Relpax^®
(eletriptan)

Eletriptan is an antimigraine medication, and should not be used to relieve any kind of pain other than Migraine.  Many people find that their Migraines go away completely after they take eletriptan. Other people find that their Migraines are much less painful, and that they are able to go back to their normal activities even though their Migraines are not completely gone. Eletriptan often relieves symptoms that occur together with Migraine pain, such as nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light, and sensitivity to sound.

How supplied: 20 mg and 40 mg tablets.

Precautions:
Eletriptan is generally not prescribed under these conditions:

• heart disease or history of heart disease
• uncontrolled hypertension
• basilar or hemiplegic Migraines
• history of stroke or circulation problems
• serious liver problems
• Do NOT take Relpax^® within 24 hours of taking any other triptan (sumatriptan/Imitrex^®/Imigran^®, zolmitriptan/Zomig^®, rizatriptan/Maxalt^®, naratriptan/Amerge^®, almotriptan/Axert^®, frovatriptan/Frova^®) unless specifically told to do so by your doctor.
• Do NOT take Imitrex within 24 hours of taking any ergotamine medication such as DHE or Migranal^®.

Pregnancy and Breastfeeding:

• FDA pregnancy category C. This means that it is not known whether this drug will harm an unborn baby. Do not take this medication without first talking to your doctor if you are pregnant or could become pregnant during treatment.
• It is not known whether this medication passes into breast milk. Do not take without talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Other medical conditions:
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of eletriptan. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially those listed below. Heart or blood vessel disease and high blood pressure sometimes do not cause any symptoms, so some people do not know that they have these problems. Before deciding whether you should use eletriptan, your doctor may need to do some tests to make sure that you do not have any of these conditions.

• heart disease or history of heart disease
• uncontrolled hypertension
• basilar or hemiplegic Migraines
• history of stroke or circulation problems
• serious liver problems

Other medications:
Be sure to tell your doctor if you are taking any other prescription or over-the-counter medications, especially other prescription medicine for Migraine or depression.

• Do not take eletriptan if you have taken any of the following within the prior 72 hours:
  • clarithromycin (Biaxin®)
  • itraconazole (Sporanox®)
  • ketoconazole (Nizoral®)
  • nefazodone (Serzone®)
  • nelfinavir (Viracept®). .
  • ritonavir (Norvir®)
  • troleandomycin (TAO®)
• Do not take eletriptan if you have taken any of the following medicines within the prior 24 hours:
  • ergot-based medications such as methysergide (Sansert), ergotamine (Ergostat), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E., Migranal Nasal Spray), and ergotamine combination products (Cafergot, Ercaf, Wigraine, Cafatine, Cafatine-PB, Cafetrate).
  • another triptan such as eletriptan (Maxalt, Maxalt-MLT), naratriptan (Amerge), zolmitriptan (Zomig), almotriptan (Axert), frovatriptan (Frova), or eletriptan (Relpax)
• Before taking eletriptan, tell your doctor if you are taking
  • a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) such as fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), or citalopram (Celexa); or
  • propranolol (Inderal)

Potential side effects:

• Stop using eletriptan and contact your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
  • severe chest pain
  • shortness of breath
• Some of the following effects, such as nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, dizziness, and general feeling of illness or tiredness, often occur during or after a migraine, even when eletriptan has not been used. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:
  • weakness
  • dizziness
  • tiredness
  • nausea
  • pain or sensation of pressure in the chest or throat

Brand Names:

• U.S.: Relpax

More Information:

• FDA-approved prescribing info, Relpax®