Does this happen to anybody else, or just my dr. Why do they limit the number of Migraine medicine I can have. I went to the dr the first week of May. She wrote me a prescription for Imitrex, which is quite the lifesaver for me. I was given a prescription for 3 refills.Each only comes with 9 pills. I know this is an expensive drug, my copay is 30$ but it cost over 200$...I get a lot of headaches, and sometimes I wait to see if 2 motrin will cure it before taking the Imitrex.Ive got one pill left on my 2nd prescription, and one refill left. We are going on vacation Aug 19th, and I have to make sure I have some to take with me.
When I went to the dr, she never discussed with me that I will only be given 3 refills. I hope if I run out before then, it will be a simple procedure of just calling in and getting a new prescription before I leave.
Im wondering if is because of the cost of this drug why they limit it?
I know another girl who is on prescription Migraine meds(not Imitrex)and they limit hers as well?
Anybody know anything about this?

By Ginny~moderator on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 07:34 am:

Probably some of it is insurance driven, Jackie. I strongly suggest you talk to your doctor's office about it - probably someone else in his office other than the doctor can give you the details. If it is insurance driven, can yuor doctor give you a prescription to take with you on vacation for a possible emergency? You may also want to talk to your insurance company about this. If you do talk to the insurance company, don't stop with the first person you talk to - try to get as high up as you can to see if your account can be tagged to allow more pills per prescription or more refills per prescription, if your doctor's office will write a letter about your migraine treatment.

By Tripletmom on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 09:28 am:

It's up to the Doctor on how many repeats to put on the rx.They might want to see you, to see how you're doing on it.If thats not the case just call you're pharmacy and they'll call you're Dr.to get a refill.Just tell the pharmacy you're going on holidays and you'll need more.Most times when there is an insurance problem its when the pharmacy doesn't put in the correct days supply. If you get 9 pills and the pharmacy puts it in that it should last 60 days and you need more in 30 days,thats when there's conflict that you're too early with insuranc.

By Tarable on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 10:03 am:

In my experience all I have to do is call the dr office and they will call in a new prescription or more refills anytime. I only get 3 refills, and this normally lasts me about 6 months or so. I take Zomig which i believe is related in some way to Imitrex, but I only get 5 pills with a prescrption. Your dr. may be using it as a way to monitor how often you are getting headaches and to make sure you don't need something more like a preventative.

As far as how many pills you recieve in your prescription that is normally determined by your insurance company since is it an as needed medication. As far as I can tell since it is as needed you can refill this as often as needed as long as you have the refill from the dr. I have refilled 3 times in less than 2 weeks before with no problems from my insurance.

I would either call your pharmacy or your dr's office to get more refills before you go on vacation. If you call your dr they may want to see you, but you can normally get another refill before you go in, or I can with my dr.

Good luck and hope you have a migraine free vacation.

By Cybermommyx4 on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 05:09 pm:

Same boat here with the Imitrex....the Pharmaceutical company manufactures them in "blister packs" with 9 pills, and most insurance companies only pay for one pack at a time (as opposed to other drugs which you can get a 90-day supply for one co-pay !!) I know how much this stinks! I do the same thing when I get a headache: try other stuff first. I take 2 excedrin and 2 sudafed...if that doesn't work, I'll take an alka-seltzer. If I still have the headache, I'll "break down" and take a migraine pill Most likely, the Dr. will have no problem adding refills for you --- it's the insurance companies that want to make sure you're not "wasting" their money. I think I have 12 refills on mine each time (they figure I'll go through one package per month) - that's all I usually use, as I am also taking things to help prevent migraines. Good luck to you, and have fun on your vacation

By Luvn29 on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 06:03 pm:

If you are getting them very often, you may want to look into a preventative migraine medication that you take everyday. It would save you the hassle and the "headache" of having to refill so much, too. And this way, you don't get the headaches and then have to take the meds. The doctor usually still gives you a script for the others for breakthrough migraines, but you won't have to use them nearly as much.

By Cocoabutter on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 08:00 pm:

My first guess is that if the drug is a potent drug, they limit your pills to protect against drug abuse. The more potent the drug, the more closely they will want to monitor you, so if you have fewer pills, you will have to check in more often. A doctor can't check on your progress if they give you a whole bunch of pills and set you on your own for a month or two.

By Crystal915 on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 08:00 pm:

I am confused. Are you concerned about the number of refills, or the number of pills per refill? I know with my anxiety meds I can't refill it before a certain date, and it takes special permission to get more than 30 days worth at a time (for example, going on vacation, and a delay in appointments meant I needed 45 days once). I hope you get it straightened out.

By Jackie on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 08:23 pm:

Im concerned about running out of pills before my cruise.I do not think 9 pills a refill is that many pills
Sometimes I get headaches 4 days in a row. Normally I average about 2 a week, but during my period it is more.
It is not a narcotic, and I do not "think" you can become addictive to Imitrex.. but I could be wrong.

By Luvn29 on Friday, July 7, 2006 - 11:12 pm:

Jackie, I would really check into the preventive meds. It sounds like that is more what you need to keep the headaches at bay since you have them so often. They also help with the "not sure if it's quite a migraine" headaches. And with these, you don't have to second guess yourself about whether or not you should take it because you aren't sure if it is going to turn into a migraine.

By Hol on Saturday, July 8, 2006 - 12:14 am:

Imitrex and Zomig and like drugs work by constricting the blood vessels (because a migraine happens when the blood vessels in your head dialate wide, and let too much blood through at a time. The anti migraine drug clamps the vessels down. That being said, it DOES lower the blood pressure because of the constricting. If you take the med more often than prescribed you COULD trigger a life threatening event.
I think it is BOTH the doctor AND the insurance company, to protect you. Even if you paid cash (not going through the insurance) the pharmacy computer probably wouldn't let it go through. You need medical monitoring on this (and many) drugs.
You probably can get what is know as a 'vacation refill', or, as Ginny said, ask the doctor for a scrip to keep in your wallet, just in case.
One of the preventative meds is called Atenolol. It is a beta blocker and is prescribed for high blood pressure. Because it constricts the blood vessels, it acts as a preventative med for migraine, too. My DH used to get horrible migraines (his Dad did, too). After his triple bypass he was put on Atenolol to keep his BP under control. Bingo! No more migraines.
It is a very safe drug at the correct dose. The only caution: SOME people with asthma have an aggravation of their symptoms and can't take it.

By Luvn29 on Saturday, July 8, 2006 - 10:38 am:

I take atenolol for my heart rate. My autonomic system is screwed up and so my heart rate is unregulated. While I am on the atenolol, I rarely have headaches. It really works.

There are also many others out there specifically used for headaches. Good luck!

By Breann on Monday, July 10, 2006 - 07:55 pm:

It must all depend on the doctor and the pharmacy. I get anxiety meds by the 90 day supply for one co-pay. I've read of people online that get them in 30 day supplies for one co-pay. So I'm, in fact, paying less than them for the same thing.

Jackie, if I were you, I would call your doctor and ask for an additional supply since you will be on vacation and you don't need to be worrying about running out.

By Babysitbarb on Tuesday, July 11, 2006 - 10:57 am:

I also take Imitrex for my migraine's and I asked once why I only get 9 and the allergist told me if im taking more then 9 a month or so then there's something more wrong then a normal migraine. Our copay at the pharmasist is $25 so I would take lots of advil before i would finally take a Imitex because thye are so expensive and you don't get many.