Imitrex and Nausea: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 15, 2019

For Migraine "Okay, so I’ve been suffering from horrible migraines daily, so bad that I’m stuck in bed in horrible pain. I’m nauseous and depressed, and I have no appetite. After being prescribed the Imitrex, I took it as soon as I felt the migraine come on. About 30 minutes in, I started to feel my neck and throat feeling tight and my whole head have this burning sensation. I started to panic a little. Then an hour passed, and I’m full-blown in pain all over my body. I’m talking aching so bad it felt like I had the worst flu in history... but my migraine was gone. Yes, it took care of my migraine, but were the body aches that lasted almost the whole day worth it? I don’t think so."

• hou...
• September 22, 2014

For Migraine "My husband has always had what's called prostrating attacks, which is a form of a migraine that leaves him in so much pain he can't function at all! The only medication that has ever worked on him is the Imitrex. This stuff is awesome! The only thing that is irritating is every time I get his prescription filled, the pharmacist tries to give him the Sumatriptan (the generic version), which makes him so sick he will throw up nonstop for hours. So I always have to tell them he needs the name brand, and I have gotten into many arguments with pharmacists trying to tell me it's the same thing. IT'S NOT!!!! When my husband takes Imitrex, his migraine is gone within minutes, he takes a Sumatriptan, and I feel like I need to take him to a hospital."

• Joh...
• July 2, 2014

For Cluster Headaches "Imitrex in any form is the best med for cluster headaches by far. High-flow oxygen at first twinge, and the pill at the onset (even if you think it might hurt) is most effective. You all know how fast they come on. It usually works immediately unless late in a cycle. I too wish you could take more than twice in a 24-hour period. After suffering for almost 20 years with no medicine at all for these crippling things. I have tried all Imitrex types: injections, pills, nasal sprays. Injections are fast but so very expensive and painful as well. Nasal spray is nauseating for me, the pill form has always worked well if taken at the very blink of a headache. Because of price and insurance restrictions, I would wait to take the medicine. Not anymore."

• TAa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 3, 2019

For Migraine "Worst experience of my life! Started feeling jaw pain, shoulder pain, nausea, heart racing, and the worst was a tingly/numbing sensation in my arms and legs. I felt like I was going to die. Did not help my migraine at all. This should be taken off the market."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 8, 2018

For Migraine "I only use this when I am incapacitated from migraine pain (I get it behind my left eye and can’t open it, have a hard time walking/talking, and end up vomiting). It relieves the physical pain, and I am able to see, walk, and talk, but I am still pretty much down for the count. It says you can take it every 2 hours, but MAN, 1 dose and I feel it for the rest of the day. I get very drowsy, my eyes get droopy, and it feels like I’m walking underwater...or through thick honey. Everything feels so heavy. My speech is slower. I get waves of nausea. Once I take it, I’m home for the day—no way would I feel comfortable driving. The side effects can be tough for sure, but I will take them over the bad migraine pain any day. I am always thankful I took it, even if I have to be confined to the couch for 4-6 hours."

• Bee...
• September 16, 2017

For Migraine "I am perimenopausal, age 53, and for the last several years, suffered from debilitating migraines. I wasted days because I was too sick from these headaches. Forget Excedrin for migraines or any other OTC drugs, no relief whatsoever. This past weekend, I had a migraine that pretty much knocked me out - the pain was horrific, nausea, vomiting, and I cried like a baby. Finally, I went to the emergency room, and they gave me Imitrex. Within 30 minutes, the headache was gone. I was very sleepy, but I don't know if that's a side effect or just from not sleeping the prior 3 days."

• ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 4, 2014

For Migraine "Imitrex did not work for me. I have not reached the vomiting stage of a migraine in years thanks to other medications. Imitrex did nothing to stop the progression of my migraine. I had to leave work in the middle of the afternoon, feeling as if I would vomit at my desk, in the hallway, in the elevator, walking to the parking garage, the entire way. Aleve works better than this stuff, and Aleve only keeps nausea at bay, but does not cure migraines for me."

