Migraine is a common neurological disorder that can affect individuals of all age groups. It can be a very annoying disorder and can interfere with the normal run of life. The market is brimming with various non-prescription and prescription medications to help provide relief from the symptoms of migraine such as severe headache, nausea and vomiting. One of the most commonly available drugs for migraine treatment is Imitrex, a prescribed triptan-type anti migraine medicine which has been formulated to provide relief from the pain caused by a migraine.

How the drug works:

The exact cause of migraine is still unknown, but a number of researchers believe that migraine is caused when the functioning of serotonin receptors and the level of serotonin in the body starts to wear off. When this kind of a failure happens, the blood vessels in the brain become dilated and cause headache.

Sumatriptan, a major component of Imitrex helps in providing relief from migraine headache by impacting certain serotonin receptors in the brain that lead to the constriction of the blood vessels. Imitrex is often called a vasoconstrictor because of its quality of narrowing the blood vessels.

Imitrex has proved useful in treating the symptoms of a migraine like pulsating pain, nausea and hypersensitivity to sound and light. It should be noted that imitrex is most effective if taken immediately after the first signs of a migraine are experienced.

Advantages and side effects of Imitrex:

Some of the biggest advantages of taking imitrex pills for treating migraine are that it doesn’t cause drowsiness and it is not addictive in nature. However, there are a number of side effects related to the intake of this drug. Some of them include fatigue, upset bowel movements, flushing, weakness, and stiffness. Hallucinations, convulsions, severe allergic reactions and chest pain are some of the extreme side effects experienced by some patients.

An important thing to remember is that the use of imitrex is restricted. The reason for this is that imitrex is an expensive drug and the patient tends to start taking this drug very frequently.

It needs to be remembered that not every type of headache is a migraine and popping imitrex each time a slight headache occurs can be very harmful and can cause various side effects.