Gloom, Despair, and Agony

[saffronhare]

Just got off the phone with the pharmacy. Relpax, the magical migraine med, has been discontinued. I discovered this three hours after taking my very last Relpax in the world.

Oh, dear. Left a message with the doctor to see what my options were. You know, other than banging my head against the wall because that hurts less.

Grargh.

ETA: Many thanks to adamcrafter and The Pharmacy King. Through their wholesaler and the FDA, it was learned that Pfizer is discontinuing a particular package of Relpax (the 12-pack of the 40mg dosage). I get the six-pack, which is still in the stream. What I'll learn when I call Walgreen's again tomorrow is whether the pharmacist I spoke with didn't realize the difference, if Walgreen's simply won't be carrying my particular packaging of Relpax, or some other answer. In any case, I've been reassured that it's still out there and I can get it if I shop around. I've also been informed by my doctor that there really isn't a pharmaceutical substitute for it right now. Eep.

Thanks for the well-wishes and assistance with figuring this stuff out while my grey matter was kludgy.

Comments

[zylch.livejournal.com]

I tried to come up with something useful or clever to say, but all I'm getting is "Sheeit." I hope they come up with a suitable replacement damn fast.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

It's okay. "Shee-it," was all I had to say too, and it made the pharmacist giggle.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

Thank you. Yeah, I'm sure there are worse things than migraines, but it's really hard to think of them right now. (smile)

I love that icon too. Trying not to take this all too seriously, you know?

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Did they suddenly discover that Relpax does something awful to you, or was it simply one of those things where they didn't sell enough of the drug to keep making it?

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

I really have no idea. The news was a big surprise to me, and the pharmacist didn't have additional information either. My suspicion is that so many people have high blood pressure that it's just no longer marketable. (See, this med tends to increase blood pressure, since it constricts blood vessels.)

In any case, I've got some homework to do.

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

Damn. The only drug I'm aware of is called Wigraine. It's a belladonna-based medication that relaxes the blood vessels so they don't spasm. It's an older med, so it's probably been way outclassed by newer drugs. But it's all I got.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

I remember trying Imitrex, but it just didn't work as well. Imitrex probably pushed it out of the market, since it tends to work for most folks and Relpax was the second or third thing we tried. We'll see.

In the meantime, I'll have to increase my supply of tea, hot baths, and willing neck- and head-rubbers. :)

[fionnabhar.livejournal.com]

There is nothing on the Pfizer site that indicates Relpax has been DC'd. Maybe it's just your pharmacy? That'd be worth a check.

[amaltheae.livejournal.com]

Do you know that there is a live journal community for migrain sufferers? They often talk about meds that work for given patterns. Read some of the archives for some ideas.

Also, changing your diet pretty drastically can resolve them, but most people think I am crazy when I share how I got rid of mine, so I will leave it up to you if you want more information.

Someplace to start is to buy the book "Enzymes for Autism and Other Neurological Disorders" in which the author cured her daily migraines among other other things she solved. She has good science for why some things work and where to start with healing whatever the real cause of them is, usually in your gut.

Some people need more extreme adjustments than just what she did, but it is a place to start and she provides hints of other things which may come up to look into more.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

I've had some pretty tremendous success with dietary changes, exercise, chiropractic, biofeedback and other integrative and homeopathic methods. The Relpax is sort of my last-ditch intervention drug. So, when I need it, I REALLY need it.

Always more to learn, isn't there?

[amaltheae.livejournal.com]

Yeah, though I think the biggest leap in the topic I have ever found was in that book I talked about.

One tip that isn't in there exactly, is that pineapple has an anti-swelling agent in it. On days when I feel my heart beat in my head, I eat a can or quarter of a pineapple as soon as possible. I have yet to have one of those days actually manifest as a migraine where I used to have that a likely indicator that that is where it was going.