• Jen...
• October 18, 2019

For Migraine "I almost always get migraines around my period or times of extreme stress. I was getting a migraine that began as nausea, hot flashes, dizziness, and weakness the entire day. That night the pain started, so I took 25 mg Imitrex. In 90 minutes, the pain was gone. I felt some pressure where the pain had been and couldn’t lay on that side. A week later, I feel another migraine come on, and I wasn’t sure it was a migraine until the nausea came. I took Imitrex again, and the pain went away after 2 hours, but then I got super drowsy and fell asleep and woke up an hour later shaky and anxious. I had not had a good night's sleep the day before, so those symptoms may be attributed to lack of sleep, but they went away after a few hours. I did try Imitrex in the middle of a migraine with nausea, blurry vision, severe pain, and it didn’t help. I was discouraged and did not take a second dose that time. I suggest taking Imitrex as soon as you feel pain."

• Sle...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 29, 2016

For Migraine "I was diagnosed with severe, painful, and silent migraines a few months ago, but the neurologist said I've most likely suffered from silent migraines my entire life (I'm 17, by the way). Recently, they have started getting painful. Imitrex was the first medication I was put on. I was excited to start feeling better, but Imitrex made me feel awful. I suffer from extreme nausea before, during, and after a migraine, and it's completely life-ruining. I've tried Imitrex many times in hopes of it finally working. Every time I'd take it, I'd get a horrible burning in my throat, and my migraine would worsen. It didn't help nausea, aura, pain, or any other migraine symptoms I suffer from. I've recently been put on another medication that'll hopefully work."

• Ele...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 1, 2018

For Migraine "This drug will get rid of my migraine about 70% of the time, but I only use it when nothing else works because the side effects are almost as bad as the migraine itself. It makes my skin feel prickly and tight, and my throat feels tight and like I can't swallow. It gives me such intense nausea that I often don't speak when I take it because I feel like if I open my mouth, I'll throw up. From trial and error, the nausea seems to abate if I take it with food, but if I forget to take it with food I have to force myself to eat through the nausea. My brain also feels really foggy, and basic actions are difficult when I take it. I'm glad there are people who don't react like this, but I am definitely asking to be switched to a different medication."

• Van...
• September 18, 2015

For Migraine "I have tried this medication in the past, and it did not work for me, but now, after revisiting the drug with years of migraines with no relief, I have found that it works well for me now. I tend to have extreme nausea and vomiting with my severe headaches, so I also use the nasal spray form (depending on how nauseated I am). They both work well if taken early in the migraine. I did, however, have a severe reaction the first 2-3 times taking it (nausea, vomiting, abdominal upset), but I forced myself to take it again. Now my experience is 'head tightening,' which I see can be common with this drug, and after about 15 minutes of this, I feel a 'loosening' and finally relief. I have not experienced any other symptoms with the tablet form."

• She...
• March 19, 2012

For Migraine "I have suffered from migraines for 32 years, the older I am, the worse they become. I have both the Imitrex pills and the shots. When I am nauseated, I must use the shot. Approximately 1 minute after injection, the intense burning in my head and the amplified headache are the worst side effects, however, NOTHING compared to the migraine. Usually, the migraine is gone in 15 to 30 minutes, and I sleep it off. There is also the 12 to 24-hour Imitrex hangover from the shot. Muscles feel as though they are made of jelly, an overall wiped-out feeling. The pill does not have the burning effect for me, and it takes the full 30 minutes to combat the migraine. Imitrex is the only medicine that has worked for me consistently over the years. I become immune to all other medicines."

• Mig...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 22, 2018

For Migraine "I took this today when I felt a migraine coming on the left side (eye pain, watery eyes, runny nose, nausea), and within 20 mins the migraine was completely gone. I burped a bit and felt kinda loopy for like 5-10 min then. Bam, gone as if it never happened. Can’t believe I went so long without Imitrex. Missed so much work and fun times due to migraines before."

• Lau...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 13, 2017

For Migraine "Started having debilitating (not able to take my head from under the pillow and nausea/vomiting) migraines after having my daughter. I get about 4-6 a month, most of them are menstrual migraines, but I was lucky to find Imitrex soon after I started having migraines. I used to take injectable or nasal spray, but have been on 10 mg tabs for a few years now. Nothing else but Imitrex works, and it works for me every time. I am not a fan of the side effects at all, which are muscle tension, mostly in the jaw and neck, as well as feeling drained for several hours after. I will take it over the horrible migraines any day though."

