As a physician involved in the care of headache patients for almost two decades, I have seen the terrible toll migraine takes on its sufferers and their families. Yet in spite of the widespread prevalence of migraine and its impact on sufferers, their families, and society, it remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. No agent studied in migraine has ever been scrutinized worldwide as much as Imitrex. In my own study of the first 100 patients in our clinic who were given Imitrex, the drug was effective 84 percent of the time, with an average time to relief of 41 minutes. Patients were carefully screened, as all should be, to ensure the diagnosis of migraine and the absence of heart disease, stroke, and uncontrolled hypertension.
Most patients tolerate the medication well.
It has truly been a godsend to the great majority of patients and enhanced their quality of life immensely. Hopefully, Imitrex will pave the way for the discovery of other agents, which will prove effective and bring the 100 percent safety requirements we are all longing for. Gutterman, however, fails to address the crux of my story, which is that doctors cannot possibly determine with any reasonable degree of accuracy who should or should not be prescribed Imitrex. Even the FDA concedes this point. Imitrex can affect heart vessels and has the potential to induce a heart attack.