Almotriptan (Systemic)

Brand Names : Axert

Before Using This Medicine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For almotriptan, the following should be considered:

Allergies - Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to almotriptan. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy - Almotriptan has not been studied in pregnant women. However, in some animal studies, almotriptan caused harmful effects to the fetus. These unwanted effects usually occurred when almotriptan was given in amounts that were large enough to cause harmful effects in the mother.

Breast-feeding - It is not known whether almotriptan passes into human breast milk. Although most medicines pass into breast milk in small amounts, many of them may be used safely while breast-feeding. Mothers who are taking this medicine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctor.

Children - Studies on this medicine have been done only in patients 18 years of age and older, and there is no specific information comparing use of almotriptan in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults - Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of almotriptan in the elderly with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines - Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine, especially other prescription medicine for migraine headaches, or if you smoke tobacco.

Other medical problems - The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of almotriptan. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Angina (chest pain) or
• Heart or blood vessel disease or
• High blood pressure or
• Kidney disease or
• Liver disease or
• Stroke (history of) - The chance of side effects may be increased. 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 almotriptan, your doctor may need to do some tests to make sure that you do not have any of these conditions.