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Does Ubrelvy cause rebound headaches?

Medically reviewed by Philip Thornton, DipPharm. Last updated on Oct 2, 2023.

Official answer

by Drugs.com

Rebound or medication overuse headache has not been reported to be an issue for people using Ubrelvy (ubrogepant) to treat their migraine headaches.

Rebound headache can occur after frequent use of painkillers or other medications, such as triptans or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). It typically occurs in people who use these medications to treat headache disorders, such as migraine. People suffering from rebound headaches find that as their medication wears off a dull constant headache appears, which can lead to a vicious cycle resulting in more medication use and more headaches.

Ubrelvy belongs to a group of medications known as small molecule calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists or gepants. It is available in tablet form (50 and 100mg) and is taken orally.

Ubrelvy is used to treat migraine with or without aura and can be taken twice in a 24 hour period, up to a maximum of Ubrelvy 200mg per day. A minimum of 2 hours between doses is necessary. It’s not known whether it’s safe to use Ubrelvy for the treatment of more than 8 migraines in 30 days.

References

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Ubrelvy, Qulipta and Nurtec ODT are all medicines used by adults for migraines. They are all from the same group of medicines often called gepants but their full name is calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist. Continue reading

Ubrelvy and Imitrex are both oral tablets used to treat migraine, but there are differences in the way they work. Ubrelvy prevents a protein called CGRP thought to play a role in migraine attacks from binding to its receptor and Imitrex is thought to bind to serotonin 5‑HT1B/1D receptors, and inhibit pro-inflammatory substances Although no head-to-head comparison trials compare Ubrelvy to Imitrex, indirect evidence suggests that overall, Ubrelvy is no more effective, and may be inferior to Imitrex at relieving migraine in adults who are able to tolerate triptans. For those adults with moderate-to-severe migraine attacks that cannot tolerate triptans or who have found them ineffective, Ubrelvy is beneficial for treating migraines compared to no treatment. Ubrelvy is associated with fewer side effects than Imitrex, but is more expensive, costing almost twice as much. Continue reading

Some patients may not be able to use NSAIDs or triptans to treat acute migraine headaches due to side effects or health conditions. In these circumstances, newer agents like Ubrelvy (ubrogepant), a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonist, may be an appropriate option. Continue reading

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