What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking eletriptan?
You should not use eletriptan if you are allergic to it, or if you have:
- heart problems, or a stroke (including "mini-stroke");
- circulation problems affecting your legs, arms, stomach, intestines, or kidneys;
- a heart disorder called Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome;
- uncontrolled high blood pressure; or
- a headache that seems different from your usual migraine headaches.
Do not take eletriptan within 24 hours before or after using another migraine headache medicine, including:
- medicines like eletriptan--almotriptan, frovatriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, zolmitriptan, and others; or
- ergot medicine--dihydroergotamine, ergotamine, ergonovine, methylergonovine.
Do not use eletriptan within 72 hours before or after taking: clarithromycin, troleandomycin, itraconazole, ketoconazole, nefazodone, ritonavir, or nelfinavir.
Tell your doctor if you have ever had:
- liver or renal disease;
- heart problems or stroke; or
- risk factors for coronary artery disease (such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, menopause, smoking, a family history of coronary artery disease, being overweight, or being older than 40 and a man).
Be sure your doctor knows if you also take stimulant medicine, opioid medicine, herbal products, or medicine for depression, mental illness, Parkinson's disease, migraine headaches, serious infections, or prevention of nausea and vomiting. These medicines may interact with eletriptan and cause a serious condition called serotonin syndrome.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether eletriptan will harm an unborn baby. However, having migraine headaches during pregnancy may cause complications such as high blood pressure or eclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure that can lead to medical problems in both mother and baby). The benefit of treating migraines may outweigh any risks to the baby.
It may not be safe to breastfeed while using this medicine. Ask your doctor about any risk.
Eletriptan is not approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old.