Dihydroergotamine (injection route)
Available brands
D.H.E. 45
About this medication
Dihydroergotamine injection is used to treat migraine headaches with or without aura and cluster headaches. Dihydroergotamine is not an ordinary pain reliever. It will not relieve pain other than from migraine headaches. This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription. This product is available in the following dosage forms:
Before using this medication
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered: Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully. Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of dihydroergotamine injection in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established. No information is available on the relationship of age to the effects of dihydroergotamine injection in geriatric patients. Studies in women breastfeeding have demonstrated harmful infant effects. An alternative to this medication should be prescribed or you should stop breastfeeding while using this medicine. Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines. Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Using this medicine with any of the following is usually not recommended, but may be unavoidable in some cases. If used together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use this medicine, or give you special instructions about the use of food, alcohol, or tobacco. The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:
How to use this medication
A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine in a hospital. This medicine is given as a shot into one of your muscles, under your skin (usually in the middle of the thighs), or through a needle placed in one of your vein. You may be taught how to give this medicine at home. Make sure you understand all of the instructions before giving yourself an injection.Use this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not use more of it, do not use it more often, and do not use it for a longer time than your doctor ordered. Do not use this medicine for a regular headache that is different from your usual migraine. Talk to your doctor about what to do for regular headaches. This medicine comes with patient instructions. Read and follow these instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about: Check the liquid in the vial. It should be clear and colorless. Do not use it if it is cloudy, discolored, or has particles in it. If you feel much better after a dose of this medicine, but your headache comes back or gets worse after a while, wait at least 1 hour before using another dose. If you get another migraine headache after you have used this medicine, do not use a second dose unless it has been more than 6 hours from the last dose. Tell your doctor if you use other medicine to treat migraines, including sumatriptan. You should not use sumatriptan or other ergot medicines within24 hoursof using dihydroergotamine. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use. Throw the vial away 1 hour after opening. Do not save unused medicine from an opened vial. Throw away used needles in a hard, closed container where the needles cannot poke through. Keep this container away from children and pets.
Disclaimer: August is a health information platform and its responses don't constitute medical advise. Always consult with a licenced medical professional near you before making any changes.