Sumatriptan

You can take sumatriptan tablets if a doctor has confirmed that you have migraines.

Before you take sumatriptan, you need to speak to a doctor if you:

• are male and over 40 years old
• are female and started your menopause
• have epilepsy
• have high blood pressure
• have liver or kidney disease
• are allergic to sulphonamides
• are pregnant or are planning to get pregnant

You should not take sumatriptan if you:

• are under 18 years old
• are allergic to any of the ingredients in sumatriptan tablets
• have heart disease or angina (chest pains)
• have ever had a stroke or heart attack
• get leg cramps due to circulation problems
• have high blood pressure
• have liver disease
• take other migraine medications
• take MAOIs (monoamine oxidase inhibitors)
• take antidepressants called SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)
• take antidepressants called SNRIs (selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors)

You can find more details in the patient information leaflet that comes with your Sumatriptan tablets.

If you cannot swallow sumatriptan tablets, you can try these migraine treatments from Asda Online Doctor:

• Imigran nasal spray, which contains 20mg of sumatriptan and is a nasal spray
• Maxalt melt, which contains rizatriptan and is a wafer that melts on your tongue

Sumatriptan 50mg tablets and sumatriptan 100mg tablets are the same as Imigran tablets. They contain the same active ingredient and work in exactly the same way to treat migraines.

The main difference is that sumatriptan tablets and Imigran tablets are made by different medicine manufacturers, so they will not have the same inactive ingredients in them.

When you take sumatriptan, there are common side effects you might get, such as:

• nausea or vomiting
• feeling tired
• drowsiness
• your blood pressure increasing
• muscle ache

Call 999 if you take sumatriptan and you have:

• heart problems or strong chest pains (angina)
• an allergic reaction, that comes up as a rash, hives, wheezing, shortness of breath or swelling of your eyes, lips and face

If you experience any side effects when taking sumatriptan tablets, get in touch with your doctor straight away. For a full list of possible side effects of sumatriptan tablets, read the patient information leaflet.

Speak to your doctor if you’re taking any medicines, including over the counter medicines you’ve bought from a pharmacy. You cannot take sumatriptan if you’re taking:

• other migraine medications, such as ergotamine, methysergide
• other triptans, such as zolmitriptan, rizatriptan or naratriptan
• medicines to treat depression such as MAOIs, SSRIs, SNRIs, such as dihydroergotamine, fluoxetine, duloxetine or venlafaxine
• St. John’s wort

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

If you’re pregnant, you need to speak to a doctor before you can take sumatriptan .

If you’re breastfeeding, wait 12 hours after you take a sumatriptan tablet to breastfeed your baby. You should throw away any breast milk you produce or pump out during these 12 hours.

Which active ingredients do sumatriptan tablets contain?

The main active ingredient in sumatriptan tablets is sumatriptan succinate.

The other ingredients in sumatriptan tablets are lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, croscarmellose sodium, acesulfame potassium, magnesium stearate and colloidal silicon anhydrous.

Check the patient information leaflet for any updates on the ingredients in sumatriptan tablets as they can vary based on the generic manufacturer.

Sumatriptan tablets contain lactose, so if you are allergic to lactose, get in touch with your doctor before taking sumatriptan tablets.

How should sumatriptan be disposed of?

Take any sumatriptan tablets that have expired, or that you no longer plan to use, to your local pharmacy so they can dispose of them safely.

How should sumatriptan be stored?

Store your sumatriptan tablets in their original box and out of reach of children. You can keep sumatriptan in a zipped pocket in your bag, pocket or coat when you go out.

In which pack sizes is sumatriptan available?

Sumatriptan tablets are available in pack sizes of 2, 4, 6 or 12 tablets in foil blister strips.

Information on the manufacturer

The marketing authorisation holder and manufacturer of sumatriptan Tablets is Dexcel-Pharma Ltd., 7 Sopwith Way, Drayton Fields, Daventry, Northamptonshire, NN11 8PB, UK.