How Can I Save Money on Popular Migraine Nasal Sprays?
high drug prices
Far from being just a headache affecting the unlucky few, migraines are serious, triggering, incredibly painful — and on the rise.
About 17% of the U.S. population suffers from these types of debilitating headaches. More will likely experience the same all-encompassing, horrifying tension soon.
Whether it’s due to fluctuating weather patterns, increased time spent indoors, higher alcohol consumption, or more stress, experts say an increasing number of people are experiencing bad migraines (and reaching for migraine nasal sprays to provide much-needed relief).
While it’s easy to dismiss migraines as being bad headaches, they’re actually a type of distinct neurological condition. Migraine sufferers may deal with nausea, light sensitivity, extreme fatigue, and dizziness on top of headaches so severe, they bring normal routines to a screeching halt.
It’s no wonder, then, that migraines result in over 150 million missed work hours per year. If you or a loved one suffers from recurrent migraines, it’s important to have the tools you need on hand to keep suffering at bay — and keep your quality of life as high as possible.
How Much do Popular Migraine Nasal Sprays Cost
It’s time for migraine sufferers to be able to take their days back! Here are the most common migraine relief sprays searched for on NorthWestPharmacy.com.
Migranal Cost
Migranal (dihydroergotamine) is a type of drug known as an ergot alkaloid. The active ingredient in Migranal, dihydroergotamine, can help reduce already-occurring migraine symptoms.
This is convenient because you don’t necessarily need to have a proactive treatment strategy to benefit from Migranal. Rather, this prescription migraine nasal spray can help provide relief when you’re in the midst of your symptoms.
Further, Migranal is non-addictive. It’s also non-narcotic and non-sedating. As a result, you can typically use Migranal without worrying about your ability to focus or function after your migraine symptoms have gone away.
How does Migranal work?
Migranal provides this symptom-calming action by going right to the source of your migraine. It binds to the specific brain receptors controlling your levels of serotonin. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that’s highly involved in our mental health and in overall migraine progression.
By modulating the amount of serotonin available in your brain, Migranal can work to reduce inflammation and soothe your symptoms.
How do I use Migranal?
Migranal is very effective for short-term relief. However, Migranal will not prevent future migraines from happening or reduce your overall number of migraine attacks.
When a migraine happens, you can administer no more than 4 sprays of Migranal (two in each nostril) to mitigate symptoms, unless prescribed differently by your doctor. Migranal makes it easy to stay below this use limit. Each 1mL bottle represents one four-spray dose.
This type of convenience and efficacy is not cheap. In the United States, generic dihydroergotamine itself can go for as much as $800.00 per mL — enough medication to soothe only one migraine.
As most people who have migraines may experience them as frequently as 2-4 times a month, this expense isn’t exactly sustainable.
For a far more affordable alternative, you can buy three 1mL bottles of Migranal at NorthWestPharmacy.com for as little as $68.00 (an incredible 97% savings).
Zomig Nasal Spray Cost
Zomig Nasal Spray (zolmitriptan) is a type of migraine nasal spray known as a triptan. This type of medication is among the most popular for treating migraines. Zomig, like Migranal, is a serotonin agonist.
How does Zomig work?
Since it’s a nasal spray, it passes very quickly into your bloodstream. Once it’s traveled to your brain, it mimics serotonin. By doing so, it’s able to trick your brain into narrowing your blood vessels. This can help cut off the protein and energy fueling a migraine attack.
If you use Zomig as recommended, you may feel the pain-reducing effects in just a few minutes. This quick action is just one benefit of using a nasal spray.
Another advantage of using sprays over oral medication is simple. If your migraine comes with nausea and an upset stomach, you don’t have to worry about losing your medication should you vomit before experiencing relief.
How do I use Zomig?
As Zomig works quickly, many migraine sufferers keep a bottle handy in case they start to feel the onset of a migraine.
Much like Migranal, each bottle contains one dose — one spray into one nostril. Each box of Zomig comes with six bottles (six doses).Always follow your doctor’s use recommendations and the instructions provided by the manufacturer. It’s not recommended that you use more than two 5 mg doses (or a total of 10 mg) in one 24-hour period.
In the United States, you can find one six-dose box of brand-name Zomig for $648.00. While this is slightly more affordable than Migranal’s retail price, it’s still a hefty sum.
At NorthWestPharmacy.com, we offer prescription medications without the premium price. Here, you can buy six doses of Zomig for $173.00 (73% savings). For even lower costs for migraine care, we also offer 21 doses of generic zolmitriptan for $70.00.
Imitrex Nasal Spray Cost
Imitrex Nasal Spray (sumatriptan) is a triptan and works in much the same way as Zomig.
How does Imitrex work?
Based on the theory that widening brain blood vessels contribute to the relentless pain of migraines, Imitrex works to trigger vessel constriction and lower overall brain inflammation.
The active ingredient in Imitrex, sumatriptan, binds to your brain’s serotonin receptors. It’s thought the resulting slow-down in the blood flow helps decrease your brain’s ability to send, receive, and interpret pain signals. As a result, you suffer less.
