Rizatriptan 10mg Tablets

Migraine Doctor Service

Rizatriptan is a medication used to treat migraine symptoms. It does not prevent these conditions.

This formula belongs to a group of medicines called selective serotonin 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonists.  It is not a painkiller but you can use this medicine if painkillers or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have not worked. Each 10mg tablet contains 10 mg rizatriptan as 14.53 mg of rizatriptan benzoate.

How  Rizatriptan Works

Rizatriptan is used to treat the headache phase of the migraine attack in adults. It works by narrowing blood vessels in the brain and it is believed to reduce swelling of blood vessels surrounding the brain. (This swelling results in the headache pain of a migraine attack.)

This in turn helps to take away the headache as it stops pain signals from being sent to the brain and blocks the release of certain natural substances that cause pain, nausea, and other symptoms of migraine. As a result it relieves other symptoms of a migraine attack, such as feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting) and sensitivity to light and sound.

• It is usually taken at the first sign of a migraine headache.
• Rizatriptan does not prevent migraine attacks or reduce the number of headaches you have.
• If your symptoms do not improve after you take Rizatriptan, do not take a second tablet before calling your doctor.
• 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 Rizatriptan 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

What Is Rizatriptan?

Rizatriptan is a prescription medication used in the treatment of diagnosed migraines. It helps relieve many of the symptoms associated with migraine attacks.

How Does Rizatriptan Work?

Rizatriptan works by reducing the widening of the blood vessels in the brain in turn which takes away the migraine and any associated symptoms.

What Is The Ingredient In Rizatriptan?

The active ingredient in Rizatriptan rizatriptan benzoate.

When Should I Take Rizatriptan?

Rizatriptan is taken as soon as you feel a migraine coming on or are having a migraine it is NOT taken as a preventative measure. If one tablet is taken and is not found to be effective you can take another as long as you leave a 2 hour gap between tablets after a consultation with your doctor.

Does Rizatriptan Have To Be Taken With Food?

No, Rizatriptan does not have to be taken with food. Rizatriptan can take longer to work if it is taken after food. Although it is better to take it on an empty stomach, you can still take it if you have eaten.

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, Rizatriptan can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. Some symptoms may be caused by the migraine itself.

The following side effects may happen with this medicine:

Tell your doctor right away if you have symptoms of allergic reactions, serotonin syndrome, heart attack or stroke.
Tell your doctor if you experience any symptoms that suggest an allergic reaction (such as a rash or itching) after taking Rizatriptan.

In adult studies, the most common side effects reported were dizziness, sleepiness and tiredness.
Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)

• tingling (paraesthesia), headache, decreased sensitivity of skin (hypaesthesia), decreased mental sharpness, tremor, insomnia
• fast or irregular heart beat (palpitation)
• flushing (redness of the face lasting a short time)
• throat discomfort
• feeling sick (nausea), dry mouth, vomiting, diarrhoea, indigestion (dyspepsia)
• feeling of heaviness in parts of the body, neck pain, stiffness
• pain in abdomen or chest

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)

• bad taste in your mouth,
• unsteadiness when walking (ataxia), dizziness (vertigo), blurred vision, tremor, fainting (syncope)
• confusion, nervousness,
• high blood pressure (hypertension); thirst, hot flushes, sweating
• rash, itching and lumpy rash (hives), swelling of face, lips, tongue and/or throat which may cause difficulty breathing and/or swallowing (angioedema), difficulty in breathing (dyspnoea).
• feeling of tightness in parts of the body, muscle weakness
• changes in the rhythm or rate of the heartbeat (arrhythmia); abnormalities of the electrocardiogram (a test that records the electrical activity of your heart), very fast heartbeat (tachycardia).
• facial pain; muscle pain.

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 Rizatriptan 10mg Tablets

Children and adolescents
There is no experience with the use of Rizatriptan in children and adolescents under 18 years of age, therefore children and adolescents should not be given Rizatriptan.

Patients older than 65 years
There have been no full studies to look at how safe and effective Rizatriptan is amongst patients older than 65 years.

Other medicines and Rizatriptan
Do not take Rizatriptan if you:

• are already taking a 5HT1B/1D agonist (sometimes referred to as ‘triptans’), such as sumatriptan,
  naratriptan or zolmitriptan
• are taking a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor such as moclobemide, phenelzine, tranylcypromine, linezolid, or pargyline or if it has been less than two weeks since you stopped taking an MAO inhibitor
• use ergotamine-type medicines such as ergotamine or dihydro-ergotamine to treat your migraine
• use methysergide to prevent a migraine attack.

The above listed medicines when taken with Rizatriptan may increase the risk of side effects.

• You should wait at least 6 hours after taking Rizatriptan before you take ergotamine-type medicines such as ergotamine or dihydro-ergotamine or methysergide.
• You should wait at least 24 hours after taking ergotamine-type medicines before taking Rizatriptan.

Ask your doctor for instructions and the risks about taking Rizatriptan if you are taking:

• propranolol (see section 3: How to take Rizatriptan)
• SSRIs such as sertraline, escitalopram oxalate, and fluoxetine or SNRIs such as venlafaxine, and duloxetine for depression.

Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including
medicines obtained without a prescription.

