Rizatriptan and Sleepy: What Users Say

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 4, 2014

Rizatriptan for Migraine "I love Maxalt. My doctor gave it to me about 4 months ago. After years of no relief, my migraine was gone in 20 minutes! I admit I get extremely sleepy after I take it, but a 1-hour nap and I'm back in business. Much better than four days of blinding pain, that's for sure. It is very expensive, but I contacted my local clinic, and they had me fill out some forms and received a free 6-month supply, at which time I can reapply. You can also try contacting the company online, they may help depending on your income."

• She...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• July 13, 2015

Rizatriptan for Migraine "I have suffered with severe menstrual migraines for 25+ years to the point where I fantasize about amputating my head. I was on Imitrex (made me very sleepy), Relpax (worthless), generic (even worse). Maxalt is my go-to medicine. Unfortunately, it's a fight with the insurance company to get regular refills. They are trying to force me to take a generic. I used to get 12 tablets, and they changed it to 9- which 9 is not enough. When I run out, I cannot help but pray for the day I get a refill, fearing I will get a migraine before that time. When the refill day comes, I stalk my pharmacy on the phone until it is ready. Ugh... talk about 'drug-seeking'!"

• dfe...
• October 13, 2013

Rizatriptan for Migraine "I had a migraine for 7 days. When I finally couldn't take the pain anymore, I went to my doctor and was prescribed this medication. Within 20 minutes, my migraine was gone. It's heaven-sent. You have to take it as soon as you feel a migraine coming on. Also, it makes me very sleepy. But almost all medications do that to me. If you haven't taken it... get it. It will solve your migraine problems."

• Laz...
• April 19, 2009

Rizatriptan for Migraine "Maxalt almost always gets rid of my migraine with one pill. It does make me sleepy, so I take it near bedtime. When I wake up, I am groggy for up to 6 hours. That is the only side effect I have experienced. If I am having what I call a migraine marathon (up to five days), I alternate taking Maxalt and Imitrex."

• Anonymous
• June 15, 2008

Rizatriptan for Migraine "Maxalt has really changed how I felt about my migraines. Before I was prescribed Maxalt, I would suffer terribly, taking only OTC medications which 'never' helped much. Now when I feel those tell-tale signs of a migraine coming on (I do not experience any 'aura'), I take a Maxalt (and sometimes some ibuprofen, too), and I know my migraine will be gone within the hour! And I'm not sleepy."

• lyd...
• July 20, 2017

Rizatriptan for Migraine "I was prescribed this medication because I was experiencing severe migraines multiple times a month. After taking the medication, I usually have to take another pill an hour later, and my headache symptoms will go away. It makes me very sleepy and gives me slight chest pain that feels like heartburn. If I don't rest right after taking it, the headache still goes away, but I get severe nausea, dizziness, and tightness in my chest. The side effects eventually go away, but they are awful while they are occurring. The trade-off of headache and side effects doesn't seem really worth it to me, but that's just my opinion."

• Add...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 6, 2019

For Migraine "Was diagnosed with vestibular migraine last year. Initially given sumatriptan but had horrible side effects. Was switched to rizatriptan and have had very good relief. I do not have classic aura, so I'm having a hard time recognizing the beginning stages of the migraine. My prodrome is confusion, pressure behind my right eye, increased loudness of tinnitus, anxiety, and poor balance with dizziness. Sometimes I have nausea but not always. If I take rizatriptan, it makes me sleepy, chilly feeling like I need a blanket, and my feet and hands tingle a bit. I take a tablet, and generally within 40 to 60 minutes the dizziness begins to subside. I'll doze off for 90 minutes or so and awaken alert again without the previously mentioned symptoms. I'm usually quiet for the first few hours after taking the med, then I'm back to myself. This medication has been a great help to me. I'm very grateful."

• mig...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• May 14, 2020

For Migraine "This gets rid of my migraines well. Sometimes I have to take two, though, to make them go away (two 10 mg tablets). I’ve been taking Maxalt for about 8 years, and it still works, which is great. The only thing is the side effects are annoying. Sometimes I can take a Maxalt and have little side effects, and sometimes I take it, and although the pain goes away, I’m basically out of commission for the rest of the day because it makes me so sleepy and weak-feeling. Sometimes my head feels spacey too, and I get shortness of breath. The positives outweigh the negatives, though."

