Discontinuation Of Deseril (Top voted first)

I have been taking Methysergide (Deseril) for 14 years as a preventative for migraines. It is the ONLY drug which works for me and I am devastated by the news that it has been discontinued. I am keen to try to find a source for some even if it is only to get me over the next 8-9 months when I still have to have three weekly infusions of Herceptin for the treatment of breast cancer. Herceptin gives me more headaches as one of its side effects so I really need my Deserils! Can any one help or if not is anyone in the same boat? Maybe not the Herceptin bit!

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I have been taking Sansert / Deseril for more than twenty years. Before that, I was prescribed every other treatment including Immitrex drugs, but nothing worked for my complex confusional migraines. When Sansert was discontinued several years ago in the US, I found Deseril in the UK and was able to get it through Canada with no break in treatment. I am incredibly concerned about being without this daily prophylactic for my severe migraines.

Does anyone know if any other companies in any other countries produce Methysergide or if compounding pharmacies can/will produce it in the US or Canada?

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Deseril has been discontinued, not Deseryl. Completely different medicine. Deseril is for migraine and cluster headache.

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Hi, I am a Chronic Cluster Headache sufferer, have been for 30 years - I have tried everything, Deseril is/was the only thing that gave me some relieve from 'The Beast', so I am shattered about it being discontinued ! Have been prescribed Sandomigran as a replacement,not helping one bit. My other security blanket is medical oxygen, works about 60% of the time to stop them! or ease the pain.
Going to try a compounding Chemist to see if they can reproduce a Deseril type of substitute, will keep it posted with the results.
I am an Aussie as well.

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Methylergonovine doesn't appear to be available in Australia. There is a similar medicine (primary use also in obstetrics) called Ergometrine. Try looking into that.

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Deseril was the only preventative medication that ever worked for me. I had no beneficial effects from Botox.

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Hi again all. After 2 plus years another series started for me. I am keeping my supply of Deseril (enough for one cycle in the fridge) just in case, but I can report that Varaprimil at 360MG (one 120 in am and 2 120) have greatly minimized the pain. I have had many "starts" but do not experience the building / swelling pain sensation of a true cluster (you all know what I mean..). I have employed O2 at 8 liters per min for 5-10 min at each sensation (some overnight, and some when I awake in the am) and all headaches are gone. I am about 4-5 weeks into this cycle so if history is a good indication, I think I am winding down. My pattern is that weeks 1 and 2 are mild, then weeks 3-5 are when the bombs go off. Weeks 6-7 find decrease in pain and frequency then the beast goes dormant for 12-24 months. If I can get through with Varaprimil only at 360 (am going to ask my Neurologist if I can go to 480 if needed next cycle with one more added at mid day) I will be relieved about future cluster bouts without my trusted Deseril. Hope this gives someone else direction and good luck all.

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When I posted the above message I included a link to the web page of the manufacturer. The link was removed by the moderator before the message was posted, possibly due to copyright? The company manufacturing methysergide is Sigma-Aldrich, but I haven't found a supplier yet.

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Hi Rufabug,

Sorry to hear about the headaches you've been experiencing lately. While it is true that the manufacturer Novartis withdrew it from the U.S. market after taking over Sandoz, I'm not sure what the case might be regarding it's current availability in other countries as well.

Apparently one of the reasons why it is no longer recommended, was due to an increased risk of retroperitoneal/retropulmonary fibrosis. From what I've read, "retroperitoneal fibrosis is considered to be a rare disorder that occurs when extra fibrous tissue forms in the area behind the stomach and intestines. The excess tissue forms a mass (or masses) that can block the tubes which carry urine from the kidney to the bladder. Doctors don't know why these masses form, but it's most common in people aged 40 - 60, and men are twice as likely to develop the condition as women." Based on that information, I get the sense that Methysergide creates an environment that heavily influences the onset of this otherwise rare condition.

Have you already asking your doctor about any other treatment options that can be used alongside Herceptin?

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Thanks, David, for your message re my comment on the discontinuation od Deseril (Methysergide). I am trying to get to see my neurologist who first prescibed these for me. I have tried on the internet to see if they are available in other countries for sale. But so far ,once you get to the shop bit they all say"Out of stock" or "presently unavailable". I have just enough in stock myself to be able to wean myself off them slowly. I'm due for a break anyway so I'm telling myself this might be permanent! not a good thought. Thanks for explaining about the serious possible side effects.

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Hi, I'm in the US and I've been using Methysergide for my migraines for 11 years and it is the only thing that works, I've tried all the other preventatives. The last remaining source was Alliance Pharmaceuticals in the UK (makers of Deseril) and they have discontinued the product. The good news is you can have Methysergide capsules made for you in the dose you take by a compounding pharmacist. The bad news is it is more expensive than Deseril was. Hopefully someone will pick up manufacturing of a brand or better yet a generic version so we can save on cost.

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My husband's nephew, a doctor from Australia, has recently been over here and says that Methysergide is still widely available over there. He has sourced some for me and will mail them to me. No doubt they are expensive but at least I know I can get some to help me over the next few months. Maybe others could try getting hold of some from Australia.

