 9
Sumatriptan - Why do they limit to 9 doses per month? I have 100mg that I split to 50 and often take
Question posted by Lw1951 on 30 March 2014
Last updated on 15 April 2024 by Debby Kaye
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6 Answers
I’ve had migraines for years. And sumatriptan works for me also. But like others 9 a month is not enough. So I go through good Rx and pay for 9 more out of pocket. I’ve taken these for a while and they work great if I take one as soon as the migraine starts.
I have also had to have it out with the pharmacist. They are not informed on the latest literature. I also use two pharmacies. I get morning headaches. How can I only treat some of them? I have done much reading and have found that Imitrex is safe and it gives me back my life. People who talk about limiting to 4-5 per month have never experienced a bad chronic migraine. I only need 50 mg but Walmart pharmacy says their manufacturer is out so I should split the 100mg pill. It is very difficult to make sure you split the tablet evenly. They should be scored.
I had it out with my pharmacist over getting it filled to often, yes 9 tablets a month, so i use 2 pharmacies and just pay out of pocket for the generic, 20.00 . anyway, this little pharmacist was going off on me saying they need to find out why I'm getting headaches... Blah blah blah... saying that Sumatriptan can cause headaches. and in the drug side effects it does say may cause headaches. But I think this drug is just great. Haven't had a major headache in 7-8 months. which all of you know is just heaven..
i work in a pharmacy, and most times it’s really not up to the pharmacist. sometimes insurance will reject needing more information, requiring the pharmacist to give that information to the insurance before giving the OK to allow more than 9 per month, just saying.
also i take sumatriptan as well, i get 3 headaches a week at LEAST. i just know the back end of insurance and why pharmacists sometimes need additional information from you or your physician.
I asked my doc if there could be rebound headaches and he said it's not possible. My 1st rx was $58 with insurance, the refill was denied by insurance and they charged me $150! Then I found an app called goodrx and was able to get rx's under $15.
I've found it's easier to just do self-pay with Sumatriptan. I tried the whole doctor/appeal process when the insurance company started limiting me to 5 pills per month (not a misprint), but the time, effort and agony just wasn't worth it. So I've just been doing a $32 self-pay for generic Sumatriptan for the last few years.
The same thing happened to me, but I still make insurance pay for them once a month. The rest of the time I will pay.
Because insurance companies have determined that they won't pay for more. Your dr can appeal and ask for more a month if he states you need it.
I have plenty I just think I am getting rebound headaches from taking too often.
It is sooooooo discouraging.
Related topics
Further information
- Sumatriptan uses and safety info
- Sumatriptan prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Sumatriptan (detailed)
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