Rizatriptan with food and drink
Rizatriptan can take longer to work if it is taken after food. Although it is better to take it on an empty stomach, you can still take it if you have eaten.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility
It is not known whether Rizatriptan is harmful to an unborn baby when taken by a pregnant woman. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine. Breastfeeding should be avoided for 24 hours after treatment.

Driving and using machines
You may feel sleepy or dizzy while taking Rizatriptan. If this happens, do not drive or use any tools or machines.

Rizatriptan contains aspartame (E951)
Aspartame contains a source of phenylalanine and this may be harmful for people with phenylketonuria.

How to store Rizatriptan

• Do not use Rizatriptan after the expiry date which is stated on the container after EXP. The expiry date refers to the last day of the month.
• This medicinal product does not require any special storage conditions.
• 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 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.

How to take Rizatriptan
Rizatriptan is used to treat migraine attacks. Take Rizatriptan as soon as possible after your migraine headache has started. Do not use it to prevent an attack.

• Rizatriptan should be taken by mouth and swallowed whole with liquid.
• The recommended dose is 10 mg.

If you are currently taking propranolol or have kidney or liver problems you should use the 5 mg dose of
Rizatriptan. You should leave at least 2 hours between taking propranolol and Rizatriptan up to a maximum of 2 doses in a 24 hour period.

If migraine returns within 24 hours
In some patients, migraine symptoms can return within a 24-hour period. If your migraine does return you can take an additional dose of Rizatriptan. You should always wait at least 2 hours between doses.

If after 2 hours you still have migraine
If you do not respond to the first dose of Rizatriptan during an attack, you should not take a second dose of Rizatriptan for treatment of the same attack. It is still likely, however, that you will respond to Rizatriptan during the next attack.

• Do not take more than 2 doses of Rizatriptan in a 24-hour period, (for example, do not take more than two doses of 10 mg or 5 mg tablets in a 24-hour period). You should always wait at least 2 hours between doses.

If your condition worsens, seek medical attention.

If you take more Rizatriptan than you should
If you take more Rizatriptan than you should, talk to your doctor or pharmacist straight away. Take the medicine pack with you.

• Signs of overdose can include dizziness, drowsiness, vomiting, fainting and slow heart rate.

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

Do not take Rizatriptan:

• if you are allergic to rizatriptan benzoate or any of the other ingredients of this medicine
• if you have moderately severe or severe high blood pressure or mild high blood pressure that is not controlled by medication
• if you have or have ever had heart problems including heart attack or pain on the chest (angina) or you have experienced heart disease related signs
• if you have severe liver or severe kidney problems
• if you have had a stroke (cerebrovascular accident CVA) or mini stroke (transient ischaemic attack TIA)
• if you have reduced blood flow to your legs and arms due to blocked arteries (peripheral vascular disease)
• if you are taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors such as moclobemide, phenelzine, tranylcypromine, or pargyline, (medicines against depression), or linezolid (an antibiotic), or if it has been less than two weeks since you stopped taking MAO inhibitors
• if you are taking ergotamine-type medicines, such as ergotamine or dihydro-ergotamine to treat your migraine or methysergide to prevent a migraine attack
• if you are taking any other medicines in the same class as rizatriptan, such as sumatriptan, naratriptan, or zolmitriptan to treat your migraine (see below Other medicines and Rizatriptan).

If you are not sure if any of the above apply to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Rizatriptan.

Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Rizatriptan:

• if you have any of the following risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, diabetes, you smoke or you are using nicotine substitution, your family has a history of heart disease, you are a man over 40 years of age, or you are a post-menopausal woman
• if you have kidney or liver problems
• if you have a particular problem with the way your heart beats (bundle branch block)
• if you have or have had any allergies
• your headache is associated with dizziness, difficulty in walking, lack of coordination or weakness in the leg or arm
• if you use herbal preparation containing St. John's wort
• if you have had allergic reaction like swelling of face, lips, tongue and/or throat which may cause difficulty breathing and/or swallowing (angioedema)
• if you are taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as sertraline, escitalopram oxalate, and fluoxetine or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as venlafaxine, and duloxetine for depression
• if you have had short lived symptoms including chest pain and tightness

If you take Rizatriptan too often this may result in you getting a chronic headache. In such cases you should contact your doctor as you may have to stop taking Rizatriptan. Please tell your doctor or pharmacist about your symptoms. Your doctor will decide if you have a migraine.

What Rizatriptan contains

The active substance is rizatriptan. Each 10 mg tablet contains 10 mg rizatriptan as 14.53 mg of rizatriptan benzoate.

The other ingredients of Rizatriptan tablets are mannitol, microcrystalline cellulose (E460a), crospovidone, aspartame (E951), magnesium stearate (E572), Colloidal Silicon Dioxide, peppermint flavour (contains modified food starch).

What Rizatriptan looks like and contents of pack
Rizatriptan 10 mg tablets are white to off white, approximately 9mm round, flat, bevelled edged uncoated tablets, engraved with ‘468’ on one side and plain on other side.

The tablets are packed in Aluminium/Aluminium blisters. Rizotriptan 10 mg tablets available in blister packs sizes 3, 6, 12 or 18 tablets.
Not all pack sizes may be marketed.

Rizatriptan is also available as an orodispersible tablet that dissolves in the mouth.