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What is rizatriptan?

Rizatriptan is a headache medicine. It is believed to work by narrowing the blood vessels around the brain. Rizatriptan also reduces substances in the body that can trigger headache pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and other migraine symptoms.

Rizatriptan is used to treat migraine headaches.

Rizatriptan will only treat a headache that has already begun. It will not prevent headaches or reduce the number of attacks.

Rizatriptan may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Precautions

Instructions

Side-effects

Interactions

Precautions

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to rizatriptan, or if you have:

• a history of heart disease, angina (chest pain), blood circulation problems, or history of a heart attack or stroke;
• ischemic bowel disease;
• severe or uncontrolled high blood pressure; or
• a headache that is not like other headaches you have had.

Do not use rizatriptan if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or phenelzine (Nardil) in the past 14 days.

Do not use rizatriptan within 24 hours after taking any of the following medicines:

• almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), sumatriptan (Imitrex), naratriptan (Amerge), or zolmitriptan (Zomig); or
• ergot medicine such as methysergide (Sansert), ergotamine (Ergomar, Ergostat, Cafergot, Ercaf, Wigraine), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45, Migranal Nasal Spray), ergonovine (Ergotrate), methylergonovine (Methergine).

Before using rizatriptan, tell your doctor if you have:

• high blood pressure;
• liver disease;
• kidney disease;
• phenylketonuria (tablets may contain phenylalanine);
• coronary artery disease (or risk factors that include diabetes, menopause, smoking, being overweight, having high blood pressure or high cholesterol, having a family history of coronary artery disease, being older than 40 and a man, or being a woman who has had a hysterectomy).

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take rizatriptan.

FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

Your name may need to be listed on a rizatriptan pregnancy registry when you start using this medication.

It is not known whether rizatriptan passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

This medicine should not be given to anyone younger than 18 years old.

Rizatriptan can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

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Instructions

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include severe headache, blurred vision, trouble concentrating, chest pain, numbness, seizure (convulsions), neck stiffness, tiredness, lack of coordination, feeling light-headed, or fainting.

Since rizatriptan is used as needed, it does not have a daily dosing schedule. Call your doctor promptly if your symptoms do not improve after using rizatriptan.

After taking a rizatriptan tablet, you must wait two (2) hours before taking a second tablet. Do not take more than 30 mg of rizatriptan in 24 hours.

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Side-effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using rizatriptan and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling;
• sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
• sudden headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech, or balance;
• fast heart rate, agitation, muscle stiffness, hallucinations, lack of coordination, with nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea;
• sudden and severe stomach pain and bloody diarrhea; or
• numbness or tingling and a pale or blue-colored appearance in your fingers or toes.

Less serious side effects may include:

• dry mouth, upset stomach;
• mild headache (not a migraine);
• feeling too warm or too cold;
• tremors, confusion;
• warmth, redness, or tingling under your skin;
• feeling of pain or pressure in your neck and throat; or
• weakness, dizziness, sleepiness.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

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Interactions

Before using rizatriptan, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

• propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran);
• an antidepressant such as citalopram (Celexa), duloxetine (Cymbalta), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), or venlafaxine (Effexor); or
• another migraine medicine such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), sumatriptan (Imitrex), naratriptan (Amerge), or zolmitriptan (Zomig).

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with rizatriptan. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

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