I have been on Midrin, and/or a generic form for years, and been tested and they do not know why I get migrianes, but I take this medicine daily, and really can't remember for how long, but it works for me. Now I don't know what our plan of action will be for me, and by we, I refer to my doctor and myself. I am curious what others are doing across the country since Midrin and all the generic forms have been pulled. I can't find any form of it in Knoxville, and my doctor wanted me to ask on here what other patients are using now. And I want to ask, did you suffer a transition phase and did you have any side effects? Thank you.
- Find
- Manage
- Resources
Q: WIth midrin and all generic forms pulled from the market, what are doctors putting their patients th
Answers (3)
4/28/11 10:01pm
Hi Caspertory,
I a bit taken back that your doctor has you taking this medication every day - for years. Midrin is ( or better stated was) a medication to be used to abort a Migraine attack. This means stop the Migrainous process, not prevent them. In your case, it may be a good thing we no longer have access to this medication, your body may need a break from it!
And to be honest, as nice as your doctor may be, letting a patient stay on Midrin every day for years is not safe. Midrin is made up of acetaminophen, dichloralphenazone, and isometheptene. So taking this medication every day means you are taking acetaminophen (generic tylenol) every day which can cause some serious problems for your liver not to mention the big issue of what was once called rebound headache - now called medication overuse headache.
Here's the thing - if we take something to relieve our headaches every day, like Migraine abortive (Midrin, Imitrex, Zomig) any kind of pain medication -- prescription or over-the-counter -- more than two or three days a week can make matters worse by causing medication overuse headache (MOH), aka rebound. See Medication Overuse Headache - When the Remedy Backfiresfor more information on this. This is really important. If we keep taking these medications every day, we may have head pain every day for the rest of our lives, besides our livers won't be happy either. And what's more, Medication overuse has been shown to be a factor in 80% of cases of transformed Migraine. Stopping the medication overuse is key to stopping the transformed Migraine. You can read more about this in Stopping Medication Overuse Can Halt Transformed Migraine.
So, you can tell your doctor a couple of different things; that Midrin is an abortive and isn't for daily use. Here is an article that will help explain the three different types of medication and their uses; Preventive, Abortive, and Rescue Medications - What's the Difference? Then you need to discuss a new treatment plan with him, or find a new doctor who will. The "plan of action" is to reduce the number and severity of Migraines, after getting rid of any possible moh.
Don't worry, there are over 100 medications that can be used to treat Migraines. Migraine and Headache Preventive Medications - Too Many Options To Give Up! Do you happen to know what any of your Migraine triggers are? Have you tried keeping a Migraine diary? This is a great tool that will help you and the doctor identify and help you stay away from the triggers you can, and make lifestyle changes too in order to help reduce Migraine pain. For more information and a free downloadable Migraine diary, check out our Migraine trigger page, HERE.
I hope this helps,
Nancy
5/ 2/11 11:39am
Hi there,
I'm so glad to hear this information was helpful, but please don't stop taking this medication suddenedly - I'm not sure about how to taper off this, please check with your pharmacist or a doctor about it, ok? This could cause some potential unwanted side effects you don't want to add to you already "sensitive" head.
Contact me anytime through my profile, I'll help if I can.
Nancy
3/23/12 4:02pm
I too have been plagued by migraines for over 20 years, every since I was in a car accident when I was 17. My neurologist did multiple tests and tried multiple medications. The only thing that works for me is Midrin. When Midrin was taken off the market, I paniced. But my doctor wrote me a prescription to have the medication compounded. Not every pharmacy can compound so you have to find one that can. And the problem with Midrin is that it is a compound of 3 different medications, and one of the medications is what the government took off the market, so that one had to be substituted. But there is a very close match to it and a compounding pharmacy will make a form of Midrin for you. It is not exactly that same as Midrin, but it is extremely close and it works for me. This was a life saver for me when I found out Midrin was off the market. There is nothing scarier than a migraine when you cannot get the only medication that works for you. Hope this helps. Good luck
3/23/12 4:21pm
KimberJ,
Hello and welcome to HealthCentral.
I've been in touch with the FDA several times, and it appears that you've been given some misinformation. None of the ingredients in Midrin have been taken off the market. This issue is entirely related to Midrin never having gone through clinical trials or been FDA approved because it came on the market before the current FDA approval process.
We're keeping an update on the Midrin situation available from our site homepage. You can also go directly to it HERE. From that link, you can also go to earlier articles that explain the issue in more detail.
Welcome again,
Teri
3/23/12 5:11pm
I may have misspoke when I said 'taken off the market' for one of the ingredients. Midrin is isometheptane mucate, dichloralphenazone, and acetominophen. Midrin has been taken off the market, which in my opinion is absolutely absurd. I know they say its because it was never properly tested, but when you have multiple people using it and depending on it for over 20 years, how dangerous or what more tested is truely needed! Anyway, when I began having mine compounded, the dichloralphenazone was difficult to get, that was the ingredient I was referring to. I do not know the exact reasons why, but there was a shortage of it and the compounding pharmacy was having to substitute chloral hydrate. I just asked them and they said they do have the dichloralphenazone again so I am back to getting the real Midrin compound.
3/23/12 6:42pm
You can actually get Midrin still...your doctor just has to prescribe it and you take it to a professional pharmacy to compound it. That is what I currently take...just started a few weeks ago, actually. There is also Foricet or its generic. No side effects. You have to be sure to take it asap, though, or the attack can get to severe for it to work. At least that's my experience. 
Important:
We hope you find this general health information helpful. Please note however, that this Q&A is meant to support not replace the professional medical advice you receive from your doctor. No information in the Answers above is intended to diagnose or treat any condition. The views expressed in the Answers above belong to the individuals who posted them and do not necessarily reflect the views of Remedy Health Media. Remedy Health Media does not review or edit content posted by our community members, but reserves the right to remove any material it deems inappropriate.
By Caspertory— Last Modified: 03/23/12, First Published: 04/23/11
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Nancy, I can't thank you enough for this informative email. I will print it and share the parts that have me concerned, without my pointing fingers at my doctor, in order to have a discussion about my nest phase, which I will automatically stop this medication since it is no longer available, and then a plan of action for me in the future. Should I run into any stumbling blocks, is it all right if I contact you for advice on references, especially for a doctor if I need to change. At my age, I can't afford to cause my body more harm than good.
Have a great weekend.
Sue