Top 75 Migraine and Headache Questions, #24

Full Question:
I have a question concerning the Triptan group of drugs used for migraine treatment. Does anyone know what causes one or more of these drugs to become ineffective over time? I used to take Imitrex and it stopped working for me after a few years. I now take Zomig, but it's not working as well as it used to; I'm afraid it's going to stop working for me as well. The question is-why do these medications work so beautifully at first, then after a while they just stop working?

Answer:

Hello;

I don't know why either; nor does anyone else in the headache trade. 30-25% of my Migraine patients have to go to another triptan after the first one "quits". I have a rotation schedule to use different triptan for different patterns of Migraine. It is interesting that the two triptans you mention are the shortest half-life triptans on the market.

Good luck,
John Claude Krusz and Teri Robert

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