Imitrex and Chest Pain: What Users Say

• Min...
• July 7, 2017

For Migraine "I preferred Relpax, but my insurance stopped covering it. Imitrex works at least 95% of the time, but maybe 10% of those times, the headache recurs and I have to take another one (which almost never happened with Relpax). My side effects are weird but not debilitating: sense of pressure in head, neck, chest, shoulders, arms; tingling in face; dry burning eyes; skin sensitivity to hot/cold; taste sensitivity to spicy/sour; lack of appetite; sweat; thirst; diuretic. A bit sluggish and sometimes drowsy, but not truly fatigued. Almost never nauseous; never dizzy. A couple of hours later, I often feel mild muscle soreness. The side effects are stronger if I take it on an empty stomach, but it also works faster."

• Mic...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 29, 2023

For Migraine "I've had one experience with Imitrex. I was living in the Midwest near an AFB hospital (in the mid to late 1990s). My mother and I came down with migraines the same evening. By the third night, we both had tried everything that we had been prescribed, and the migraines were just getting worse, but it was the '90s, and migraine medication besides pain meds was in its infancy. I was in the best condition, so I drove the short distance to the base hospital, and within an hour, we both found ourselves participants in a drug trial for Imitrex with the promise that if it didn't work, we'd get 'something stronger.' Soon, we were both having chest pains and heart palpitations, and I couldn't catch my breath. Why? We both have heart valve issues that we didn't know about. We were on heart monitors for hours afterward, but we did get 'something stronger' to cut the pain. I know people who swear by Imitrex, but please take your first dose at a hospital or doctor's office! It has interactions that can be quite serious."

• KKa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2019

For Migraine "I was just recently prescribed Imitrex. It only works for a few hours for me, then the migraine is back and usually worse. Kind of like a rebound. I've only taken four doses. The chest pain it is causing makes me feel like I’ve been kicked in the chest. Not the best for chronic migraine."

• Man...
• September 21, 2011

For Migraine "I have been using Imitrex for over a year now. It works very well for me. I had some trouble with chest pain for a while. My neurologist told me to try 1/4 to 1/2 tablet (25-50 mg). This has worked for me. The headache goes away and all side effects are diminished. I found that the side effects varied depending on the manufacturer. There is something like a 7% variance in dosage (a 100 mg tablet can contain as little as 93 mg or as much as 107 mg of Sumatriptan). Also, some coatings dissolve faster than others, therefore, more severe side effects if the Sumatriptan is absorbed too rapidly."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 6, 2012

For Migraine "Imitrex works for me even if I let it get to the really bad headache--hate to take it because of the tightness in my chest and achy throat afterwards. But they do the job, and I always say later I should have taken it in the beginning."

• Anonymous
• October 29, 2010

For Migraine "While it did make the pain stop, it didn't help the other symptoms I have. It also left a dull aching pressure in my face, made my chest hurt, and my hair felt as though it was being pulled. I found out later it is not supposed to be used by people who've had atypical migraines, which I've had."

• Rag...
• March 17, 2018

For Migraine "I was on both Fioricet and this medication in small injection form for almost 15 years, worked well especially since I get the works upon the start of a migraine. Everything from aura to loss of arm and hand motor function to slurred speech. Almost identical to a stroke that clears up after 24 to 48 hours. Only downside was the tightening of the neck and jaw muscles but other than that it did shorten the migraine length and severity. Now moved 10 years later and was dropped off the Imitrex and ended up in the hospital from a car accident and began a severe migraine and was given an Imitrex inhaler and I ended up with bad chest pains and was told to never try it again."

• KD6...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 13, 2022

For Migraine "Worked the first time, but ever since, sends me into a full-blown panic attack! Worst chest pain!"