Eletriptan and Drowsiness: What Users Say

• Men...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 6, 2019

Eletriptan for Migraine "This worked wonders for my migraines, which I get 1-2 times monthly. Unmedicated, they last 24 hrs, and I would spend about half of that time in bed in agony. With Relpax, the pain goes away within an hour. Sometimes it comes back, and I take another Relpax tablet, and it goes away for good (until the next time around). There are no drowsy or nauseous side effects for me, and I no longer miss work or need to reschedule activities. This has SAVED ME!!"

• pra...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 13, 2013

Eletriptan for Migraine "For me, Relpax is a miracle pill. If I take it at migraine onset, the headache doesn't get worse. Unfortunately, my new insurance doesn't cover it. Sumatriptan got rid of the headache but turned me into a completely incoherent zombie for about twelve hours. I've never been so zonked out on a medication before. And it wasn't a fun kind of zonked-out. I was drowsy, got dizzy if I stood up for too long, couldn't focus on work, and couldn't legally drive a car. Rizatriptan also got rid of the headache and only made me about half as zonked out as the sumatriptan."

• Z4H...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 16, 2016

Eletriptan for Migraine "Can't live without it! I have at least one migraine a month, and this medication is always successful in bringing me relief. The side effect I experience is grogginess while it is taking effect, but once the medicine wears off, the fatigue is gone along with my migraine."

• Jam...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 14, 2014

Eletriptan for Migraine "I've suffered from migraines for about 10 years. Relpax has been the best prescription thus far to relieve my migraines. It usually kicks in within an hour of taking it; my nausea and headache go away within that hour. My insurance only covers 6 in a month, although my doctor told me that they're supposed to cover 8. I used to pay $50 for 6 pills; now I pay $10 with the copay card I found on their website (thanks to my pharmacist). Unfortunately, I get migraines a few times a month, so I use all 6 pills a month. Common side effects I get are sleepiness (when I take a Relpax, it knocks me out like Nyquil) and frequent urination (don't know how common that is). Overall, I'd highly recommend Relpax."

• Fun...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 30, 2016

Eletriptan for Migraine "Relpax is an amazing medication that completely ceases my migraine pain, nausea, and light sensitivity within an hour. I have luckily no side effects or groggy feelings. I read that it hasn't worked for some, my doctor told me if your headaches are cluster or other, then this medication will have no effect and your headache will remain. :-("

• Dan...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 31, 2015

Eletriptan for Migraine "I recently started experiencing severe migraines following a whopping concussion. They completely take me out with crazy pain, pressure, dizziness, and confusion. They often last around 12 hours and are accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Today my neurologist prescribed me Relpax. It was perfect timing as I felt a migraine coming on this evening. At first, I didn't think it was working, but right at about 45 minutes, I began to feel relief. After two hours, I feel so much better! I feel a little bit drowsy, but completely worth it! I am so grateful for Relpax! It works!"

• Cru...
• October 29, 2015

Eletriptan for Migraine "I had been taking Treximet and paying privately, as my insurance didn't have it on their formulary, and the generic, for whatever reason, didn't work. After finding out the cost was going to triple, I saw a headache specialist to find something else, and I was given Relpax samples. These are wonderful, and I now have a prescription for them! I do feel somewhat drowsy for about 12 hours after taking the Relpax, which I also have to take with one Aleve, and as some others have noted, I do find myself needing to pee more often. These side effects are definitely worth it, and my insurance covers 4 pills at a time. I wait 4 days, then get another refill, paying my copays. I also found the coupon to pay no more than $10 during a refill once per month. Yay!"

• UK ...
• June 8, 2018

Eletriptan for Migraine "Replax (Eletriptan) is the best triptan for migraine I have used, and I have used them all. It gets rid of a migraine within about 1 to 2 hours, especially if I eat after I have taken it. I do seem to get a lot of recurrence with this drug, but that is the same for all triptans, and I get a lot of migraines as a chronic sufferer. Great short-term results with Replax, but side effects are very strong sleepiness, as in I must lie down and sleep off the medication to be able to function, however, often a short nap will suffice. It does affect my ability to work, but not as much as a migraine. I get 12 tablets a month on the NHS for free, which is great, and use a VNS (vagal nerve stimulation) device as a preventative, which is slowly helping reduce my frequency. Eletriptan is not often used in the UK due to the side effects of sleepiness. My neurologist advises it tends only to be used and tolerated by more severe migraine sufferers. However, regardless of those drawbacks, it is worth trying as it does shift a severe migraine."