• smt...
• January 12, 2016

For Migraine "I'm only 16, and I was prescribed it at 15 and told only to take it when my migraines were unbearable. Every time I have taken it, I usually get a really sick feeling, such as hot flashes, weakness, nausea, and dizziness. There's always a feeling that my brain is being frozen over from where the migraine mostly is. But I always take it and go straight to sleep, except for last night. I stayed up, and I was seeing and hearing things that weren't there. I couldn't do simple tasks, I forgot where my room was after my boyfriend told me to drink some water. I cried over everything, I was scared of everything. Staying awake for me was horrifying."

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 24, 2016

For Migraine "I only take the lowest dose of this drug, though I'm sure it's time to upgrade to the higher dose. But even with the lower dose, I am totally relieved, all the aching head stuff, all the swimming nausea, gone, it's like total relief! Now, this took some time, didn't work the first few times, but then when I put faith in it and finally it did, boy, did it!"

• Anonymous
• November 8, 2011

For Migraine "Imitrex took away my migraine, but I could not function on it. I had to lay down completely still and go to sleep because it made me so nauseous I felt like vomiting every time I moved. I was extremely dizzy, and it made my skin painful to the touch. Even after the migraine went away, I still felt out of it the rest of the day. I would definitely ask for samples before paying for the prescription!"

• Cri...
• January 5, 2010

For Migraine "Imitrex makes me more nauseous than I am with just the headache. My neck and shoulders get very stiff, and it takes more than an hour to feel any relief. As others have said, however, if I am able to take this medicine and lie down, it does wonders. Life just isn't that practical, though, so I can't use it anymore."

• Anonymous
• March 29, 2010

For Migraine "I had a terrible migraine on Friday and went to the doctor's office. They gave me a dose of Imitrex, and within 15 minutes, my headache was gone. It did make me feel nauseated, and my cheeks were tingling, but it was 100 times better than the headache."

• Anonymous
• October 16, 2012

For Migraine "At first, I suffered through them. This included splitting head pain, nausea, and vomiting. I started using Excedrin after a while, which helped if I took it right away. Then that started to not work so well anymore. I had one really bad one that lasted hours. I was still throwing up at 9 pm, and I was now throwing up blood. I went to the ER, and when I finally got in, they put me on an IV to hydrate me. They then added Imitrex to the bag, and I soon started feeling side effects. My head felt like I was going to pass out. My breathing became labored, and it felt like someone was sitting on my chest. They said that meant it was working. After about two minutes, everything was gone. I got pills to take at home, and they worked okay. Not as fast."

• Mac...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 11, 2017

For Migraine "I have had great success with treating my migraines with this medication. Within 5 minutes of the injection or 10 to 20 minutes with the pill, I can feel my headache's tension, and the aura and nausea symptoms subside. For those who take pain meds or have a severe bleeding disorder caused by a defective gene in the liver, ask your doctor if this could be what's happening in your bloodstream and central nervous system from pain pills. This is not intended to treat or be a diagnosis or cure for anyone's disease, it's only intended to ask your doctor about to see if it could reduce your headache problems. This comes from a patient who is 37 years old with a severe blood clotting disorder and suffers from pain and narcotic painkiller-induced rebound headaches."

• Anonymous
• December 14, 2009

For Migraine "I have used Imitrex by autoinjection since it first came out. After years of migraine taking my day away, this tiny injection allows me to take it back. Unlike the other medicines, I take this at first onset, and 30-35 minutes later, continue my day on schedule. No nap, no regrets, no nausea. After the initial prescription, I met with the manufacturer's rep who helped with dosing. I was pioneering any new products when this came out. Wegmans pharmacist, my MD, and the drug rep were great help. Now, 2 shots, 1 in each leg right away. I'm 220 lbs."

• Anonymous
• March 3, 2011

For Migraine "I've never felt so sick in my life. My blood pressure shot up to the upper 100s, and I felt like I was going to pass out."

• MW7...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 29, 2022

For Migraine "Not a drug for everyone. It made me feel hung over and sick to my stomach, and my headache came right back, not long-lasting."

• cry...
• October 16, 2009

For Migraine "Imitrex helped with my migraines but made me nauseous."