Rizatriptan is prescribed to treat the symptoms of migraine headaches. Rizatriptan is in a class of medications called selective serotonin receptor agonists. It works by narrowing blood vessels in the brain, stopping pain signals from being sent to the brain, and blocking the release of naturally occurring chemical transmitters that cause pain, nausea and other symptoms of a migraine. Rizatriptan does not prevent migraine attacks or reduce the number or frequency of headaches.

Rizatriptan comes as a tablet and an orally disintegrating tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken at the first sign of a migraine headache.

Follow the directions on the package or prescription label carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take rizatriptan exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it, or take it more often than directed by the package label or prescribed by your doctor.

Call your doctor if your headaches do not get better or occur more frequently after taking rizatriptan.
If you take rizatriptan more often or for longer than the recommended period of time, your headaches may get worse or may occur more frequently. You should not take rizatriptan or any other headache medication for more than 10 days per month. Call your doctor if you need to take rizatriptan to treat more than four headaches in a one-month period.

Ask your pharmacist or doctor for a copy of the manufacturer's information for the patient.

It takes approximately 30 minutes for rizatriptan to work for migraine symptoms.¹

Recommended dosing for adults for migraine headaches is 5 mg to 10 mg, once per day. If symptoms haven’t improved two hours after the first dose, a second dose can be taken. However, not more than 30 mg should be taken in a 24-hour period.²

Users should not take rizatriptan more than 10 days in a 30-day period.

Rizatriptan oral tablets is prescribed in dosages of 5 mg or 10 mg.³ Rizatriptan oral disintegrating tablets (ODT) are prescribed in dosages of 5 mg or 10 mg as well.⁴

You can get rizatriptan online from a telehealth provider like RedBox Rx. Rizatriptan is not available over the counter and requires a prescription.

You can get rizatriptan, if prescribed, online without insurance from RedBox Rx for as low as $3.33 per dose.

Before taking rizatriptan:

• Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to rizatriptan, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in rizatriptan tablets or orally disintegrating tablets. Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients.

• Do not take rizatriptan if you have taken any of the following medications in the past 24 hours: other selective serotonin receptor agonists such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (REPLAX®), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex) or zolmitriptan (Zomig); or ergot-type medications such as bromocriptine (Parlodel), cabergoline, dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45, Migranal), ergoloid mesylates (Hydergine), ergonovine (Ergotrate), ergotamine (Cafergot, Ergomar), methylergonovine (Methergine), methysergide (Sansert) or pergolide (Permax).

• Do not take rizatriptan if you are taking a monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil) or tranylcypromine (Parnate), or if you have taken one of these medications in the past two weeks.

• Tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, or herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: acetaminophen (Tylenol); antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil), amoxapine (Asendin), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Adapin, Sinequan), imipramine (Tofranil), nortriptyline (Aventyl, Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil)or trimipramine (Surmontil); aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) or naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn); propranolol (Inderal); selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, in Symbyax), paroxetine (Paxil) or sertraline (Zoloft); or selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as desvenlafaxine (PRISTIQ ® , duloxetine (Cymbalta), sibutramine (Meridia) or venlafaxine (Effexor). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you more carefully for side effects.

• Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had heart disease; a heart attack; angina (chest pain); irregular heartbeats; stroke or mini-stroke; or circulation problems such as varicose veins, blood clots in the legs, Raynaud's disease (problems with blood flow to the fingers, toes, ears and nose) or ischemic bowel disease (bloody diarrhea and stomach pain caused by decreased blood flow to the intestines). Your doctor may tell you not to take rizatriptan.

• Tell your doctor if you smoke or are overweight; if you have or have ever had high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, or kidney or liver disease; if you have gone through menopause (change of life); or if any family members have or have ever had heart disease or stroke.

• Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant or are breastfeeding. If you plan to be sexually active while you are taking this medication, talk to your doctor about effective methods of birth control. If you become pregnant while taking rizatriptan, call your doctor.

• You should know that rizatriptan may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication will affect you.

• Talk to your doctor about your headache symptoms to make sure they are caused by migraine. Rizatriptan should not be used to treat hemiplegic or basilar migraine, or headaches caused by other conditions (such as cluster headaches).

• If you have phenylketonuria (PKU, an inherited condition in which a special diet must be followed to prevent damage to your brain that can cause severe intellectual disability), you should know that the orally disintegrating tablets contain aspartame that forms phenylalanine.
  

You can maintain your normal diet while on rizatriptan, unless your medical provider tells you differently.

Rizatriptan is meant to be taken only at the onset of a migraine attack and not on a continued basis.

Side effects of rizatriptan include:

• Drowsiness.

• Dizziness.

• Tiredness.

• Upset stomach.

• Vomiting.

• Diarrhea.

• Muscle pain or cramps.

• Tremors.

• Flushing (feeling of warmth).

• Dry mouth.

Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away.

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Do not remove tablets from the blister pack until just before use. Store the medication at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community.

In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at 1-800-222-1222. Information is also available online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at 911.

Keep all appointments with your doctor. Your blood pressure should be checked regularly.
You should keep a headache diary by writing down when you have headaches and when you take rizatriptan.

Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all the prescription and nonprescription (over the counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.

Brand names for rizatriptan include:⁵

• Maxalt®

• Maxalt-MLT ®

• RizaFilm ®
  

1. Drugs.com

2. Drugs.com

3. Drugs.com

4. National Institutes of Health

5. Mayo Clinic

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