Pronunciation:

NAR-a-trip-tan

Brand Names:

• Amerge

Dosage Forms:

• Tablet

Classifications:

Therapeutic—

Antimigraine

Pharmacologic—

Serotonin Receptor Agonist, 5-HT1

Uses of This Medicine:

Naratriptan is used to treat severe migraine headaches. Many people find that their headaches go away completely after they take naratriptan. 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. Naratriptan often relieves symptoms that occur together with a migraine headache, such as nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and sensitivity to sound.

Naratriptan is not an ordinary pain reliever. It should not be used to relieve any kind of pain other than migraine headaches.

Naratriptan may cause 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 good that it can do.

Naratriptan is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Before Using This Medicine:

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies—

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Children—

This medicine has been tested in a limited number of children 12 years of age or older. In effective doses, the medicine has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults.

Older adults—

Although there is no specific information comparing the use of naratriptan in the elderly with use in other age groups, use of this medicine is not recommended in older adults.

Pregnancy—

	Pregnancy Category	Explanation
All Trimesters	C	Animal studies have shown an adverse effect and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women OR no animal studies have been conducted and there are no adequate studies in pregnant women.

Breast-feeding—

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Other medicines—

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

• Almotriptan
• Dihydroergotamine
• Ergoloid Mesylates
• Ergonovine
• Ergotamine
• Frovatriptan
• Methylergonovine
• Methysergide
• Rizatriptan
• Sumatriptan
• Zolmitriptan

Other interactions—

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other medical problems—

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Angina (chest pain) or
• Heart or blood vessel disease or
• High blood pressure or
• Kidney disease or
• Liver disease or
• Stroke (history of)—The chance of side effects may be increased. Heart or blood vessel disease and high blood pressure sometimes do not cause any symptoms, so some people do not know that they have these problems. Before deciding whether you should use naratriptan, your doctor may need to do some tests to make sure that you do not have any of these conditions.

Proper Use of This Medicine:

Do not use naratriptan for a headache that is different from your usual migraines . Instead, check with your doctor.

To relieve your migraine as soon as possible, use naratriptan as soon as the headache pain begins. Even if you get warning signals of a coming migraine (an aura), you should wait until the headache pain starts before using naratriptan.

Lying down in a quiet, dark room for a while after you use this medicine may help relieve your migraine.

Ask your doctor ahead of time about any other medicine you may take if naratriptan does not work. After you take the other medicine, check with your doctor as soon as possible. Headaches that are not relieved by naratriptan are sometimes caused by conditions that need other treatment.

If you feel much better after a dose of naratriptan, but your headache comes back or gets worse after a while, you may use more naratriptan. However, use this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not use more of it, and do not use it more often, than directed. Using too much naratriptan may increase the chance of side effects.

Your doctor may direct you to take another medicine to help prevent headaches. It is important that you follow your doctor's directions, even if your headaches continue to occur. Headache-preventing medicines may take several weeks to start working. Even after they do start working, your headaches may not go away completely. However, your headaches should occur less often, and they should be less severe and easier to relieve. This can reduce the amount of naratriptan or other pain medicines that you need. If you do not notice any improvement after several weeks of headache-preventing treatment, check with your doctor.

Dosing—

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

• For oral dosage form (tablets):
  • For migraine headaches:
    • Adults—1 or 2.5 mg as a single dose. If the migraine comes back after being relieved, another dose may be taken four hours after the last dose. Do not take more than 5 mg in any twenty-four-hour period (one day). Patients with kidney or liver disease should take less than 2.5 mg as a single dose once daily and should not exceed 2.5 mg in a twenty-four-hour period.
    • Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Storage—

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

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Precautions While Using This Medicine:

Drinking alcoholic beverages can make headaches worse or cause new headaches to occur. People who suffer from severe headaches should probably avoid alcoholic beverages, especially during a headache.

Some people feel drowsy or dizzy during or after a migraine, or after taking naratriptan to relieve a migraine. As long as you are feeling drowsy or dizzy, do not drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy or are not alert.

Side Effects of This Medicine:

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Stop taking this medicine and get emergency help immediately if any of the following effects occur:

More common

Chest pain (severe)

heaviness, tightness, or pressure in chest, throat, and/or neck

sensation of burning, warmth, heat, numbness, tightness, or tingling

Less common or rare

Convulsions (seizures)

irregular heartbeat

slow heartbeat

Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. Some of the following effects, such as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness, and general feeling of illness or tiredness, often occur during or after a migraine, even when naratriptan has not been used. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:

More common

Dizziness

drowsiness

increased tiredness

nausea and/or vomiting

Less common or rare

Acne

anxiety

blurred vision

bone or skeletal pain

change in taste sensation

chills and/or fever

confusion

constipation

diarrhea

difficulty sleeping

eye problems

fainting

fluid imbalance

increased thirst

itching of the skin

joint pain

mood or mental changes

muscle or joint stiffness, tightness, or rigidity

muscle pain or spasms

pounding heartbeat

restlessness

skin rash

stomach discomfort and/or pain

sudden large increase in frequency and amount of urine

trembling or shaking of hands or feet

unusual tiredness or weakness

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.