Sumatriptan (Absorbed through the skin)
soo-ma-TRIP-tan
Treats migraine headaches. This medicine is a triptan.
Drug classes
Antimigraine (About this – PubMed Health)
Uses
Uses of This Medicine
Sumatriptan transdermal (skin patch) is used to treat acute migraine headaches with or without aura in adults. It is not used to prevent migraine headaches. Sumatriptan works in the brain to relieve the pain from migraine headaches. It belongs to the group of medicines called triptans.
Many people find that their headaches go away completely after they use sumatriptan transdermal. Other people find that their headaches are much less painful, and that they are able to go back to their normal activities even though their headaches are not completely gone. Sumatriptan often relieves other symptoms that occur together with a migraine headache, such as nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and sensitivity to sound.
Sumatriptan is not an ordinary pain reliever. It will not relieve any kind of pain other than migraine headaches. This medicine is usually used for people whose headaches are not relieved by acetaminophen, aspirin, or other pain relievers.
Sumatriptan has caused serious side effects in some people, especially people who have heart or blood vessel disease. Be sure that you discuss with your doctor the risks of using this medicine as well as the benefits that it can have.
This medicine is available only with your doctor’s prescription.
Other uses (PubMed Health)
How To Use
Device Assisted Patch
Your doctor will tell you how many patches to use, where to apply them, and how often to apply them. Do not use more patches or apply them more often than your doctor tells you to.
This medicine is contained in a skin patch. The patch uses electricity to deliver the medicine through your skin.
The patches come in sealed pouches. Do not use this medicine if the pouch seal is broken or if the patch is cut, damaged, or changed in any way.
Choose a skin area for the patch. The patch should be applied clean, dry skin on your upper arm or thigh. Choose a place that does not have much hair and does not have a scar, tattoo, cut, burn, scratch, or other irritation. The patch should not be placed on skin that has been red or irritated in the past 3 days.
Wash your hands with soap and water before and after applying a patch.
When you are ready to apply the patch, pull the 2 foil tabs. Rub each foil packet. Trace around the green arrow 3 times.
Unfold the orange flap. Lift open the package. Slowly peel the patch from the silver liner. Make sure the medicine pads are securely attached.
Apply the patch to your skin. Push the activation button. A red LED (light emitting diode) should turn on. The red light should blink and then turn solid red.
If the light does not stay solid red or turns off in the first 10 minutes, that means the patch is not working. Take the patch off and dispose of it. Start over with a new patch.
You might feel a little burning or tingling when the patch first starts working.
The patch must be applied and activated within 15 minutes after you remove the foil tabs.
You can tape the patch to your skin with medical tape if it starts to peel off.
Wear the patch for 4 hours or until the light turns off. Remove the patch slowly to avoid skin irritation. Clean the area gently with a mild soap and water to remove any medicine left on the skin.
Keep the patch dry. Do not bathe, shower, or swim while you are wearing a patch.
If your headache comes back or gets worse, you may apply a second patch to your other arm or thigh. However, you must wait at least 2 hours after the first patch was activated.
Do not use more than 2 patches within 24 hours.
Read and follow the patient instructions that come with this medicine. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.
How to Store and Dispose of This Medicine:
Store the patches at room temperature in a closed container, away from heat, moisture, and direct light.
Fold the used patch in half with the sticky sides together. Throw any used patch away so that children or pets cannot get to it. You will also need to throw away old patches after the expiration date has passed. This patch contains lithium-manganese dioxide batteries. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about how to follow state and local laws when you throw away the patch.
Keep all medicine out of the reach of children. Never share your medicine with anyone.
Drugs and Foods to Avoid
Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using any other medicine, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.
Make sure your doctor knows if you are also using medicine for depression, such as amitriptyline, citalopram, fluoxetine, nortriptyline, sertraline, Cymbalta®, Effexor®, Elavil®, Lexapro®, or Pristiq®.
When Not To Use
Do not use this medicine if you have had an allergic reaction to sumatriptan, or if you have heart disease, blood vessel disease, heart rhythm problems, circulation problems, or severe liver disease. Tell your doctor if you have high blood pressure that is not under control, or a history of heart disease, heart attack, angina, stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), or ischemic bowel disease. Do not use this medicine if you have used an MAO inhibitor (MAOI) such as Eldepryl®, Marplan®, Nardil®, or Parnate® within the past 14 days. Do not use this medicine if you have taken another migraine headache medicine in the past 24 hours, such as another triptan or an ergot medicine.
Warnings
Make sure your doctor knows if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have liver disease, high blood pressure, or epilepsy (seizures). Tell your doctor if you have a history of stomach or bowel bleeding, Raynaud disease, or other types of blood flow problems.
This medicine should be used only for classic or common migraine headaches. It will not work for any other kind of headache or pain.
Make sure your doctor knows about any heart or blood circulation problems you have. This medicine can cause heart problems, including heart attack. This is more likely to happen if you already have heart disease. Tell your doctor if you have any risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, or a family history of heart disease. Men over 40 years old, women who are past menopause, and people who are overweight are also more likely to have heart disease.
Call your doctor right away if you have any skin problems where the patch was placed. This includes blisters, burning, crusting, dryness, itching, scaling, severe redness, soreness, or swelling. These could be symptoms of an allergic reaction.
Check with your doctor right away if you have a tight feeling or pressure in your chest, jaw, or neck. Your doctor may need to find out if these are symptoms of a heart problem.
Tell your doctor if you have sudden or severe stomach pain or bloody diarrhea after you use this medicine. Tell your doctor if you have any changes in vision that are not part of your usual migraine.
This medicine may cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome, when taken with certain medicines. Call your doctor right away if you have a fever, confusion, mental changes, restlessness, fast heartbeat, muscle spasms, trouble walking, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
This patch contains metal parts. You must take it off before you have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). Apply the patch carefully if you have a medical device on or in your body (such as a heart pacemaker, body-worn insulin pump,) or implantable deep brain stimulator).
This medicine may make you dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.
Do not use this medicine if your headache feels different from your usual migraine headache. Call your doctor if your headache is unusual or severe. Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve or if they get worse.
You could make your migraine headaches worse if you take migraine medicine too often. Keep a headache diary to record your headache frequency.
Possible side effects
Summary More details
Call your doctor right away if you notice any of these side effects:
Allergic reaction: Itching or hives, swelling in your face or hands, swelling or tingling in your mouth or throat, chest tightness, trouble breathing
Anxiety, restlessness, sweating, muscle spasms, twitching, diarrhea, seeing or hearing things that are not there
Blistering, peeling, red skin rash
Chest pain, especially if it spreads to your arms, jaw, back, or neck, trouble breathing, unusual sweating, faintness
Fast, slow, pounding, or uneven heartbeat
Numbness, tingling, cramps, coldness, or unexplained pain
Numb, cold feeling and color changes in your fingers or toes
Seizures
Severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, fever
Tightness or discomfort in your chest, neck, or jaw
Vision changes that are not part of a usual migraine
If you notice these less serious side effects, talk with your doctor:
Mild redness, pain, itching, tingling, or change in skin color where the patch is put on your skin
If you notice other side effects that you think are caused by this medicine, tell your doctor.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
More side effects of this drug
Brand names include
Zecuity
There may be other brand names for this medicine.