Does Imitrex/sumatriptan affect Dexcom G4/G5?

Tips, Tech & Gear C/GM
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Has anyone used injectable Imitrex with a Dexcom? I injected for a migraine yesterday twice and both times lost connectivity with the Dexcom about an hour after injection for about two hours. The sensor was 11 days in, so after the second loss of transmission I pulled the sensor. Wondering if anyone else has had this experience? Thanks! Jessica

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@JessicaD, Imitrex/sumatriptan is not listed as a problem for the G5. A repeated issue like yours is always worrisome, though. I have not heard of anyone having issues either, but I have read of some being worried about using it because they were concerned it might affect their Dexcom. I would give a call to Dexcom to find out what they have to say: it would be good to know for sure Let us know what you find out :slight_smile:

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@JessicaD, it just occurs to me that I forgot to ask: what error icon did you get? Was it the 3 ???, the hourglass, or the signal loss?

If it is a loss of connectivity, it has to do with the transmitter, not the sensor, and is likely to be due to a Bluetooth problem in your iPhone, which is a standard problem we know how to help you with. In this case it is not linked to imitrex.

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Hmmmm… I don’t know! It was a whole mess of question marks on the screen, I think! (I feel like such a CGM dummy on here - learning as I go!!). Thanks so much for all of the responses and queries! Jessica

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No problem at all, @JessicaD!

There are two kinds of problems on the Dexcom

  • some of them have a triple question mark (???) or an hour glass: they are likely the same. In general, they indicate a problem with the sensor or the sensor signal. Oftgen you can’ t do much with those except wait it out and, after 3 hours, change the sensor. For us, hydration may help.

  • some of them have a single question mark and a “signal loss” message. Those indicate a transmitter problem. If you are using a phone as a receiver, which most of us do, these problems are very likely a bluetooth problem in your iphone. In most cases, but not always, restarting your iphone will get rid of the problem. In more difficult cases, you need to look at the bluetooth settings and manually delete other bluetooth links if that is possible. Dexcom recommends rebooting your iphone every 24 hours. This kludgy method works for us—what is more, if we don’t do it, we often get a signal loss error.

If Imitrex is a Dexcom problem, it may possibly generate the first type of error, but I would say it is somewhat unlikely, since acetaminophen does not cause that (instead, it causes unreliable readings). But who knows!

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@JessicaD - I have used rizatriptan (the dissolving tablet) a few times with the Dexcom and have had no problems.

Unrelated to that - Today I am on day 20 of my current sensor and it is going wild (numbers bouncing all over the place) so I will replace it tonight :smile:

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