• Gin...
• November 8, 2016

Eletriptan for Migraine "I'm glad it works for most people - it most definitely did not work for me. My doctor warned me about feeling tingly, but that wasn't all - I took it at night like I used to do with Imitrex. My migraine had progressed to the point of not being able to function, nausea - the usual. I woke up and felt groggy, probably shouldn't have gone into work and drive my kids to school, but the pain was done. It was a good 12 hours since I had taken the medication, so I figured I was OK. Boy, was I wrong. I could not function, my brain was dead, BUT the worst part was the uncontrollable sobbing. I was crying for no apparent reason for HOURS - the whole day! I had to leave work and have my mom pick up my kids and take care of me - nausea lasted all day too. NOPE!"

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 3, 2022

For Migraine "I’ve suffered from hormonal migraines since going off the pill 7 years ago. I was first put on sumatriptan, but the max daily dose only worked most of the time and stopped working altogether about a year into taking it. My doctor switched me to eletriptan, and I’ve been on it for a year, and it’s still working. It stops my migraine within an hour, and it usually stays away with one 40 mg dose. Once, I had to take it again after 24 hours, but it stayed away after that. It’s seriously been such a lifesaver, and I hope it never stops working for me. The only reason I gave it a 9/10 instead of a 10/10 is because it does make me drowsy, and the packaging is really hard to get into. I can’t for the life of me understand why the packaging is the way it is, but it’s extremely irritating. The drowsiness isn’t too bad, but I’m noticeably tired about two hours after taking it and usually have to go to bed extra early that night. Small price to pay for such great pain relief, though."

• Anonymous
• March 14, 2011

Eletriptan for Migraine "I tried a few 'triptans.' Relpax is not the strongest one, it may take an hour before it starts to work, especially if I wait too long, hoping for the migraine to go away by itself (sometimes miracles do happen). For comparison, Imitrex works much faster for me but almost immediately sends me into a deep sleep. Relpax has minimum side effects: maybe some drowsiness and heaviness in my legs, but I can still work if necessary. For a long time, I was on Maxalt, it was less effective in relieving the pain but caused more side effects, like drowsiness and severe cramps."

• Liz...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• March 4, 2020

For Migraine "Saved my life and career. I take Relpax at least twice a week and wouldn't be able to hold down a job without it. It's the only thing that works consistently. Side effects include a short nausea phase, sometimes joint and ear pain, sleepiness, and the need to pee. It also seems to make me more emotional/teary than usual. The side effects seem worse, the longer I leave it before taking medication. It's hard to know how many of these things are actually the Relpax and how many are the migraine itself. The relief and consistent performance are well worth the side effects for me. I just wish it came in larger packets (only 4 per packet) and wasn't so difficult to get. Also, I wish they'd score their 80 mg tablets so we could halve them when the 40 mg aren't available."

• Gem...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 21, 2020

For Migraine "Eletriptan's been great. I've been using triptans for about six years now and eletriptan (generic) for about six months. I get 12 40 mg pills that I split in half; 20 mg is more than enough (5', 100 lbs), especially if I take it early in the attack. I'm not totally sure if my headache pain is true migraine or cervicogenic headaches caused by pinched nerves, but either way, eletriptan takes care of it beautifully and stops headaches that can last 2-3 days within 2 hours. Thanks to the low dosage, I don't really get the usual triptan sleepiness or 'fuzzy' feeling. Unfortunately, the migraines always come back, sometimes within 24 hrs, so I'm trying to wean myself off triptans and caffeine to see if it helps. But eletriptan's always there in a pinch."

• Dtb...
• December 4, 2021

For Migraine "I tried low-dose eletriptan for my migraines, and overall the experience was okay. I didn’t have any major side effects, but a whole pill did give me weak, heavy, achy arms and drowsiness. Half a pill and some ibuprofen or staggering half a pill then the other half an hour later seemed to avoid the side effects for me, but it can be a hit or miss for actually treating the pain. It takes it down a notch or two usually, but you HAVE to take it at the first onset of pain. I don’t get aura with mine, so I can’t ever tell when my tension headaches are going to turn into migraines, which makes taking this hard. Overall, it’s an okay option, but I’ll be looking for something that’s a better fit for me."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 10, 2019

For Migraine "Eletriptan is currently my preferred triptan for treating migraine attacks. So far it worked really well. Within 2 or 3 hours, all migraine symptoms are usually gone, and this is awesome. A few times I took this in the middle of a full-blown attack (way later than early onset), and it still worked fine. Side effects are very manageable - drowsiness within the first couple of hours and a feverish feeling. (I have a slight doubt about rebound. I seem to drag the migraine for a few days since I use Eletriptan. But it is very hard to prove that the drug is the culprit, and I might as well be experiencing recurrence or several attacks in a row.)"