Axert Side Effects

Please note - some side effects for Axert may not be reported. Always consult your doctor or healthcare specialist for medical advice. You may also report side effects to the FDA at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/ or 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088).

Side Effects of Axert - for the Consumer

Axert

All medicines may cause side effects, but many people have no, or minor, side effects. Check with your doctor if any of these most COMMON side effects persist or become bothersome when using Axert:

Dizziness; drowsiness; dry mouth; headache; nausea; sleepiness; vomiting.

Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); bloody diarrhea; changes in vision; chest pain; cold, pale, or blue-colored fingers or toes; confusion; fainting; fast or irregular heartbeat; numbness and tingling of hands or feet; one-sided weakness; seizures; severe headache, dizziness, or vomiting; severe stomach pain; shortness of breath; slurred speech; tightness, pain, or pressure in the jaw, neck, or chest; wheezing.

Axert Side Effects - for the Professional

Axert

Serious cardiac events, including  myocardial infarction and coronary artery vasospasm, have occurred following  the use of Axert®(almotriptan malate) Tablets. These events are extremely rare and most have been reported in patients with risk factors predictive of CAD. Events reported in association with drugs in this class have included coronary artery vasospasm, transient myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation.

Incidence in Controlled Clinical Trials

Adverse events were assessed in controlled clinical trials that included 1840 patients who received one or two doses of Axert® and 386 patients who received placebo.

The most common adverse events during treatment with Axert® were nausea, somnolence, headache, paresthesia, and dry mouth. In long-term open-label studies where patients were allowed to treat multiple attacks for up to one year, 5% (63 out of 1347 patients) withdrew due to adverse experiences.

Table 2 lists the adverse events that occurred in at least 1% of the patients treated with Axert®, and at an incidence greater than in patients treated with placebo, regardless of drug relationship. These events reflect experience gained under closely monitored conditions of clinical trials in a highly selected patient population. In actual clinical practice or in other clinical trials, these frequency estimates may not apply, as the conditions of use, reporting behavior, and the kinds of patients treated may differ.

Axert® is generally well tolerated. Most adverse events were mild in intensity and were transient, and did not lead to long-lasting effects. The incidence of adverse events in controlled clinical trials was not affected by gender, weight, age, presence of aura, or use of prophylactic medications or oral contraceptives. There were insufficient data to assess the effect of race on the incidence of adverse events.

Other Events

In this section, the frequencies of less commonly reported adverse events are presented. However, the role of Axert® in their causation cannot be reliably determined. Furthermore, variability associated with adverse event reporting, the terminology used to describe adverse events, etc., limit the value of the quantitative frequency estimates provided. Event frequencies are calculated as the number of patients who used Axert® in controlled clinical trials and reported an event, divided by the total number of patients exposed to Axert® in these studies. All reported events are included, except the ones already listed in the previous table, those unlikely to be drug-related, and those poorly characterized. Events are further classified within body system categories and enumerated in order of decreasing frequency using the following definitions: frequent adverse events are those occurring in at least 1/100 patients; infrequent adverse events are those occurring in 1/100 to 1/1000 patients; and rare adverse events are those occurring in fewer than 1/1000 patients.

Body: Frequent: headache. Infrequent: abdominal cramp or pain, asthenia, chills, back pain, chest pain, neck pain, fatigue, and rigid neck. Rare: fever and photosensitivity reaction.

Cardiovascular: Infrequent: vasodilation, palpitations, and tachycardia. Rare: hypertension and syncope.

Digestive:Infrequent: diarrhea, vomiting, and dyspepsia. Rare: colitis, gastritis, gastroenteritis, esophageal reflux, increased thirst, and increased salivation.

Metabolic: Infrequent: hyperglycemia and increased serum creatine phosphokinase. Rare: increased gamma glutamyl transpeptidase and hypercholesteremia.

Musculo-Skeletal: Infrequent: myalgia and muscular weakness. Rare: arthralgia, arthritis, and myopathy.

