Triptans

Excerpt

Triptans comprise a class of medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first-line agent for treating acute migraine episodes with or without aura. In the United States, 7 triptans are available in diverse dosage formulations, including sumatriptan, naratriptan, zolmitriptan, rizatriptan, almotriptan, frovatriptan, and eletriptan. Sumatriptan, in its subcutaneous formulation, is also approved for treating cluster headaches. Almotriptan has an FDA indication for use in adolescents for treating migraines lasting at least 4 hours. The FDA has also approved zolmitriptan nasal spray for children aged 12 or older and rizatriptan for children aged 6 to 17. Frovatriptan, naratriptan, and oral zolmitriptan have off-label uses for preventing menstrual migraine.