About triptans

Triptans are a type of acute medicine for migraine. This means they can be used to ease symptoms of a migraine attack, like headache.

Triptans are also known as 5-HT receptor agonists. 5-HT is the name of the receptors in your nervous system that the drug binds to.

Your doctor may recommend you try a triptan if simple painkillers and anti-sickness treatments haven’t helped. They may also prescribe a triptan in combination with these medicines. Triptans are considered to be at least as effective and often more effective than simple painkillers for migraine.

How triptans work

Triptans bind to 5-HT receptors on your cranial nerves. These are nerves that run from your brain to different parts of your head. Triptans act to reduce the transmission of pain signals from these nerves. They also stop the release of certain proteins from the nerves, which are known to be involved in pain pathways. Stopping their release helps to block the pain signals in your brain.

Triptans also bind to 5-HT receptors on blood vessels, causing them to tighten. However, this isn’t thought to affect migraine symptoms.

Triptans available in the UK

The following triptans are approved for the acute treatment of migraine in the UK. Often, they are just known by their generic name, but they may be sold under different brand names too.

Accessing triptans

Triptans need to be prescribed by your GP. You may be able to buy sumatriptan at a low dose from a pharmacist without a prescription if you have previously been diagnosed with migraine.

Sumatriptan is often the first triptan a GP will prescribe. If this doesn’t work very well for you, your GP may suggest trying a different one.

Triptans all work slightly differently. Some, such as naratriptan and frovatriptan, take longer to reach their maximum effect but last for longer. Others may be less likely to cause side effects. Your GP may consider several factors when deciding which triptan to prescribe. These may include how quickly your migraine attack develops, how long they last and what symptoms you’re getting.

Tell your GP as much as you can about your migraine attacks. This can help them to find the treatment that will most suit you.

How to take triptans

It’s best to take triptans as soon as your head pain starts for them to be effective. If you only have aura and no head pain (‘silent migraine’), discuss this with your GP. Triptans are not usually prescribed for this type of migraine.

Most triptans are taken as tablets that you swallow. Some triptans are also available as:

• wafers that dissolve on your tongue
• a nasal spray
• an injection under the skin.

These formulations can work faster than tablets that you swallow. They may also be a better option if sickness is a problem, making it harder to keep tablets down.

You should take one dose of your triptan as soon as your migraine symptoms start. You can take another dose later on if you need it, with a maximum of two doses over 24 hours. Be sure to follow the instructions on the patient information leaflet or the packaging for your particular medicine.

Taking triptans too often and for too long can lead to your headaches getting worse. You may develop more frequent and more severe headaches. This is called medication overuse headache or rebound headache. Making sure you don’t regularly take acute medicines on more than two days a week will reduce your risk of this.

Talk to your GP if you are worried about how often you are needing to take triptans. We also have more information in the following section.

What to do if triptans don’t help

Triptans work well to treat symptoms for many people with migraine. But they don’t work for everyone. Your GP will usually suggest giving it a few weeks to see whether triptans make a difference for you. Keeping a headache diary can help you to keep a record of how often you are getting migraine attacks, and what medication you have used.

If your triptan is not helping, talk to your GP. They may be able to increase the dose or suggest a different one to try. If you have tried at least two different triptans and they haven’t helped, your GP may prescribe a gepant. This is a different type of medicine for migraine, that can be used both to treat migraine symptoms and prevent attacks. In some areas, your GP may need to refer you to a specialist to prescribe this.

If you are needing to take lots of acute medicines or they’re not helping, even at maximum doses, ask your doctor about trying preventive treatment. Preventive medicines for migraine aim to reduce the number of migraine attacks you get and how severe they are.

What are the side effects of triptans?

As with all types of medicine, triptans can cause side effects in some people. The most common side effects of triptans include:

• feeling or being sick
• dizziness
• drowsiness
• tingling or prickling sensations
• flushing
• muscle aches and pains

Tell your doctor if you experience any of these side effects. You may be able to try a different triptan. Some triptans have fewer side effects than others.

Who should not take triptans

Your doctor will not prescribe a triptan if you have health conditions affecting your heart or blood vessels. This includes if you have previously had a heart attack or stroke.

Your doctor may also not recommend it if you have certain other health conditions, such as kidney or liver disease.

If you are over the age of 65, your doctor may need to assess the risks and benefits of you taking a triptan before prescribing it. The only triptan licensed for children and young people over the age of 12 is sumatriptan nasal spray.

Let your doctor know about any other medicines you are taking so they can check for interactions.

If you are unable to take triptans for any reason, your doctor may consider prescribing other medicines, such as the gepant rimegepant.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding

There is limited data about using triptans during pregnancy and breastfeeding. For this reason, your doctor will usually recommend avoiding them unless the benefits outweigh any risks.

If you do need to take a triptan during pregnancy or breastfeeding, sumatriptan is usually the one that is recommended. This is because there is more safety data about sumatriptan in pregnancy and breast feeding than other triptans.  We have more information on migraine in pregnancy.

Last reviewed: December 2024

Next review due: December 2027

Reviewed by: The Migraine Trust Information and Support Services team and Reviewer Panel

If you have feedback on our information, please get in touch at: feedback@migrainetrust.org

References for our information are available on request.