Do not take RIZATRIPTAN if:
- you are allergic (hypersensitive) to rizatriptan benzoate or any of the other ingredients of RIZATRIPTAN
- you have moderately severe or severe high blood pressure, or mild high blood pressure that is not controlled by medication
- you have or have ever had heart problems including heart attack or pain on the chest (angina) or you have experienced heart disease related signs
- you have severe liver or severe kidney problems
- you have had a stroke (cerebrovascular accident CVA) or mini stroke (transient ischaemic attack TIA)
- you have blockage problems with your arteries (peripheral vascular disease)
- you are taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors such as moclobemide, phenelzine, tranylcypromine, or pargyline (drugs against depression), or linezolid (an antibiotic), or if it has been less than two weeks since you stopped taking MAO inhibitors
- you are now taking ergotamine-type medications, such as ergotamine or dihydro-ergotamine to treat your migraine or methysergide to prevent a migraine attack
- you are taking any other drug in the same class, such as sumatriptan, naratriptan, or zolmitriptan to treat your migraine (see Taking with other medicines below).
If you are not sure if any of the above apply to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking RIZATRIPTAN.
Take special care with RIZATRIPTAN if you:
Before you take RIZATRIPTAN, tell your doctor or pharmacist, if:
- you have any of the following risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, diabetes, you smoke or you are using nicotine substitution, your family has a history of heart disease, you are a man over 40 years of age, or you are a postmenopausal woman
- you have kidney or liver problems
- you have a particular problem with the way your heart beats (bundle branch block)
- you have or have had any allergies
- your headache is associated with dizziness, difficulty in walking, lack of coordination or weakness in the leg and arm
- you use herbal preparation containing St. John's wort
- you have had allergic reaction like swelling of face, lips, tongue and/or throat which may cause difficulty breathing and/or swallowing (angioedema).
- you are taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as sertraline, escitalopram oxalate, and fluoxetine or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as venlafaxine, and duloxetine for depression.
- you have had short lived symptoms including chest pain and tightness.
If you take RIZATRIPTAN too often this may result in you getting a chronic headache. In such cases you should contact your doctor as you may have to stop taking RIZATRIPTAN.
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist about your symptoms. Your doctor will decide if you have migraine. You should take RIZATRIPTAN only for a migraine attack. RIZATRIPTAN should not be used to treat headaches that might be caused by other, more serious conditions.
Please tell your doctor if you are taking or have recently taken or plan to take, any other medicines including medicines obtained without a prescription. This includes herbal medicines and those you normally take for a migraine. This is because RIZATRIPTAN can affect the way some medicines work. Also, other medicines can affect RIZATRIPTAN.
Taking with other medicines
Do not take RIZATRIPTAN:
- if you are already taking a 5-HT1B/1D agonist (sometimes referred to as ‘triptans’), such as sumatriptan, naratriptan or zolmitriptan.
- if you are taking a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor such as moclobemide, phenelzine, tranylcypromine, linezolid, or pargyline or if it has been less than two weeks since you stopped taking an MAO inhibitor.
- if you use ergotamine-type medications such as ergotamine or dihydro-ergotamine to treat your migraine
- if you use methysergide to prevent a migraine attack.
The above listed medicines when taken with RIZATRIPTAN may increase the risk of side effects.
You should wait at least 6 hours after taking RIZATRIPTAN before you take ergotamine-type medications such as ergotamine or dihydro-ergotamine or methysergide.
You should wait at least 24 hours after taking ergotamine- type medications before taking RIZATRIPTAN.
Ask your doctor for instructions and the risks about taking RIZATRIPTAN
- if you are taking propranolol (see section 3: How to take RIZATRIPTAN).
- if you are taking SSRIs such as sertraline, escitalopram oxalate, and fluoxetine or SNRIs such as venlafaxine, and duloxetine for depression.
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription.
Taking RIZATRIPTAN with food and drink:
RIZATRIPTAN can take longer to work if it is taken after food. Although it is better to take it on an empty stomach, you can still take it if you have eaten.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding
It is not known whether RIZATRIPTAN is harmful to an unborn baby when taken by a pregnant woman.
Talk to your doctor before taking this medicine if you are pregnant, planning to get pregnant or are breastfeeding. Breastfeeding should be avoided for 24 hours after treatment.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.
Use in children
The use of RIZATRIPTAN oral lyophilisates in children under 18 years of age is not recommended.
Use in patients older than 65 years
There have been no full studies to look at how safe and effective RIZATRIPTAN is amongst patients older than 65 years.
Driving or using machines
You may feel sleepy or dizzy while taking RIZATRIPTAN. If this happens, do not drive or use any tools or machines.
Important information about some of the ingredients of RIZATRIPTAN
RIZATRIPTAN MSD 5 mg, orodispergeerbare tabletten
Phenylketonuric patients: Contains a source of phenylalanine. May be harmful for people with phenylketonuria. Each 5-mg RIZATRIPTAN oral lyophilisate contains 1.88 mg of aspartame (which contains phenylalanine).
RIZATRIPTAN MSD 10 mg, orodispergeerbare tabletten
Phenylketonuric patients: Contains a source of phenylalanine. May be harmful for people with phenylketonuria. Each 10-mg RIZATRIPTAN oral lyophilisate contains 3.75 mg of aspartame (which contains phenylalanine).