Rizatriptan

Rizatriptan is a tablet you can take to relieve migraine symptoms, whether or not you experience an aura. It's a type of medication known as a selective serotonin receptor agonist. Similar to sumatriptan, almotriptan, frovatriptan, naratriptan, and eletriptan, it's specifically designed to treat migraines. These medications are often referred to as 'triptans' because of their similar names, and they generally work in the same manner.

Triptans, such as Rizatriptan, aren't designed to stop migraines from happening. They're meant to relieve symptoms once a migraine starts. If you often experience migraines, it might be helpful to keep a diary to track and identify potential triggers, which could help reduce their frequency.

Migraine symptoms are believed to result from temporary changes in your brain's chemistry, causing its blood vessels to widen. Rizatriptan works by attaching to your serotonin receptors, which helps the blood vessels around your brain to narrow. This reduces the transmission of pain signals and helps improve your symptoms.

Rizatriptan works in a particular way, so it's not suitable for treating regular tension headaches or any other type of pain relief. It won't be effective, and taking too many painkillers or triptans can cause what's known as a medication overuse headache. This happens when headaches start occurring due to withdrawal symptoms.

Rizatriptan comes in two doses: 5mg and 10mg. The usual recommended dose is 10mg. However, if you're taking propranolol or have kidney or liver issues, you'll probably be given the 5mg dose.

Migraine treatments typically come in one of the following forms:

Rizatriptan is a type of triptan that works like other triptans by attaching to your serotonin receptors. This helps to reduce the swelling in your brain's blood vessels and ease your symptoms. However, different triptans might work better for some people than others. For example, frovatriptan stays in your body for a longer time but takes a bit longer to start working. On the other hand, sumatriptan begins to relieve symptoms quickly but doesn't last as long in your system.

Finding the right treatment for you might require a bit of trial and error. If you're unsure where to begin, have a chat with us about your health, and our expert team can guide you in the right direction.

Rizatriptan has a branded version known as Maxalt. Both Rizatriptan and Maxalt come in the same forms and doses of the active ingredient. Therefore, they will work similarly to relieve your symptoms, but they're made by different companies in different laboratories.

Branded medicines often cost a bit more than generic ones, so you may notice that Maxalt is slightly pricier than Rizatriptan.

Yes, you'll need a prescription for Rizatriptan.

Triptans aren't right for everyone. Your clinician will want to confirm that you have migraine headaches rather than another type of headache, and ensure your symptoms aren't due to a different condition.