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Hi, I live in Australia and my husband suffers from chronic migraines due to a car accident he had that shattered his eye socket and caused a lot of nerve damage behind his eye. He was taking deseril for about 3 years when he was suddenly struck down with a lung illness. It's called sarcoidosis. It's when immune system cells cluster to form lumps called granulomas and this was happening in his lungs making it hard for him to even breathe. He was taken off deseril and the sarcoidosis was addressed with a year and a half worth of steroids... Anyway so as he wasn't able to take deseril he was taking topomax instead. This was the drug that he used when taking a month break from deseril every 6 months. He never thought it did much especially compared to deseril but now that he's been taking the topomax for the last 2 years he believes it is doing very little to nothing at all. Which is what has brought me here as he now wants to go back on deseril so can somewhat live a life with some normalcy but has been advised not to by lung specialist as the sarcoidosis can return and may not go into remission again but actually get worse. Deseril is available in Australia at the moment but my husbands neurologist believes its a matter of time before it is taken off the market. So my question is are there any other drugs out there of the same calibre that can help. Surely there has to be some sort of replacement drug for deseril. Is there anything else that you have taken before that has helped. I'm pregnant with our first and scared for what is ahead for my husband. I want him to be able to enjoy our child but don't know how he will cope with his migraines :(

Thanks for reading it all if you have gotten this far

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@Worried - Is your husband's neurologist a headache specialist? Not all neurologists are. If he isn't, he should find one who is, preferably the top dog in your area. To answer your question, yes, there are many other headache preventatives besides Deseril and Topamax. Probably the two most effective are Propranolol (and other similar blood pressure medications) and Depakote, but there are lots of others as well. It is a trial and error process of finding what works or at least what helps. Nothing is guaranteed of course. Best of luck.

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@Chance - I'm not sure whether he is a headache specialist... Possibly not..he is however a top dog neurologist in Sydney area but we now live on the Gold Coast and can't just pop in to his office anymore so we confer over emails..I'll look at finding a headache specialist up this way.. Thanks for the information.. I think because the deseril worked so well my husband thinks that nothing else will be as good. He does have high blood pressure and we're sure he will have to go on medication for that as well in the near future so maybe we'll have some luck with those medications. Thank you again you were very helpful :)

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Hi Worried, So sorry to hear about your husband's health problems. As if chronic migraines are not enough to cope with! My understanding is that unfortunately there is no other drug than can compare with Deseril. I used to be given Topomax to take during my month's break but found that they didn't help one jot. So now I just leave those months blank in my calendar and ride it out. But the thought of not being able to go back on them again after going through that time is horrible. I know now that day will come in the near future. I am sure that Australia will follow the rest of the world in stopping them. I'm sorry I can't help in recommending an alternative. It's just a matter of trial and error with the other prophylactic drugs until he finds one that works for him. Maybe the hypertension drugs will do the trick. I do hope so. Rufabug.

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Hi everyone,

This may be helpful to those in the US, particularly in the west.

Compounded Methysergide is available from Aborn Compound Pharmacy in San Jose, CA. A prescription from a California state licensed physician is required to order, and they can ship anywhere in the world.

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Aborn Pharmacy can now accept prescriptions from any licensed physician in the U.S., not just California. This is great news for American Sansert users!

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Will they accept scripts from Australia? They have just out of the blue told us on 1st Nov that they have discontinued Deseril, so sorry can't have it anymore, just like that.
Where does that leave people who CAN NOT function without it. My husband has taken Deseril for over 20 years with no side effects. He is horrified to know in 30 days when his tablets run out his life ends. We are not being dramatic about this, unless you have lived it people do not understand what it is like to suffer constantly with cluster migraines. He can not function normally due to the constant pain, cannot eat due to taking so many painkillers to dull the pain to something like bearable, cannot drive, go anywhere, go in the sun, smells will set him off. WHO wants to live like that? He will not go back to being like that. I read the copy of the letter from the Australian supplier notifying of the discontinuation of Deseril, and their reasoning is: Link Healthcare has worked vigorously with the current manufacturer (AMCo –Amdipharm Mercury Company Limited) to establish a sustainable supply of this important medicinal product. This program has been unsuccessful and Link Healthcare has no alternative but to cease supply of this product. This is not acceptable surely!! They offer H addicts methadone (at least they get offered an alternative), Deseril users get nothing, not impressed. I want my husband to have quality of life and all of the other sufferers as well.

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Hi, I do have more news but most of it is bad. First, apparently earlier posts from Australians predicting that Australia would follow the rest of the world in discontinuing Deseril have proven correct. Some in the US were actually looking to Oz as a source, but the Canadian website I found claiming to source it from Oz told me by phone it was originating in India, and they could no longer fulfill orders.

One country has stood up to Novartis, the pharmaceutical giant that owns the patent on Deseril/Sansert and all other branded versions of Methysergide: Brazil. The Brazilian health ministry demanded that Novartis continue to make Deserila (their branded version of the product) available. Two of the largest cities in the world are in Brazil, and the government purchases a lot of drugs from Novartis. So Novartis agreed to continue to provide Deserila for the Brazilian market. SO if anyone reading this has any insight into importing pharmaceuticals from Brazil, please step in.

In the US we were able to get Methysergide compounded for a while, but world-wide sources for the chemical have dried up, including the one I posted about earlier. So we are just as panicked as you. It is a world health crisis in miniature. We are doing what we can,
even if you don't have cluster headache (I have chronic migraine). Hopefully we will come up with something.....

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@Desperate wife -- Could you possibly see if there is an organization in Oz that represents cluster headache patients, or if there isn't one, that represents headache patients in general and post their details here? We would like to ally with them as well as a similar organization in the UK we have already contacted, and see if we can get the World Health Organization to take some action. Thank you.

-Chance

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I have been taking Sansert, later called Deseril in the U.K., and had almost none of the chronic daily migraines I had b...

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