Migraine

Good Day, is anyone else using Staydal as a emergency med for your migraines? I am asking because I dont see many people using it any more and its difficult to find. I have been using it for the last 8 years as a emergency med but I am thinking it might be time to try something else. I still works most of the time but I think and My doctor thinks I might be addicted to it even though I can go 3 weeks with out it. I dont think any of the other narcotics will be any better for the addiction thing. The only other narcotic I have taken was Oxycodine. And it worked wonderfully for me but I could not function after I took it for some time.

My Doctor has limited me my Staydal as 1 refill every 3 months. The bad thing is I usually run out of it with in a month. I am currently out and suffered a very bad migraine this last weekend and had no meds to help me get over it. I also have no health insurance but am looking to see if I can find Percription aid.

I know my Doctor is really wanting to help me but my lack of insurance is restricting him on what he can do for me.

Thanks Kim

I'm afraid I don't know anything about Staydal. But I want to say welcome to the forum!

Hi Kim-welcome to our forum family

I sometimes get stadol when I go to the ER, that or toradol along with compozine (sp) and benadryl but I have never had it as my rescue med.

Have you checked out this yet? Preventative, Abortive and Rescue Medications: http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/medications-29469-5.html

Maybe you and your doc (is he/she a neuro?) can find something that will either be covered by insurance and/or help too.

Happy New Year!

Stadol NS was my failsafe for a number of months because it would always work.

My current migraine spec said it was going to be discontinued when I asked him about it in August. He said he did not know why.

Thanks for all the comments. As for Staydol being discontinued are you receiving the name brand or the off brand? I know that it is near to impossible to locate the name brand but I have found several places that sell the off brand. The very best place to buy is Costco if you have a card. It is actually half price there. I pay 30 bucks for it vs 65 bucks at a normal pharmacy. My Costco card has saved me tons of money over the last two years just on perscrips and for being a long time member they have given me an extra $5.00 off every perscription now. That helps for those of us that does not have insurance. In Fact Imitrex is around $120 at Costco vs $170 everywhere else.
Next time you go to your pharmacy ask about the off brand {it has a VERY long name that I can never remember}. I beleive I have read on the web lately that the name brand will be discontinued due to an "Issue" with how they sold the med when it first came out. Apparently they were advertising it as a Non Addictive Narcotic and the doctors where percribing it right a left. Then they found out it was very addictive. The Web site said that several companies will continue to sell the off brand. But I assume it will also be hard to find.I have only used the off brand.
Do watch out as stated above like ALL narcotics it is addictive. And can cause rebound headaches.And I have noticed that over the last few years it does not help me as good as it did when I first stared it. And heres an extra tip that my DR told me, Mix it with Sailen Solution {sorry folks my spelling has always been bad!}Anyway the solution will make the meds go farther with out diluting he dose too much.
Thanks Kim

OK, Stadol is an opiod - related to heroin, morphine, etc. It can be HIGHLY addictive.

It is not really a good rescue med because of its high abuse potential. I know this from first-hand experience.

The generic is more readily available. It's fairly easy to "cut" it with contact-lens saline. Just add enough saline to a new bottle to bring the volume up to the neck. That gives you about a 50-50 solution. This is what my PCP told me to do.

You can "titer", or adjust, your dosing much better this way. I found that one puff of this diluted Stadol gave me enough relief to let my actual migraine meds work.

Hi Kim,

Welcome to MyMigraineConnection.

Stadol is a schedule IV narcotic pain reliever similar to morphine, can be highly habit forming, addictive and sometimes used as a rescue medication. There are now other alternatives used for Migraine rescue because people can become so addicted to it.

I'd be glad to give you some ideas, but I need a little more information to help give you suggestions to discuss with your doctor, ok?

How many days a week do you take Stadol? More than 2-3 will put you in Medication Overuse Headache, MOH. How many doses are in your prescription? Is it for 3 months worth, or just 1 month?

If you need to take rescue medications more than 2-3 times during the week, it is time to look for a preventive medication. There are many to choose from, click HERE for that information.

Working without insurance can be a problem, I've been there. Walmart has a reduced, $4 drug plan with many medications available. There is also this site Partnership for Prescription Assistancefor people without insurance you may want to check out.

I hope I helped. Let us know how you make out.

I used Stadol for a time. I came close to addiction, and I rebounded after a single dose. I won't use it again. Because of the way it works, it was first thought that it wouldn't be addictive. It looked that way during trial. But they learned later that it can be very addicting.

Are you taking the recommended amount and still running out after a month?

There are dozens of other things to try. I haven't heard about the brand-name being discontinued, but that sometimes happens after generics become available.

Gretchen in Mississippi

Thanks again for all the usful info. I take the generic brand and it comes in a 2ml bottle. My doctor stated to take one puff if that did not work in a hour take one more and do not exceed 4 a day. This is what I have been doing. For the last few years it has worked but recently not so well. I get migraines at least once a week they last a day to 3 days so when I receive one of the bad ones the Stadol dissapears pretty quick, I know in my mind at the time of the migraine that after a few doses it probally is not going to work I should stop, but the pain is SO intense that I keep taking it Hoping to God that it will stop the pain. I am not going to fool myself and say that I dont have some sort of addiction to it as I have been on it for 8 years and with in the last year it has been the only med I can afford so it was the only one I was I taken for the pain.

I have taken Topomax before as a preventive med but I dont like it much and really dont want to go back to it. Most of the Triptins do not work well for me.I am also currenly taking a antidepressent that.

