Sumatriptan Tablets

Migraine Doctor Service

Sumatriptan is a medication used to treat migraine symptoms, it does not prevent these conditions.

This formula belongs to a group of medicines called triptans, or serotonin (5-HT1) agonists. It is not a painkiller but you can use this medicine if painkillers or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have not worked. 

How Sumatriptan Works

This medication works to reverse the changes in the brain which induce migraines. It is thought to work by causing a narrowing of the blood vessels on the brain, which can swell during a migraine.

• You take Sumatriptan once a migraine has started. Take your first dose as soon as the pain starts.
• Do not take it at the warning stage, before your migraine starts. This is when some people get symptoms of "aura".
• If used quickly, it can help alleviate the symptoms before they come on and many people find it much more effective than painkillers.
• The tablets usually work within 30 to 60 minutes.
• Use of Sumatriptan tablets is not recommended for children under 18 years old
• Use of Sumatriptan tablets is not recommended for people aged over 65

You can order Sumatriptan Tablets for migraine from our UK registered online pharmacy and doctor service. To see if you are suitable for this treatment, complete the online assessment and checkout. Our UK registered doctors will review the order and after approval pass the prescription to the Pharmacy team. We will then dispense and dispatch your order to your chosen address.

Migraine

A migraine is usually a moderate or severe headache felt as a throbbing pain on 1 side of the head. Many people also have symptoms such as feeling sick, being sick and increased sensitivity to light or sound. 

Migraine is a common health condition, affecting around 1 in every 5 women and around 1 in every 15 men. They usually begin in early adulthood. There are several types of migraine, including:

• Migraine with "aura" – where there are specific warning signs just before the migraine begins, such as seeing flashing lights.
• Migraine without aura – the most common type, where the migraine happens without the specific warning signs.
• Migraine aura without headache, also known as silent migraine – where an aura or other migraine symptoms are experienced, but a headache does not develop.

Some people have migraines frequently, up to several times a week. Other people only have a migraine occasionally. It's possible for years to pass between migraine attacks.

A good self care guide and information for migraine is available on the NHS website.

NHS - Migraine

How does Sumatriptan work?

Sumatriptan belongs to a group of medicines called triptans, or serotonin (5-HT1) agonists. We do not yet understand what causes migraines and cluster headaches. However, your symptoms may be due to the temporary widening of blood vessels in your head.

Sumatriptan works on the serotonin (or 5-HT) receptors located on blood vessels in your brain. This causes them to narrow. This helps take away the headache and eases other symptoms such as feeling or being sick and sensitivity to light and sound.

How long does it take to work?

Sumatriptan tablets should work within 30 to 60 minutes. 

Can I drink alcohol with it?

Alcohol does not affect how sumatriptan works. However, it's best not to drink alcohol during a headache attack. Migraines and cluster headaches can sometimes be triggered by alcohol.

Is there any food or drink I need to avoid?

You can eat and drink normally while taking sumatriptan. However it's best to avoid drinking alcohol during a headache attack.

There are many possible migraine triggers including eating cheese, chocolate, red wine, citrus fruits, foods containing an additive called tyramine (such as smoked salmon and salami) and not drinking enough water.

Keeping a migraine diary may help you work out what your triggers are. Recor when and where each migraine attack started, what you were doing at the time, and what you ate that day.

Eating a healthy, balanced diet and avoiding trigger foods or drinks may help if you have migraines or cluster headaches.

Can lifestyle changes help?

There are steps you can take to help prevent severe headaches. This includes working out what things trigger an attack so you can avoid them. Keeping a migraine diary can help.

If you smoke, it's a good idea to quit. People who smoke seem to have a higher risk of getting cluster headaches. Eating a healthy, balanced diet and avoiding trigger foods or drinks can also help.

Can I drive or ride a bike?

You can feel very dizzy or tired when you take sumatriptan. Migraines can also have this effect. If you feel this way, do not drive a car, ride a bike or operate machinery until you feel OK again.

Do I need to avoid playing sports?

You do not need to stop playing sports if you take sumatriptan. However, be careful playing sports if you get a migraine aura that affects your sight and reactions.

