Migraine

Just curious if anyone knows? I'm pretty new at the treatment of migraines, not actually having migraines.

My first question is that I keep checking to see when my mail order medications will be here and I now see that online my one medication has changed. My doctor prescribed Axert for me as my Sniper medication as he puts it. I'm already on Topamax, but he says if any slip by I can take the Axert if need be. It's worked for me and I've only had to take 2 or 3 of the axerts.

Ok, so I check online and the online place now says I'm getting Relpax. And in the other column it says Doctor Call In.

I don't know anything about Relpax. Yes, I'm going to research but it's hard to research topamax with relpax together. Just wondering if anyone does both.

I've already had issues with this doctor and not sure if I totally trust him and have been on the trial samples of the topamax and just got the mail order of the the topamax today and it's the 100mg tabs. It says take 1 100mg tab a day. I thought it had a half life and that's why I was taking 50 mg 2 times a day? Not sure this guy knows what he is doing.

Frustrated.
--------------------------------
Update:

I don't know. I don't think me doing 3 months of the 100 mgs once a day was a good idea. (not my idea). I'm not doing as well on it as I was 50 mg twice a day. Now I feel like it's $70 down the drain if I want to call and see if he'll switch it back.
We just don't have an extra $70 at this point lying around.

And the relpax pretty much does nothing for me. (another $40 down the drain) The axert was a miracle for me but this relpax is useless. So I pretty much feel like I have to wait until the end of July until my meds run out and my next appt to get him to switch everything back and ditch this stupid mail order pharmacy.

I love this game.

Hi there,

It seems like you're lacking some good, clear communication with your doctor. I can tell you, though, that I just started on Topamax almost a month ago. I started, though, taking 25 mg for a week, then upping it to 50 mg, which is the dose I'm currently on. My understanding is that it's something you want to start on very gradually, so as to minimize the side effects. I use that as a preventative, but I also take Relpax as my main rescue drug in case I still get a migraine. Relpax has been the best triptan so far for me, with the fewest side effects, so as far as using the both of them together, there's not a problem that I'm aware of, but I think you definitely need to clear some things up with your doctor. Good luck!

Note from moderator: read below for further information: Relpax is not a resue drug, it is an abortive drug.

quote:

It seems like you're lacking some good, clear communication with your doctor.

Wow, you can tell this from one post, and yet my doctor's office can't figure this out from a week's worth of phone messages!!! Hhmm. The answer is yes.
Good to know. I'm losing trust in him, but good to know he's not a complete idiot!
thank you! I'm so frustrated with him that I don't want to take anything for granted, ya know?
Yes, I've been on the sample topamaxes for more than a month and just got the mail order topamax in today but it's the 100mg tabs. I was taking 50 mg twice a day. Now I guess I'll be taking 100 mg once a day for the next 90 days since I can't return mail order meds and I just spend $70 on it! lol!

thanks, I'm just frustrated with that whole situation overall. I'll chill it out soon! thanks! Good to know relpax works.

I just upped my dosage of topamax to 100 mg a day- I had been taking Relpax as an abortive medication before I started on the topamax, and it seems to work the best for me. You might want to ask your doctor about splitting the dosage just to clear things up communication wise-he might have a reason for you taking the topamax just once a day that you aren't aware of.
Hope the relpax works for you!
Valerie

Hi, Smiley. Sounds like you need this quiz:

Is Your Doctor Right for You?

And if he doesn't pass, you may already have heard our standard instruction: Fire his sorry butt!

Axert and Relpax are both triptans. They are abortive meds, not rescue meds. See this article:

Preventive, Abortive, and Rescue Medications - What's the Difference?

And here's some info about Relpax, to make your research easier:


RELPAX Oral

Good luck and take care.

Thank you!

You are right to be concerned.

For the most part, Topamax is taken in split doses. See this article: Dosage and Tapering Topamax for Migraine Prevention

Also, as Nut pointed out, Relpax is an abortive (triptan) NOT a rescue medication.

I would call this doctor before you start taking the new 100mgs topamax just to be sure that
1. you were sent the right thing
2. that your doctor ordered the right mgs.
3. that he didn't mean for you to split the dose
4. or up the dose.

Just to be on the safe side.

When you call your physician, ask if he was contacted by the mail order pharmacy to make these changes so the medications would be in accordance with their "preferred medication" category. If so, I would then have a few questions to ask my physician, because in the triptan this is considered a "therapeutic" substitution and you are NOT required by law to accept it! In the other instance, I don't know exactly why they would switch a medication that is normally recommended for twice a day usage to once a day. I believe you would NOT be required by law to accept this substitution either. At that point I personally would be calling my mail order pharmacy to ask some serious questions!

In my opinion, and I have extensive experience in this matter, this is one of the major flaws in the prescription-by-mail requirement by many insurances. Just because you cannot receive your prescription at your local pharmacy should not mean the pharmacy has the right to give you a medication that is not what you were prescribed.

Tracie