Rizatriptan Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Aug 4, 2024.

Applies to rizatriptan: oral tablet, oral tablet disintegrating.

Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check the progress of you or your child at regular visits. This will allow your doctor to see if the medicine is working properly and to decide if you or your child should continue to take it.

Do not use this medicine if you or your child have used other triptan or ergot-type migraine medicines within the past 24 hours. Some examples of triptan medicines are almotriptan (Axert™), eletriptan (Relpax®), frovatriptan (Frova®), naratriptan (Amerge®), sumatriptan (Imitrex®, Treximet®), and zolmitriptan (Zomig®). Some examples of ergot-type medicines are dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45®, Migranal®), ergotamine (Bellergal®, Cafergot®, Ergomar®, or Wigraine®), and methysergide (Sansert®). Do not take this medicine within 2 weeks after taking an MAO inhibitor, such as Eldepryl®, Marplan®, Nardil®, or Parnate®. Do not use this medicine if you are using propranolol (Inderal®, Inderal® LA, InnoPran XL®).

Check with your doctor if you or your child used this medicine and your migraine did not go away, or if your migraine got worse or started occurring more often.

This medicine may increase your risk of having abnormal heart rhythm, heart attack, angina, or stroke. This is more likely to occur if you or a family member already has heart disease, if you have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, if you smoke, if you are male and over 40 years of age, or if you are female and have gone through menopause. Call your doctor right away if you have chest pain or discomfort, confusion, difficulty with speaking, double vision, headaches, inability to move the arms, legs, or facial muscles, uneven heartbeat, nausea or vomiting, pain or discomfort in the shoulders, arms, jaw, back, or neck, trouble breathing, slow speech, or sweating.

Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have chest discomfort, jaw or neck tightness after taking this medicine. Also, tell your doctor if you have sudden or severe stomach pain or bloody diarrhea after using this medicine.

Check with your doctor right away if you have blurred vision, difficulty with reading, or any other change in vision while you or your child are using this medicine. Your doctor may want you to have your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor).

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis and angioedema, which can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention. Check with your doctor right away if you have chest tightness, cough, difficulty swallowing, dizziness, fast heartbeat, hives, itching, skin rash, large, hive-like swelling on face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, hands, legs, feet, or sex organs, puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Using rizatriptan alone or in combination with other migraine medicines for 10 or more days per month may lead to worsening of headache. You may keep a headache diary to record the headache frequency and drug use.

Make sure your doctor knows about all the other medicines you are using. Rizatriptan may cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome when taken with some medicines. This includes medicines to treat depression, including citalopram (Celexa®), duloxetine (Cymbalta®), escitalopram (Lexapro®), fluoxetine (Prozac®, Sarafem®, or Symbyax®), fluvoxamine (Luvox®), olanzapine (Zyprexa®), paroxetine (Paxil®), sertraline (Zoloft®), or venlafaxine (Effexor®). Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have agitation, confusion, diarrhea, excitement while talking that is not normal, fever, overactive reflexes, poor coordination, restlessness, shivering, sweating, trembling or shaking that you cannot control, or twitching. These could be symptoms of serotonin syndrome.

Drinking alcoholic beverages can make headaches worse or cause new headaches to occur. People who suffer from severe headaches should probably avoid alcoholic beverages, especially during a headache.

Some people feel dizzy or drowsy during or after a migraine, or after taking rizatriptan to relieve a migraine. As long as you are feeling dizzy or drowsy, do not drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are dizzy or not alert.

This medicine may increase your blood pressure. Talk to your doctor if you have any concerns.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Serious side effects of rizatriptan

Along with its needed effects, rizatriptan may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking rizatriptan:

Other side effects of rizatriptan

Some side effects of rizatriptan may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

For healthcare professionals

Applies to rizatriptan: oral film, oral tablet, oral tablet disintegrating.

General adverse events

The most commonly reported adverse reactions include pain/pressure sensation, asthenia/fatigue, somnolence, and dizziness.^[Ref]

Cardiovascular

• Common (1% to 10%): Palpitation, chest pain (tightness/pressure and/or heaviness), flushing
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Tachycardia, cold extremities, bradycardia, arrhythmia, ECG abnormalities
• Rare (less than 0.1%): Syncope, edema/swelling
• Frequency not reported: Acute myocardial infarction, blood pressure elevations
• Postmarketing reports: Peripheral vascular ischemia^[Ref]

Rarely, patients with and without a history of hypertension have experienced significant blood pressure elevations including hypertensive crisis with the use of triptans including this drug. Increases of approximately 2 to 3 mmHg have been observed in healthy subjects receiving 10 mg of this drug every 2 hours for 3 doses.^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Common (1% to 10%): Dry mouth, nausea
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Vomiting, diarrhea, dyspepsia, tongue edema, abdominal distention, thirst
• Frequency not reported: Ischemic colitis^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Very common (10% or more): Dizziness (14%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Paresthesia, headache, somnolence, tremor
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Vertigo, confusion/disorientation, gait abnormality, memory impairment, abnormal coordination
• Frequency not reported: Serotonin syndrome
• Postmarketing reports: Seizure, dysgeusia^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

• Postmarketing reports: Allergic conditions including anaphylaxis/anaphylactoid reaction, angioedema, wheezing, and toxic epidermal necrolysis^[Ref]

Other

• Common (1% to 10%): Asthenia/fatigue, neck/throat/jaw pain/tightness/pressure, warm sensation
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Tinnitus
• Rare (less than 0.1%): Hypoacusis^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Facial edema, sweating, pruritus, rash, urticaria
• Rare (less than 0.1%): Erythema
• Frequency not reported: Toxic epidermal necrolysis^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Muscle weakness, stiffness, myalgia, muscle cramp/spasm
• Postmarketing reports: Facial pain^[Ref]

Ocular

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Blurred vision
• Rare (less than 0.1%): Eye swelling^[Ref]

Psychiatric

• Common (1% to 10%): Euphoria, insomnia
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Agitation, hallucination^[Ref]

Respiratory

• Common (1% to 10%): Dyspnea
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Pharyngeal edema^[Ref]

See also:

Frequently asked questions

• How often can you take Maxalt?
• How long does it take for Maxalt to work?
• Does Maxalt have caffeine in it?

Further information

Rizatriptan side effects can vary depending on the individual. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Note: Medication side effects may be underreported. If you are experiencing side effects that are not listed, submit a report to the FDA by following this guide.

Medical Disclaimer