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How dangerous is it to take Imitrex while on Cymbalta?

My 62 yr old mom suffers from severe fibromyalgia AND migraines. The only thing that works for the fibromyalgia is Cymbalta. However, it clearly says in the commercials that you are not allowed to take Imitrex (or other similar migraine medicines) while on Cymbalta... Some migraines my mom can sweat through.. But some others are just to brutal for her to not take the Imitrex. In fact, she broke down in the last couple of days and has taken Imitrex both days. How dangerous is this? Is there anything else that will work for her migraines, that can be taken with the Cymbalta? Serious answers only please.. And trust me, this is WAY beyond what Excedrin Migraine will take care of. These are very severe migraines she gets.. Thanks

Public Comments

1. yes there are various migraine treatments..for me i just use a narcotic

one of teh drugstore sites has a contrindication checker..i think its walgreens or drugstore.com

you can always call yor pharmacist and google migraine treatments..

its best if you can determine teh cause..migraines can be triggered by serotonin or hormones amoung other things

2. It can be VERY dangerous. However, drug companies err on the side of super-caution, since they don't want to be sued. She is probably okay, but has to be careful of the dosage of each. Please tell her to talk to her PCP or psychiatrist immediately! Taking both drugs can cause Serotonin Syndrome (http://www.bing.com/health/article/mayo-118494/Serotonin-syndrome?q=serotonin+syndrome). I have anxiety problems and also get migraines. My PCP and psyichiatrist have warned me about possible complications. Generally speaking, it is usually safe to take small doses of an SSRI or SNRI (Cymbalta) and a Triptan (Immitrex). However, you cannot take high doses of both. For instance, now that I am on an SNRI, I can only take a half dose of migraine medicine, and I canNOT take a second dose if the first dose is enough.

She needs to discuss this with her health care provider immediately. Serotonin Syndrome can be very serious--seizures, etc.

Also, if her doctor says that she can still take Triptans, I really recommend Maxalt mlts (http://www.maxalt.com/rizatriptan_benzoate/maxalt/consumer/index.jsp). The mlts dissolve on the tongue in seconds and work faster than the pills. Maxalt works much better for me than immitrex. The doc may have free samples.