Frovatriptan

Frovatriptan is a prescription medication used to treat migraine headaches once they have started. Frovatriptan belongs to a group of drugs called selective serotonin receptor agonists or "triptans." It works by narrowing blood vessels around the brain.

This medication comes in tablet form and is taken at the first sign of a migraine headache.

Common side effects include dizziness, tiredness, and tingling feeling. If you have these symptoms do not drive a car, use machinery, or do anything where you need to be alert.

Frovatriptan is a prescription medicine used to treat migraine attacks with or without aura (vision problems) in adults.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Frovatriptan may be found in some form under the following brand names:

• Frova

Common side effects include:

• dizziness
• fatigue (tiredness)
• headache (other than a migraine headache)
• paresthesia (feeling of tingling)
• dry mouth
• flushing (hot flashes)
• feeling hot or cold
• chest pain
• dyspepsia (indigestion)
• skeletal pain (pain in joints or bones)

Tell your doctor about any symptoms that you develop while taking frovatriptan. If you feel dizziness or fatigue, take extra care or avoid driving and operating machinery.

In very rare cases, patients taking this class of medicines experience serious heart problems, stroke, or increased blood pressure. If you develop pain, tightness, heaviness, or pressure in your chest, throat, neck, or jaw, contact your doctor right away.

Also contact your doctor right away if you develop a rash or itching after taking this medication. 

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• propranolol
• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), two types of drugs for depression or other disorders. Common SSRIs are Celexa (citalopram HBr), Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate), Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac/Sarafem (fluoxetine), Symbyax (olanzapine/fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), and fluvoxamine. Common SNRIs are Cymbalta (duloxetine) and Effexor (venlafaxine).

This is not a complete list of frovatriptan drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Do not take frovatriptan if you:

• have uncontrolled high blood pressure
• have heart disease or a history of heart disease
• have hemiplegic or basilar migraine (if you are not sure about this, ask your doctor)
• have had a stroke
• have circulation (blood flow) problems
• have taken a similar drug (a serotonin receptor agonist) in the last 24 hours. These include sumatriptan (Imitrex), naratriptan (Amerge), zolmitriptan (Zomig), rizatriptan (Maxalt), eletriptan hydrobromide (Relpax),or almotriptan (Axert)
• have taken ergotamine type medicines in the last 24 hours. These include Bellergal, Cafergot, Ergomar, Wigraine, DHE 45, or Sansert
• have any allergic reaction to frovatriptan

Frovatriptan can cause dizziness, tiredness, and tingling feeling. If you have these symptoms do not drive a car, use machinery, or do anything where you need to be alert.

Medicines can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of frovatriptan there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication.

Before receiving frovatriptan, tell your doctor if you:

• are pregnant, or planning to become pregnant
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed
• have any history of chest pain, shortness of breath, or palpitations
• have any risk factors for heart disease, including
  • high blood pressure
  • diabetes
  • high cholesterol
  • overweight
  • smoking
  • a family history of heart disease
  • past menopause
  • male over 40 years old
• are taking any other medicines, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, and herbal supplements
• have any past or present medical problems
• have previous allergies to any medicine

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

Frovatriptan falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans, though. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

It is not known if frovatriptan crosses into human milk. Because many medications can cross into human milk and because of the possibility for serious adverse reactions in nursing infants with use of this medication, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or stop the use of this medication. Your doctor and you will decide if the benefits outweigh the risk of using frovatriptan.

Take one tablet anytime after the start of your migraine headache.

If your headache comes back after your first dose, you may take a second tablet after two hours.

Do not take more than three frovatriptan tablets in a 24-hour period.

The recommended dose is a single tablet of frovatriptan 2.5 mg taken orally with fluids.

If the migraine recurs after initial relief, a second tablet may be taken, providing there is an interval of at least 2 hours between doses. The total daily dose of frovatriptan should not exceed 3 tablets (3 x 2.5 mg per 24 hour period).

If you take too much frovatriptan, contact your doctor, hospital emergency department, or poison control center right away.

Store at room temperature, 15 - 30°C (59°F - 86°F) away from moisture.

Keep this and all medicines out of the reach of children.