What is eletriptan?
Eletriptan (brand name: Relpax®) is an FDA-approved triptan medication that fights the acute symptoms of a painful migraine headache. In addition to that telltale throbbing pain, those symptoms could include dizziness, nausea, and sensitivity to light and/or sound.
What will it do for me?
When you feel a migraine headache coming on, eletriptan may save you from having to retreat into a dark room for days. More specifically, it can relieve you of all of the awful symptoms of migraine—it cuts down on nausea and light/sound sensitivity in addition to headache pain.
How does it help?
Because migraine experts believe that the pain may be caused by blood vessels around your brain over-expanding, eletriptan is designed to shrink them back down to their usual size. To be specific, it helps reduce the pain of migraine attacks by:
- narrowing the expanded blood vessels (scientists call this “vasoconstriction”)
- decreasing any inflammation in the nerves
- turning down the volume on those loud pain signals
How do I get eletriptan?
Eletriptan is a prescription medication so you’ll need to talk to your doctor first. Get started today with a Cove doctor consultation.
How should I take it?
Right away, at the very first sign of a migraine headache. You can take eletriptan with water and with or without food.
What should I be cautious of?
If any of the below looks familiar, definitely talk to your doctor before taking eletriptan. As with any prescription medication, drug interactions and side effects can be unpleasant. Here are some risk factors to consider:
- You’re on other medications.
- You’ve had angina, heart attack, chest pain, or other heart conditions.
- You’ve had a stroke or TIA.
- You’ve had a stroke-like migraine (hemiplegic migraine).
- You’ve been told you’ve had a brainstem migraine (basilar migraine).
- You have poor circulation.
- You have uncontrolled high blood pressure.
- You have certain heart arrhythmias (irregular rhythms).
- You have severe liver disease.
- You’re taking other acute prescription migraine medication.
Can I take eletriptan with other migraine medications?
That depends on what other migraine medications you’re taking. If you’re taking any other triptan, don’t add eletriptan. But if you’re using a different kind of pain reliever or a daily preventive medication, adding eletriptan should be fine. Consult with your doctor if you’re not quite sure if eletriptan will interact with another medication you’re taking.
What happens if I can’t take it right away?
Take it as quickly as you can at the first signs of a migraine attack. The sooner you take it, the faster you’ll feel the impact.
Where should I keep my eletriptan?
Keep it in a cool, dry place.
Are there any side effects?
Generally, people who use eletriptan do not experience serious side effects. Some people experience dizziness, warmth, tingling, and non-heart related chest discomfort. If you’re experiencing any of these adverse effects, you should discontinue use and contact your healthcare provider.
What other triptans are available?
There are currently six other triptan drugs prescribed in the United States in addition to eletriptan: almotriptan (generic Axert®), frovatriptan (generic Frova®), naratriptan (generic Amerge®), rizatriptan (generic Maxalt®), sumatriptan (generic Imitrex®), and zolmitriptan (generic Zomig®).
In addition to eletriptan, Cove also currently offers oral naratriptan, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, and zolmitriptan.
The information provided in this article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should not rely upon the content provided in this article for specific medical advice. If you have any questions or concerns, please talk to your doctor.
Eletriptan, naratriptan, and zolmitriptan are oral medications indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults and is not used to prevent migraines. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan on getting pregnant. You will need to talk about the benefits and risks of using this drug while you are pregnant. Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding. Call your doctor right away if you have allergic reactions like skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, or tongue, chest pain or chest tightness, signs and symptoms of a dangerous change in heartbeat or heart rhythm like chest pain; dizziness; fast, irregular heartbeat; palpitations; feeling faint or lightheaded; falls; breathing problems. Call your doctor right away if you have signs and symptoms of a stroke like changes in vision; confusion; trouble speaking or understanding; severe headaches; sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg; trouble walking; dizziness; loss of balance or coordination. Call your doctor right away if you have signs and symptoms of serotonin syndrome like irritable; confusion; diarrhea; fast or irregular heartbeat; muscle twitching; stiff muscles; trouble walking; sweating; high fever; seizures; chills; vomiting. You can read more about eletriptan’s side effects, warnings, and precautions here. Full prescribing information for eletriptan is available here. You can read more about naratriptan’s side effects, warnings, and precautions here. Full prescribing information for naratriptan is available here. You can read more about zolmitriptan’s side effects, warnings, and precautions here. Full prescribing information for zolmitriptan is available here. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit MedWatch: https://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Sumatriptan and rizatriptan are oral medications indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults and not for the prophylactic therapy of migraine attacks or for the treatment of cluster headache. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan on getting pregnant. You will need to talk about the benefits and risks of using either of these drugs while you are pregnant. Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding. Call your doctor right away if you have chest, throat, neck, or jaw tightness, pain, pressure, or heaviness; break out in a cold sweat; shortness of breath; a fast heartbeat; a heartbeat that does not feel normal; or very bad dizziness or passing out. Very bad and sometimes deadly brain blood vessel problems like stroke have rarely happened with this drug. Call your doctor right away if you have weakness on 1 side of the body, trouble speaking or thinking, change in balance, drooping on 1 side of the face, or change in eyesight. You can read more about sumatriptan’s side effects, warnings, and precautions here. Full prescribing information for sumatriptan is available here. You can read more about rizatriptan side effects, warnings, and precautions here. Full prescribing information for rizatriptan is available here. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit MedWatch: https://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/default.htm or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
