Rizatriptan Tablet: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Rizatriptan Tablet (rizatriptan benzoate) is a prescription triptan medicine used for the acute treatment of migraine attacks, with or without aura, in adults and children 6 to 17 years of age. It works by narrowing blood vessels around the brain and blocking nerve signals involved in migraine symptoms. It is not used to prevent migraines or treat cluster headaches, and it is not for hemiplegic or basilar migraine.

What is Rizatriptan Tablet

Rizatriptan is a prescription medicine that belongs to a class of medicines called Triptans. It is used to treat migraine attacks with or without aura in adults and in children 6 to 17 years of age.

Rizatriptan Tablet uses

• Acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults and in pediatric patients 6 to 17 years of age
• Not indicated for the prophylactic (preventive) therapy of migraine
• Not indicated for the treatment of cluster headache
• Not to be used for hemiplegic or basilar migraine

Benefits of Rizatriptan Tablet

• Relieves acute migraine attacks
• Reduces headache pain
• Can improve nausea
• May reduce light and sound sensitivity

How Rizatriptan Tablet works

Rizatriptan narrows blood vessels around the brain that widen during a migraine attack, which helps ease the pain. It also blocks nerve signals that cause symptoms like nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

Rizatriptan Tablet dosage

Take rizatriptan exactly as your doctor tells you to take it, as soon as you notice headache symptoms. You may receive your first dose in a hospital or clinic setting so side effects can be monitored. Take the regular tablet whole with a full glass of water.

Food has no significant effect on how well the drug is absorbed, but it delays how fast peak levels are reached by about an hour; in clinical trials the medicine was taken without regard to food.

If your headache comes back after the first dose, adults may take a second dose at least 2 hours after the first. For children 6 to 17 years old, talk to your doctor before giving another dose if the headache does not go away or comes back, since taking more than one dose in 24 hours has not been shown to be safe and effective in this age group.

Never take more than your recommended dose, since overusing migraine medicine can make headaches worse. Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve or if you have more than 4 headaches in one month.

Available forms and strengths

• Tablet (5 mg and 10 mg)
• Orally disintegrating tablet (5 mg and 10 mg)

Side effects of Rizatriptan Tablet

Common

• Dizziness
• Drowsiness/somnolence
• Feeling unusually weak or tired (asthenia/fatigue)
• Pain or pressure sensation, including in the chest or throat
• Nausea
• Dry mouth
• Headache

Serious

• Signs of a heart attack: chest discomfort or pressure, pain spreading to arm, back, neck, jaw, or stomach, shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea or vomiting, lightheadedness
• Signs of a stroke: sudden numbness or weakness especially on one side of the body, confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, vision problems, difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, severe headache with no known cause
• Blood vessel (circulation) problems: sudden and severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, coldness or numbness in hands and feet, vision problems
• Serotonin syndrome: agitation, hallucinations, coma, fast heartbeat, rapidly changing blood pressure, high body temperature, muscle spasm or stiffness, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Severe allergic reaction: hives, difficulty breathing, swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat
• Heart rhythm changes: irregular, fast, slow, pounding or skipping heartbeat, fainting
• Significant increase in blood pressure
• Medication overuse headache (chronic headaches from using the medicine too often)

Warnings and precautions

• Rizatriptan can cause serious heart problems, including heart attack, even in people without known heart disease. These can happen without warning signs, so people with risk factors should have a heart check-up before starting this medicine.
• Serious and sometimes fatal disturbances of heart rhythm have been reported shortly after taking triptan medicines like rizatriptan.
• Bleeding in or around the brain, and stroke, have happened in people taking this type of medicine, sometimes because the symptoms were mistaken for a migraine when they were not.
• This medicine can cause reduced blood flow to the gut and other areas of the body, leading to serious problems like abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea.
• Using migraine medicines too often (10 or more days a month) can actually cause more frequent or worse headaches, known as medication overuse headache.
• A serious condition called serotonin syndrome can occur, especially when rizatriptan is combined with certain antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs) or other serotonin-affecting medicines.
• This medicine can raise blood pressure significantly, sometimes to dangerous levels, even in people without a history of high blood pressure.
• Do not take this medicine if you have certain heart or blood vessel conditions, uncontrolled high blood pressure, a history of stroke, hemiplegic or basilar migraine, or if you have recently used another triptan, ergot medicine, or an MAO inhibitor.
• It is not known if rizatriptan will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, so they can weigh the potential benefit against the potential risk.
• It isn't known whether rizatriptan passes into breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the best way to feed your baby if you are taking this medicine.
• Tell your doctor if you have kidney problems before taking this medicine.
• People with severe liver disease should not use rizatriptan. Tell your doctor about any liver problems you have.
• It isn't known for certain how alcohol affects rizatriptan, but drinking alcohol may increase drowsiness and dizziness, and alcohol can also trigger migraine attacks in some people.
• This medicine can cause dizziness, weakness, drowsiness, or fainting. Do not drive, use machinery, or do anything that requires you to be alert until you know how it affects you.

Storage

• Store at room temperature between 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C)
• Keep rizatriptan tablets and all medicines out of the reach of children
• Safely throw away medicine that is out of date or no longer needed

When to see a doctor

• Get emergency help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack, such as chest discomfort or pressure, pain spreading to your arm, jaw, back or neck, shortness of breath, cold sweat, nausea, or lightheadedness.
• Call your doctor or go to the emergency room right away for signs of a stroke, such as sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body, confusion, trouble speaking, vision problems, or loss of balance.
• Get medical help right away if you notice signs of a blood vessel problem, like stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, vision problems, or coldness and numbness in your hands and feet.
• Seek emergency care for symptoms of serotonin syndrome, including agitation, hallucinations, fast heartbeat, rapid changes in blood pressure, high body temperature, muscle spasms, loss of coordination, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
• Get emergency medical help right away if you have signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as hives, trouble breathing, or swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat.
• If you think you have taken too much rizatriptan, get emergency medical help right away or contact a poison control center.
• Call your doctor if your symptoms do not improve or if you have more than 4 headaches in one month.

Alternatives

• Sumatriptan
• Zolmitriptan
• Naratriptan