Imitrex isn’t intended to prevent future migraines from occurring. Rather, its primary use is providing relief for one already happening.
How do I use Imitrex?
When you believe a migraine is beginning, take a dose of Imitrex immediately. One dose is simply one 10 mg spray, given one nostril. If you require a stronger dose, you can administer another spray after one hour is elapsed.
It’s not recommended you have more than three sprays, or 30 mg, in a 24-hour period. Use for children is not recommended, either. Additionally, if you have any history of heart issues, Imitrex may not be for you.
In the United States, brand-name Imitrex comes in boxes of six doses. The box retails for $570.00, or about $95.00 per dose.
While this is the most affordable retail price we’ve talked about yet, at NorthWestPharmacy.com, we’re excited to be able to provide even lower figures. We sell two doses of Imitrex nasal spray for $62.00, or $31.00 per dose (67% savings).
Are Migraine Nasal Sprays More Effective than Oral Medications?
If the prices of these migraine nasal sprays seem steep, that makes sense. They are! Part of this is due to the quick-working action of nasal sprays.
Nasal sprays are administered directly into a patient’s nostril. The medication seeps quickly through nasal membranes into the bloodstream. From there, the drug is whisked to the brain immediately, where it can work and provide relief in a matter of minutes.
Oral medications may take a little longer to work since they need to go through a patient’s digestive system first. Since oral medications are exposed to more of your body, they can also produce more unwanted side effects than a more direct nasal medication.
However, nasal sprays aren’t for everyone. They can be tricky to administer or result in irritating symptoms for sensitive noses.
Ultimately, your choice of oral or nasal migraine medication is up to you and your prescribing physician. At NorthWestPharmacy.com, we prioritize making all of your options accessible and affordable, so you can truly make the best choice based on your health and preferences.
Why are Migraine Nasal Sprays More Affordable in Canada?
If you’re looking at the cost of medications in the United States next to the prices we’re able to offer, you may notice there’s usually a big difference. Why are these medications so much more affordable when sourced through an international or Canadian online pharmacy?
Where are the higher prescription costs coming from?
Big Pharma often justifies rapidly inflating drug costs by saying they’re spending a lot of money on research and development for their products. There’s reason to believe many of these companies are providing inaccurate (or, at the very least, also inflated) reports of the time and resources they spend on research.
For example, while many pharmaceutical companies have spent a lot of resources creating vaccines, those same vaccines are raking in huge profits for those companies. And, as profitable as vaccines are, they may pale in comparison to the big money-makers for pharmaceutical companies.
Those profits have not translated into lower costs for the average American.
In Canada (and in many other countries), there are stringent regulations that put a cap on how much drug manufacturers can charge for their products. In the United States, these regulations don’t exist.
Instead, the United States government allows pharmaceutical companies to set their own prices. These companies wish to make a profit, so they set their prices high. Unfortunately, this means there are few reasons to prioritize accessibility and affordability in the current American medication pricing structure.
Ultimately, many Americans are left facing tough choices. Some have to decide on a monthly basis whether they can afford to invest in their health or whether they need to prioritize basic financial stability.
How are Americans paying for their needed medications?
In some cases, insurance helps. Those Americans who have good health insurance can get some medications for less. However, insurance companies don’t always cover all of the costs, or even all required prescription medications.
Often, patients in America will have to settle for a generic medication, or a different medication altogether, in order to qualify for insurance coverage. Otherwise, they’re left paying retail prices for their prescriptions.
As we’ve discussed, the out-of-pocket cost for a necessary medication is sometimes very high. If a patient requires a specific expensive medication to manage ongoing symptoms, they may have exceedingly difficult decisions to make.
We don’t think those decisions should be driven solely by cost. Instead, you should have the ability to care for yourself and your loved ones as you and your doctor see fit. To do so, you may need to think outside the box and consider sourcing your medication from an international online pharmacy.
How to Save Money on Migraine Nasal Sprays with an Online Canadian Pharmacy
Migraine patients have suffered enough: They shouldn’t have to shoulder immense costs for their care, too.
At NorthWestPharmacy.com, it’s our privilege to help empower people to enjoy a more pain-free daily life, despite hereditary migraines. Whether you’re looking for migraine nasal sprays or other prescription drugs, we offer lower prices and pleasant purchasing processes.
We also understand buying your prescription medications online can be anxiety-inducing. We mitigate those concerns by:
- Following stringent safety standards. We stick with those set by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association (CIPA) and the International Pharmacy Association of British Columbia (IPABC).
- Offering multiple ways to order. Place your order by giving us a call, or click to stock your medicine cabinet. Either way, we’ve worked hard to make this process seamless for you.
- Staffing our seven-day-a-week call center with friendly, knowledgeable customer service reps. Any time you have a question, need to speak with a pharmacist, or have any type of issue we can resolve, just pick up the phone. We’re here to help you.
Our dedication to customer satisfaction is clearly reflected in our reviews. After serving the needs of thousands of customers, we’re proud to have an overall 4.8/5 star rating based on over 400,000 reviews!
Interested in placing an order? Call us today at 1-866-539-5339 or contact us online and we’ll get back to you quickly. We look forward to helping you and your health!