Nervous: Frequent: dizziness and somnolence. Infrequent: tremor, vertigo, anxiety, hypesthesia, restlessness, CNS stimulation, insomnia, and shakiness. Rare: change in dreams, impaired concentration, abnormal coordination, depressive symptoms, euphoria, hyperreflexia, hypertonia, nervousness, neuropathy, nightmares, and nystagmus.

Respiratory: Infrequent: pharyngitis, rhinitis, dyspnea, laryngismus, sinusitis, bronchitis, and epistaxis. Rare: hyperventilation, laryngitis, and sneezing.

Skin: Infrequent: diaphoresis, dermatitis, erythema, pruritus, and rash.

Special Senses: Infrequent: ear pain, conjunctivitis, eye irritation, hyperacusis, and taste alteration. Rare: diplopia, dry eyes, eye pain, otitis media, parosmia, scotoma, and tinnitus.

Urogenital: Infrequent: dysmenorrhea.

Postmarketing Experience

The following section enumerates potentially important adverse events that have occurred in clinical practice and that have been reported spontaneously to various surveillance systems. The events enumerated represent reports arising from both domestic and non-domestic use of almotriptan and exclude those events already listed elsewhere as adverse reactions, or those events too general to be informative. Because the reports cite events reported spontaneously from worldwide postmarketing experience, frequency of events and the role of almotriptan in their causation cannot be reliably determined.

Coronary artery vasospasm, intermediate coronary syndrome, and myocardial infarction.

Seizures have been reported with 5–HT1 agonists, including almotriptan.

Side Effects by Body System

Cardiovascular

In one study (n=20), significant effects were reported for the maximal change in diastolic blood pressure and for the maximal and mean change in systolic blood pressure.

Cardiovascular side effects, some fatal, have occurred following the use of 5-HT1 agonists. These events are extremely rare and most have been reported in patients with risk factors predictive of CAD. Such effects include coronary artery vasospasm, transient myocardial ischemia, myocardial infarction, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation. Less frequently reported cardiovascular side effects have included vasodilation, palpitations, and tachycardia. Hypertension and syncope have been rarely reported.

General

General side effects have included headache, abdominal pain or cramp, asthenia, chills, back pain, chest pain, neck pain, fatigue, and rigid neck. Fever and photosensitivity reaction have been rarely reported. Sensations of tightness, pain, pressure, and heaviness in the precordium, throat, neck, and jaw have been reported after treatment with almotriptan. (These events were not associated with arrhythmias or ischemic ECG changes in clinical trials.)

Gastrointestinal

Gastrointestinal side effects including nausea and dry mouth have been frequently reported. Less frequently reported gastrointestinal side effects have included diarrhea, vomiting, and dyspepsia. Colitis, gastritis, gastroenteritis, esophageal reflux, increased thirst, and increased salivation have been rarely reported.

Metabolic

Metabolic side effects reported infrequently have included hyperglycemia and increased serum creatine phosphokinase. Increased gamma glutamyltransferase and hypercholesterolemia have been rarely reported.

Musculoskeletal

Musculoskeletal side effects have included myalgia and muscular weakness. Arthralgia, arthritis, and myopathy have been rarely reported.

Nervous system

Nervous system side effects frequently reported have included paraesthesia, dizziness, and somnolence. Less frequently reported nervous system side effects have included tremor, vertigo, anxiety, hyperesthesia, restlessness, CNS stimulation, insomnia, and shakiness. Altered dreams, impaired concentration, abnormal coordination, depressive symptoms, euphoria, hyperreflexia, hypertonia, nervousness, neuropathy, nightmares, and nystagmus have been rarely reported.

Respiratory

Respiratory side effects including pharyngitis, rhinitis, dyspnea, laryngismus, sinusitis, bronchitis, and epistaxis have been reported infrequently. Hyperventilation, laryngitis, and sneezing have been reported rarely.

Dermatologic

Dermatologic side effects including diaphoresis, dermatitis, erythema, pruritus, and rash have been infrequently reported.

Other

Special sense reactions have included ear pain, conjunctivitis, eye irritation, hyperacusis, and taste alteration. Diplopia, dry eyes, eye pain, otitis media, parosmia, scotoma, and tinnitus have been rarely reported.

Genitourinary

Genitourinary side effects reported infrequently have included dysmenorrhea.

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