GP and surgeon, Dr Shane Charles (MBBS, MRCS, PgDip SEM) provides a simple explanation of the medication below:

'Imigran is a medication used for the management of migraine headaches that works by reducing levels of pain signals released from the brain. '.

If you think Imigran is a treatment that can help you, start an online consultation now for a registered prescriber to review. If treatment is deemed suitable, they can prescribe it, and we can deliver it to you from the comfort of your own home with a range of convenient delivery and payment options for you to choose from. If you have any questions about a medication, you should always consult your doctor with any questions prior to starting treatment, to ensure that it is safe and suitable for you.

Imigran tablets are used to provide relief for acute migraine attacks, with or without aura. It should only be used when there is a clear diagnosis of migraine.

Imigran should be taken as early as possible after the onset of a migraine attack but is equally effective at whatever stage of the attack it is administered.

Imigran tablets contain the active ingredient sumatriptan, a medicine that is classified as a serotonin agonist. It is a painkiller that is specifically used to relieve migraine attacks.

For more information on the prescription medication patients should refer to the Imigran patient information leaflet.

The cause of migraine attacks is not fully understood. It is believed to involve changes in the levels of chemicals in the brain. The throbbing pain of migraine headaches is the result of the widening or swelling of the blood vessels in the brain.

Sumatriptan, the active ingredient of Imigran, acts on serotonin receptors that are found on the blood vessels in the brain, causing them to narrow. It also inhibits the action of the trigeminal nerve to relieve the headache and other symptoms that you may get with the migraine, such as feeling sick or sensitivity to sound or light.

Imigran starts working within about half an hour of taking the tablet.

Imigran Migraine

The benefits of taking Imigran tablets include relief from the throbbing pain of migraine headache. The tablets also provide relief from feeling sick or sensitivity to light or sound.

Imigran Tablets

Adults aged 18 years and over should take one Imigran tablet as soon as possible after the start of a migraine headache, though this medicine will also be effective when taken at a later stage during the migraine attack. The tablet should be swallowed whole with a drink. It may be taken with or without food.

If the first dose of the medicine does not provide relief from your migraine, do not take another dose for the same attack. Taking another tablet has been proven to be not effective. Instead, see your doctor as the diagnosis may be wrong or for him to give you another kind of migraine medication.

If the first dose relieves your migraine but it comes back later, you can take another dose of the medicine as long as you do not take it within two hours of your first dose.

Do not exceed the recommended dose of Imigran. Do not take more than two doses of Imigran in any 24 hour period, or to treat the same attack.

Consult your doctor if your migraine headache does not go away, or if you have frequent or daily migraine headaches, or you have migraines too often or for too long, which can actually make the headaches worse.

Imigran should not be used to prevent migraines. It does not work for that purpose.

You may experience feelings of warmth, heaviness, pressure, or pain or tightness in certain parts of your body, including the throat or chest within 30 minutes of taking the medication. If the pain or heaviness continues for more than two hours or are severe, you should immediately see your doctor. Do not take any more tables when your doctor decides for you to stop taking them.

Imigran may cause drowsiness. If you are affected, do not drive a vehicle or operate machinery.

Take one tablet of Imigran the moment your migraine attack starts, or any time during the migraine attack. If the dose provides initial relief, but the migraine comes back, you may take a second dose provided it is after two hours after the first dose.

You are allowed only two doses of Imigran within a 24-hour period.

Imigran Side Effects

Medicines and their possible side effects affect individual users differently. Not everyone who uses Imigran will experience the possible side effects.

The following are the common side effects of Imigran:

• Flushing
• Sensation of tightness, pressure, heaviness, tingling, numbness, pain, heat, or cold in any part of the body, including the throat and chest. See your doctor if the sensation lasts for more than two hours or has become severe.
• Temporary increase in blood pressure
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath
• Drowsiness
• Feeling weak or tired
• Nausea and vomiting

The following are the rare side effects of Imigran:

• Seizures
• Tremor
• Stiff neck
• Faster, slower, or irregular heartbeat
• Palpitations
• Chest pain or heart attack
• Narrowing of the blood vessels in the hands
• Alteration in results of liver function tests
• Low blood pressure
• Reduced blood flow to the bowel, resulting in pain or inflammation

Consult your doctor if you experience any other side effects which you believe to be associated with your use of Imigran.

Imigran should not be used by individuals with certain medical conditions. Check first with your doctor if it is safe for you to take this medication.

It should not be used by children and adolescents under the age of 18 and by adults over the age of 65.

It should not be used by individuals who are allergic to medicines from the sulphonamide group.

This medicine should not be used by people with the following types of migraine:

• Ophtalmoplegic migraine
• Hemiplegic migraine
• Basilar migraine

Pregnant women can only take Imigran if it is prescribed by their doctor. The safety of sumatriptan during pregnancy has not been established and should only be used by pregnant women when the potential benefits outweigh the potential risks to the baby.

Sumatriptan passes into breast milk. It should be used with caution by breastfeeding mother.

Share with your doctor a list of all the medications you are currently taking or have recently taken, including those without prescription and herbal products before you take Imigran tablets. Similarly, check first with your doctor before you start taking any other medicines to make sure that the combination will be safe.

You can safely buy Imigran online at UK Meds. You will first need to have an online consultation with a pharmacist independent prescriber before your order will be supplied. The online consultation ensures that Imigran is the right medication for your medical condition.

More Information

• Different types of migraine