I think after reading all your comments I will talk to my Doctor about Stopping the Stadol and trying something else as a rescue med.

Currently I am working with Pfizer for some free meds and I have already put in an appliction with the precription assist program so I am hoping that this will open up more options for me.
My Doctor is an MD and I know he really wants to help me but my lack of insurance is not helping. I Dont think he has much knowledge when it comes to people with our Disease. But he is trying.
Thanks again, Kim

Has your dr tried you on Ideral a blood pressure medication? The generic propranolol is fairly cheap. I do not have high blood pressure but Dr said it helps some people and is safe enough that they even give it to children. I take it as a preventative 2 times a day. I started with a small dose and now am about midway on the dosing. It has cutmy migraines in half. Which unfortunatly means I still have 15 a month, I was having them everyday for almost a year.
In the past I also took Topomax for 2 years. I prefer the blood pressure med to topomax.
Also I just happened to find out that 20 demeral shots cost about $10.00. However It is also addictive. And finding a Dr to give it to you or if it even works for you is another matter. They also make demerol pills that are cheap but I do not know if they work as well. The Toradol is another non narcodic option you should be able to get at home. Hope this helps. I know what you mean about the pain being so bad you cannot stand it. I have on several occasions hurt so bad I preferred death to the pain. I started writing on this web site about a year ago. The people here have really helped me alot. They even inspired Fredrick. Terri gave him a face! Please keep writing and reading eventually you will get something that works well for you. The knowlege put into this web site is just Fabulous!!

quote:

Originally posted by Reven:
Thanks again for all the usful info. I take the generic brand and it comes in a 2ml bottle. My doctor stated to take one puff if that did not work in a hour take one more and do not exceed 4 a day. This is what I have been doing. For the last few years it has worked but recently not so well. I get migraines at least once a week they last a day to 3 days so when I receive one of the bad ones the Stadol dissapears pretty quick, I know in my mind at the time of the migraine that after a few doses it probally is not going to work I should stop, but the pain is SO intense that I keep taking it Hoping to God that it will stop the pain. I am not going to fool myself and say that I dont have some sort of addiction to it as I have been on it for 8 years and with in the last year it has been the only med I can afford so it was the only one I was I taken for the pain.

I have taken Topomax before as a preventive med but I dont like it much and really dont want to go back to it. Most of the Triptins do not work well for me.I am also currenly taking a antidepressent that.

I think after reading all your comments I will talk to my Doctor about Stopping the Stadol and trying something else as a rescue med.

Currently I am working with Pfizer for some free meds and I have already put in an appliction with the precription assist program so I am hoping that this will open up more options for me.
My Doctor is an MD and I know he really wants to help me but my lack of insurance is not helping. I Dont think he has much knowledge when it comes to people with our Disease. But he is trying.
Thanks again, Kim

Which antidepressant are you taking? Some antidepressants can be excellent preventives. Teri takes Effexor both for mood and for migraine prevention. I've been taking Wellbutrin for 6 or 7 years and added Effexor a year or two after that. The Wellbutrin was neutral on my head, but things improved after I started the Effexor at 75mg and got much, much better when I went up to 150mg. I backslid after we fiddled with some of my other drugs.

I saw a specialist in Nashville -- Dr. Jan Lewis Brandes -- and she prescribed Cymbalta. My psychiatrist has approved the Cymbalta, provided I go off the Effexor. Both drugs work on the same brain chemicals, seratonin and norepinepherine (sp?). I tapered down over a couple of weeks and stopped taking the Effexor altogether this morning. I'll start the Cymbalta Sunday.

Pamelor was my first preventive, before I knew about my depression. It worked well, but I stopped taking it after I gained 15 pounds.

Gretchen in Mississippi

Thanks Kim for getting back to us.

I'm glad to hear you are working on getting prescriptions, that is good news. Your doctor sounds like he wants to help, how about with samples? I know the pharms are cutting down on those, but you never know til you ask?

Here's the thing, Stadol may be putting you into MOH (rebound), and when we are in MOH no preventive on the planet will work....It's is a horrible catch 22 I know, I've been there. Not with stadol, but with other meds.

Keep us posted, ok?

quote:

Originally posted by Reven:
Thanks again for all the usful info. I take the generic brand and it comes in a 2ml bottle. My doctor stated to take one puff if that did not work in a hour take one more and do not exceed 4 a day. This is what I have been doing. For the last few years it has worked but recently not so well. I get migraines at least once a week they last a day to 3 days so when I receive one of the bad ones the Stadol dissapears pretty quick, I know in my mind at the time of the migraine that after a few doses it probally is not going to work I should stop, but the pain is SO intense that I keep taking it Hoping to God that it will stop the pain. I am not going to fool myself and say that I dont have some sort of addiction to it as I have been on it for 8 years and with in the last year it has been the only med I can afford so it was the only one I was I taken for the pain.

I have taken Topomax before as a preventive med but I dont like it much and really dont want to go back to it. Most of the Triptins do not work well for me.I am also currenly taking a antidepressent that.

I think after reading all your comments I will talk to my Doctor about Stopping the Stadol and trying something else as a rescue med.

Currently I am working with Pfizer for some free meds and I have already put in an appliction with the precription assist program so I am hoping that this will open up more options for me.
My Doctor is an MD and I know he really wants to help me but my lack of insurance is not helping. I Dont think he has much knowledge when it comes to people with our Disease. But he is trying.
Thanks again, Kim