If you have taken sumatriptan, some of the side effects may have an impact on you when you're playing sports. These include dizziness, tiredness, feeling sick or weak and shortness of breath.

Will it affect my contraception?

Sumatriptan will not stop your contraception working. However the combined pill is not usually recommended if you have migraines with symptoms called an aura. Talk to your doctor if you have migraines and take (or want to take) a hormonal contraceptive.

Will it affect my fertility?

There's no firm evidence that sumatriptan affects fertility in men or women. Speak to your doctor if you're trying for a baby or you're having problems getting pregnant while taking sumatriptan.

Can lifestyle changes help?

There are steps you can take to help prevent severe headaches. This includes working out what things trigger an attack so you can avoid them. Keeping a migraine diary can help.

If you smoke, it's a good idea to quit. People who smoke seem to have a higher risk of getting cluster headaches. Eating a healthy, balanced diet and avoiding trigger foods or drinks can also help.

Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Some of the symptoms listed in the following may have been caused by the migraine attack itself.

Allergic reaction:

Not known (cannot be estimated from the available data):

• Allergic reaction of the skin: skin rash such as red spots or hives (skin lumps).
• Anaphylaxis (strong allergic reactions such as swollen eyelids, face or lips and sudden wheezing, fluttering, tightness in the chest or total collapse).

If any allergic reactions appear, stop taking Sumatriptan tablets. Contact your doctor immediately.

Other possible side effects:

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people):

• Drowsiness, dizziness, sensory disturbances
• Difficulty in breathing
• Muscle pain
• Temporary increase in blood pressure (arising soon after treatment), flushing
• Feeling of weakness, tiredness
• Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick (vomiting)
• Pain, sensation of heat or cold, pressure, tightness or heaviness. These symptoms are generally transient (temporary) and may appear in any part of the body, including chest and throat.

For a full list of side effects, please read the Patient Information Leaflet.

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, our Rightdose pharmacists or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.

You can help to make medicines safer by reporting any side-effects to the Yellow Card Scheme at www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.

Before taking any medication, it is important to read the Patient Information Leaflet. You can find information leaflets for your medicines by typing them into the search bar at medicines.org.uk, or by contacting us. 

Patient Information Leaflet Sumatriptan 50mg / 100mg Tablets

Other medicines and Sumatriptan tablet

Some medicines may influence the effects of Sumatriptan tablets and Sumatriptan tablets may influence the effects of other medicines. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken or might take any other medicines. This includes any herbal products, dietary supplements such as vitamins, iron or calcium or medicines you’ve bought without a prescription.

This is especially important when using medicines that contain:

• Ergotamine or its derivatives (for migraine). If you have taken a product containing ergotamine, wait for at least 24 hours before taking sumatriptan tablets. Equally wait for at least six hours after taking a sumatriptan tablet before taking a product containing ergotamine.
  MAO inhibitors (for example moclobemide for depression or selegiline for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease). Sumatriptan tablets must not be used if you have taken these in the last 2 weeks.
• SSRIs and SNRIs used to treat depression. Using a Sumatriptan tablet with these medicines can cause serotonin syndrome (a collection of symptoms which can include restlessness, confusion, sweating, hallucinations, increased reflexes, muscle spasms, shivering, increased heartbeat and shaking). Tell your doctor immediately if you are affected in this way.
• St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) – Taking herbal remedies containing St. John’s Wort with Sumatriptan tablet, may make side effects more likely.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

Pregnancy:

There is limited information about the safety of Sumatriptan for pregnant women, though up till now there is no evidence of any increased risk of birth defects. Your doctor will discuss with you whether or not you should use a Sumatriptan tablet while you are pregnant.

Breastfeeding:

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any drugs. Sumatriptan is secreted in the mother’s milk. Therefore breastfeeding should be avoided for 24 hours after taking a Sumatriptan tablet.

Driving and using machines

A migraine patient may feel sleepy due to the migraine attack or treatment with Sumatriptan tablet. This should be taken into consideration in circumstances that require more careful concentration than usual, such as driving and use of machinery.

Sumatriptan tablet contains lactose

This medicinal product contains lactose. If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicinal product.

How to store Sumatriptan tablet

• This medicinal product does not require any particular storage conditions.
• Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the carton. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
• Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.

Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.

Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.

It’s best to take a Sumatriptan tablet as soon as you feel a migraine coming on, although you can take it at any time during an attack. Do not use a Sumatriptan tablet to try to prevent an attack – only use it after your migraine symptoms start.

Adults (aged 18 to 65 years):

The recommended dose is one 50 mg tablet of Sumatriptan tablet for a migraine attack. Some patients may require 100 mg. You should follow your doctor’s advice.

Children (below 18 years):

Use of Sumatriptan tablets is not recommended for children under 18 years old.

Elderly (over 65 years):

Use of Sumatriptan tablets is not recommended for people aged over 65.

Directions:

• Swallow the tablet whole with water. Preferably take it as soon as possible after starting a migraine attack. Do not chew or crush the tablets.
  If you experience that the effect of Sumatriptan tablets is too strong or weak, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

If the first tablet has no effect

• Do not take a second dose for treatment of the same migraine attack even if the first dose would not alleviate the symptoms.
• A Sumatriptan tablet can still be used for your next attack.
• If a Sumatriptan tablet doesn’t give you any relief, ask your doctor for advice.

If your symptoms start to come back

If the symptoms are reduced after the first dose but later return, the dose may be repeated once, in rare cases a maximum of twice, during 24 hours. But at least two hours has to be waited between the doses. A daily dose of 300 mg must not be exceeded.

If you use more Sumatriptan tablet than you should

If you have taken too many Sumatriptan tablets, contact your doctor or hospital immediately. Overdose symptoms are the same as those listed in section 'side effects'.

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Do not use Sumatriptan tablet:

• if you are allergic to sumatriptan or any of the other ingredients of this medicine
• if you have a heart problem such as narrowing of the arteries (ischaemic heart disease) or chest pains (angina), or have already had a heart attack.
• if you have had a stroke or a mini-stroke (TIA or a transient ischaemic attack).
• if you have blood circulation problems in the legs causing cramp-type pain when you walk (peripheral vascular disease, PVD).
• if you have high blood pressure or if your blood pressure remains high despite medication.
• if you have severely reduced liver function.
• if you use, or have recently used, medication containing ergotamine or similar medicines such as methysergide maleate (for the treatment of migraine).
• if you use, or have recently used, the so called MAO inhibitors (for instance moclobemide for the treatment of depression or selegiline for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease).

Warnings and precautions

Before you will be prescribed Sumatriptan tablets your physician will establish whether your headache is caused by migraine and not by any other condition.

Talk to your doctor before using Sumatriptan tablet, if any of the following applies to you:

• If you have symptoms indicating cardiac disease, such as chest pain or a feeling of pressure in the chest area which may be radiating to your neck.
• If you are taking antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) or SNRIs (Serotonin Noradrenaline Reuptake Inhibitors).
• If you have an intolerance to some sugars.
• If you have reduced liver or kidney function.
• If you have a history of fits (seizures). Or if you have other conditions which might make it more likely that you’ll have a fit – for example, a head injury or alcoholism.
• If you are allergic to sulfonamide. If so, you may also be allergic to sumatriptan. If you know you are allergic to an antibiotic but you are not sure whether it is a sulphonamide, tell your doctor or pharmacist before using this medicine.
• If you are a heavy smokers or are using nicotine replacement therapy and especially
• If you are a man aged over 40
• If you are a woman who has been through the menopause.

In very rare cases the patients have developed serious cardiac disease after taking sumatriptan even though they have no sign of cardiac disease before. Tell your doctor so that your heart function can be checked before sumatriptan is prescribed for you.

If you feel pain or tightness in your chest after you use sumatriptan. These effects may be intense but they usually pass quickly. If they don’t pass quickly, or they become severe, get medical help immediately.

If you use Sumatriptan frequently. Using Sumatriptan too often may make your headaches worse. Your doctor may recommend you stop using sumatriptan.

What Sumatriptan 100 mg film-coated tablets contain

Active ingredient: Sumatriptan

Other ingredients:

Tablet core: lactose monohydrate, hypromellose, microcrystalline cellulose, crosscarmellose sodium, magnesium stearate.

Film-coating: hypromellose, titanium dioxide (E 171).