Eletriptan (By mouth)

el-e-TRIP-tan

Treats migraine headaches.

Drug classes

Antimigraine (About this – PubMed Health)

Uses

Uses of This Medicine

Eletriptan is used to treat acute migraine headaches in adults. It is not used to prevent migraine headaches and is not used for cluster headaches. Eletriptan 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 take eletriptan. 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. Eletriptan often relieves other symptoms that occur together with a migraine headache, such as nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and sensitivity to sound.

Eletriptan 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.

Eletriptan 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 do.

This medicine is available only with your doctor’s prescription.

Other uses (PubMed Health)

How To Use

Tablet

Your doctor will tell you how much medicine to use. Do not use more than directed. Use eletriptan only when you have a migraine.

If your headache comes back or you do not get complete relief, wait at least 2 hours before you take another dose. If you feel you need to take the medicine more than 2 times in one day, call your doctor.

Read and follow the patient instructions that come with this medicine. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.

Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light.

Drugs and Foods to Avoid

Ask your doctor or pharmacist before using any other medicine, including over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products.

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. These medicines include almotriptan, dihydroergotamine, ergotamine, frovatriptan, methysergide, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, or zolmitriptan. Do not take eletriptan if you have taken clarithromycin, itraconazole, ketoconazole, nefazodone, nelfinavir, ritonavir, or troleandomycin in the past 72 hours.

Some foods and medicines can affect how eletriptan works. Tell your doctor if you are using medicine for depression or an MAO inhibitor.

When Not To Use

This medicine is not right for everyone. Do not use it if you had an allergic reaction to eletriptan, or if you have certain heart or blood vessel problems.

Warnings

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or if you smoke. Tell your doctor if you have ischemic bowel disease, or a personal or family history of heart disease, heart attack, heart rhythm problems, blood circulation problems, or stroke.

This medicine should be used only for migraine headaches. It will not work for any other kind of headache or pain.

This medicine may cause the following problems:

Higher risk for abnormal heart rhythm, heart attack, angina, or stroke Spasms in the blood vessels, including Raynaud syndrome Serotonin syndrome (more likely if used with medicine to treat depression) High blood pressure

Your headaches may become worse if you use headache medicine for 10 or more days per month.

This medicine may make you dizzy or drowsy. Do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous until you know how this medicine affects you.

Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve or if they get worse.

Keep all medicine out of the reach of children. Never share your medicine with anyone.

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, fever, sweating, muscle spasms, twitching, diarrhea, seeing or hearing things that are not there

Chest pain (especially if it spreads to your arms, jaw, back, or neck), trouble breathing, unusual sweating, fainting

Fast or uneven heartbeat

Numbness or tingling in your hands, arms, legs, or feet, color changes in your fingers or toes

Numbness or weakness on one side of your body, problems with vision, speech, or walking

Severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting

Tightness or discomfort in your chest, neck, or jaw

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

Relpax

There may be other brand names for this medicine.