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What is zolmitriptan?
Zolmitriptan is a headache medicine. It is believed to work by narrowing the blood vessels around the brain. Zolmitriptan also reduces substances in the body that can trigger headache pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, and other migraine symptoms. Zolmitriptan is used to treat migraine headaches. Zolmitriptan
What is the price of this medication and similar alternatives?
Pricing information provided by drugstore.com.
| Zomig 5MG SOLN | ASTRAZENECA | 6/$165.8 or 18/$479.25 |
| Zomig ZMT 5MG TBDP | ASTRAZENECA | 3/$65.99 or 9/$175.97 |
What are the possible side effects of zolmitriptan?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these
Stop using zolmitriptan and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
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chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling;
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sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
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sudden headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech, or balance;
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fast heart rate, agitation, muscle stiffness, hallucinations, lack of coordination, with nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea;
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sudden and severe stomach pain and bloody diarrhea; or
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numbness or tingling and a pale or blue-colored appearance in your fingers or toes.
Less serious side effects may include:
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dry mouth, upset stomach;
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muscle pain or weakness;
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feeling of pain or pressure in your neck and throat;
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weakness, dizziness, sleepiness; or
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sweating.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.
How should I use zolmitriptan?
Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the instructions on your prescription label. Take zolmitriptan as soon as you notice headache symptoms, or after an attack has already begun. Your doctor may want to give your first dose of this medicine in a hospital or clinic setting to see if you have any serious side effects. Take one zolmitriptan tablet whole with a full glass of water.
What is the most important information I should know about zolmitriptan?
Zolmitriptan can cause serious side effects on the heart, including heart attack or stroke. Although these side effects are rare, do not use this medication if you have a history of heart disease, angina (chest pain), blood circulation problems, ischemic bowel disease, severe or uncontrolled high blood pressure, or history of a heart attack or stroke. Before using zolmitriptan, tell your doctor if you have coronary artery disease, or risk factors for coronary artery disease (such as diabetes, menopause, smoking, being overweight, having high blood pressure or high cholesterol, having a family history of coronary artery disease, being older than 40 and a man, or being a woman who has had a hysterectomy).
What happens if I miss a dose?
Since zolmitriptan is used as needed, it does not have a daily dosing schedule. Call your doctor promptly if your symptoms do not improve after using zolmitriptan. After taking a zolmitriptan tablet, you must wait two (2) hours before taking a second tablet.
What other drugs will affect zolmitriptan?
Before using zolmitriptan, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs: an antidepressant such as citalopram (Celexa), duloxetine (Cymbalta), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), or venlafaxine (Effexor); or another migraine medicine such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), frovatriptan (Frova), sumatriptan (Imitrex), naratriptan (Amerge), or rizatriptan (Maxalt). This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with zolmitriptan. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.
Can I take this if I am pregnant or trying to get pregnant or if I am breastfeeding?
Zolmitriptan has been assigned to pregnancy category C by the FDA. Animal studies have revealed evidence of embryolethality, and fetal abnormalities. Animal studies have also revealed maternal toxicity at high doses. There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. Zolmitriptan should only be given during pregnancy if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.
The manufacturer lists miscarriage under adverse effects with a frequency of "rare".
There are no data on the excretion of zolmitriptan into human milk. Because many drugs are excreted into human milk, caution is advised if zolmitriptan is to be administered to a nursing woman.
Animal studies have reported milk levels equivalent to maternal plasma levels at one hour after dose administration, and four times higher than plasma levels at four hours after dose administration (in the milk of lactating rats).
Who should NOT use this medication?
- Known or suspected ischemic heart disease (e.g., angina pectoris, history of MI, documented silent ischemia).
- Coronary artery vasospasm (e.g., Prinzmetal variant angina).
- Other serious underlying cardiovascular disease (e.g., uncontrolled hypertension).
- Cerebrovascular syndromes (e.g., stroke syndromes, TIAs).
- Hemiplegic or basilar migraine.
- Treatment within previous 24 hours with another 5-HT1 receptor agonist or an ergot alkaloid. (See Specific Drugs under Interactions.)
- Concurrent or recent (within 2 weeks) treatment with an MAO-A inhibitor. (See Specific Drugs under Interactions.)
- Known sensitivity to zolmitriptan or any ingredient in the formulation.
What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. Overdose symptoms may include severe headache, blurred vision, trouble concentrating, chest pain, numbness, seizure (convulsions), neck stiffness, tiredness, lack of coordination, feeling light-headed, or fainting.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before using zolmitriptan?
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to zolmitriptan, or if you have: a history of heart disease, angina (chest pain), blood circulation problems, or history of a heart attack or stroke; ischemic bowel disease; severe or uncontrolled high blood pressure; or a headache that is not like other headaches you have had. Do not use zolmitriptan if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or phenelzine (Nardil) in the past 14 days.
Can I stop taking the medication if I feel better?
If you are taking an analgesic for pain and you are no longer experiencing the pain you may stop using the medication. In general, pain medications are to be used on an as needed basis.
I am on so many medications; do I have to take them all?
This is called polypharmacy—many different medications being used at the same time by one person. Sometimes, being on multiple medications is acceptable and appropriate but at other times it may be problematic. If you are receiving your medications from multiple physicians you need to ensure that they all know what medications you are taking. The best way to do this is to make a list of all the medications you are currently using, including all nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and over-the-counter drugs (if possible, also include all the diseases you have been diagnosed with). Give a copy to every doctor who takes care of you so they have it on file, this way they can avoid duplicating medications and perhaps even try to consolidate some. After every doctor's visit remember to update the list accordingly. Also, as much as you possibly can, try to use the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions, this way any potential drug interactions can be caught and averted.
Where can I get more information?
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