Naratriptan (Oral Route)

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Proper Use

Do not use naratriptan for a headache that is different from your usual migraines. Talk to your doctor about what to do for regular headaches.

To relieve your migraine as soon as possible, take naratriptan with water or other liquids as soon as the headache pain begins. Even if you get warning signals of a coming migraine (an aura), you should wait until the headache pain starts before using naratriptan.

Lying down in a quiet, dark room for a while after taking this medicine may help relieve your migraine.

Ask your doctor ahead of time about any other medicine you may take if naratriptan does not work. After you take the other medicine, check with your doctor as soon as possible. Headaches that are not relieved by naratriptan are sometimes caused by conditions that need other treatment.

If you feel much better after a dose of naratriptan, but your headache comes back or gets worse after a while, you may use more naratriptan. However, use this medicine only as directed by your doctor. Do not use more of it, and do not use it more often, than directed. Using too much naratriptan may increase the chance of side effects.

If your pain does not does not improve after the first dose of medicine, do not take a second dose. Call your doctor.

Your doctor may direct you to take another medicine to help prevent headaches. It is important that you follow your doctor's directions, even if your headaches continue to occur. Headache-preventing medicines may take several weeks to start working. Even after they do start working, your headaches may not go away completely. However, your headaches should occur less often, and they should be less severe and easier to relieve. This can reduce the amount of naratriptan or other pain medicines that you need. If you do not notice any improvement after several weeks of headache-preventing treatment, check with your doctor.

Using this medicine for 10 or more days per month may make your headache worse (medication overuse headache). If your headache becomes worse, call your doctor. It is also important that you write down when you have migraine headaches and when you take this medicine.

This medicine comes with a patient information leaflet. It is very important that you read and understand this information. Be sure to ask your doctor about anything you do not understand.

Dosing

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

• For oral dosage form (tablets):
  • For migraine headaches:
    • Adults—1 or 2.5 milligrams (mg) taken as a single dose. If the migraine comes back after being relieved, another dose may be taken 4 hours after the last dose. Do not take more than 5 mg in any 24-hour period.
    • Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Storage

Store the medicine in a closed container at room temperature, away from heat, moisture, and direct light. Keep from freezing.

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.

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