In case your triptan isn’t working in addition to you’d hoped, it might not be the medicine itself. Just a few frequent elements — together with timing, dose, and the way your physique absorbs the drug — can all have an effect on its effectiveness.
Timing
When triptans don’t work nicely, timing is usually a giant a part of the issue, says Holdridge.
“Taking the medicine early provides it the most effective likelihood to interrupt the migraine course of earlier than the assault absolutely builds,” she says.
In case you’re within the behavior of holding off on taking your triptan to learn the way extreme an assault is likely to be, you’re in all probability ready too lengthy. “Ready too lengthy will make it ineffective for that day’s migraine,” says Dharti Dua, MD, a neurologist who focuses on treating headache and migraine at The Ohio State College Wexner Medical Middle in Columbus.
Too Low of a Dose
Dosing errors are one other frequent concern, and one that usually occurs unintentionally. Some individuals are prescribed a dose which will want adjustment, whereas others scale back the dose on their very own by splitting capsules to make their month-to-month provide last more, says Dr. Dua.
That technique can backfire. “Taking lower than the prescribed dose might not absolutely cease the migraine, which will increase the probability that signs return later the identical day or the following,” says Holdridge.
Gastric Stasis or Vomiting Throughout an Assault
For some individuals, the problem shouldn’t be timing or dose however the best way the medicine is stepping into the physique.
For individuals experiencing gastric stasis, an injectable triptan or a nasal spray could also be an efficient possibility, says Holdridge. “An injectable is by far the fastest-acting formulation, adopted by a nasal spray,” she says.
These choices may be particularly useful for individuals whose migraine assaults escalate shortly or who expertise nausea and vomiting early in an assault, says Holdridge.
That’s an actual concern for some individuals: Vomiting can stop an oral medicine from being absorbed in any respect, says Dua.
Improper Drug for You
Even when triptans are taken accurately, the particular drug might not be the most effective match.
“Generally individuals who don’t get efficient aid from one triptan will reply to a different triptan or one other formulation of triptan,” says Dua.
Some migraine patterns may also affect which triptan is a greater match. Menstrual migraine, for instance, usually responds higher to frovatriptan or naratriptan, she says. These medicine can be utilized in a prophylactic method if the migraine assaults are predictable throughout this time.