• Anonymous
• March 25, 2009

Rizatriptan for Migraine "Maxalt relieves my migraine in 1 hour, however, it does make me sleepy. I love the fast dissolve feature. I will have to stop using it, however, due to the rising cost, not covered by my insurance company. I am now hoping Imitrex will work as well."

• Hld...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 23, 2016

Rizatriptan for Migraine "I have suffered from migraines since I was a kid. I'm 49 now. In my mid-30s, I started taking Imitrex, and it completely derailed me. I then started trying a bunch of preventative drugs, beta blockers, calcium blockers, and SSRI drugs. Finally, I found one that works fairly well, but along with that, I use Maxalt as a rescue drug, which I still take 6+ times a month. It's a good drug and is effective. I have always noticed the migraines redouble their efforts before leaving after I take it. I also notice it makes me very sleepy and foggy. I don't like to take it at work because of that. Nine times out of ten, it works, but there are still times it does nothing for me. Some is better than none in my world, though. I take a generic due to cost."

• Anonymous
• May 30, 2009

Rizatriptan for Migraine "Maxalt-MLT is effective in arresting my migraine. It does come with a price. It makes me very sleepy, and I tend to have rebound within 24 hours and require a second dose. I do think riding the migraine out would be much worse. It is a great medicine. Nothing else has worked as well."

• A...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 28, 2015

For Migraine "I avoid drugs of all kinds, and I'm a usually healthy person. After suffering years from horribly painful headaches that would leave me vomiting all day and totally out of it (I thought it was due to a whiplash injury), my doctor prescribed Rizatriptan 10 mg. It truly is a miracle drug for me. I use the melt-away tablets and find the relief starts in about 15 minutes, and by 30 minutes, any headache is gone. I take them at the very beginning of symptoms. I do get sleepy, so I've learned that I can just take half a tablet, get the same result, and not feel so tired. I have had very slight jaw pain once or twice, and cutting back the dosage also alleviated that problem."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 12, 2019

For Migraine "I was prescribed rizatriptan 10 mg for my migraines to take when they were so bad that other medication wouldn't seem to help. I took it to help a three-day migraine, it seemed to immediately help by reducing the pain. It did make me very sleepy, and I felt a brain fog like never before. I woke up in the middle of the night with a pain in my jaw like I had been hit with a hammer, and the tip of my tongue also hurt. It lasted just about all day. The medication helped my head, but it also brought on unneeded pain, so I won't be taking it again."

• Wee...
• August 5, 2015

For Migraine "I've suffered with migraines since 1989 after head injuries from being bashed by a violent drunk at a work function. I've tried many treatments from Botox, acupuncture, massage, chiropractic, hypnotherapy, many different drugs, but the one which works the best is Maxalt. It melts the pain in 30-90 minutes depending on how soon I take the drug after the onset of symptoms. No more days of work, no more vomiting, no more suffering up to 10 days with a few days clear to suffering again. The frequency and the severity of the migraines are greatly reduced. I do get a bit sleepy, and the wafer is a little bitter, but it's better than a migraine! I just wish I could get more than 4 at a time."

• Wow...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 25, 2019

For Migraine "Rizatriptan worked great for my migraine! I put the meltable tab under my tongue, and the minty flavor wasn’t too bad either. About 30 min later, my migraine was gone, and I was asleep. I do feel foggy and sleepy today, but overall, it was amazing how fast it works. Would recommend to a friend or family member."

• Bon...
• May 18, 2015

Rizatriptan for Migraine "My migraine did not go away. It might have only marginally lessened it. I went to bed for two hours and have felt terrible all day. This medication made me very sleepy. I took a second wafer some hours later, but there was still no improvement! Now I cannot take any other migraine medication for a whole 24 hours, which is far too long. I made the mistake of taking the second wafer when the first one wasn't helping. I already had jaw pain, so reading that others get it as a side effect makes me wonder. It reminds me of Imigraine, and I thought that was useless. Sydney, Australia 2015.05.18"

• Anonymous
• April 2, 2009

"I took it for the first time today. My migraine was gone within an hour; however, it made me really sleepy. Three hours later, I'm still very groggy. Next time, I think I'll stay home from work and sleep it off. But missing work is what I'm trying to avoid. I'm incredibly thrilled that my migraine is gone, though."

• Anonymous
• May 17, 2011

Rizatriptan for Migraine "This is the only medicine that tackles my migraines. They can make me sleepy and stupid, but I'll take that over migraine pain any day."