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ALMOTRIPTAN GALENICUM is a brand name for Almotriptan. The medicine, its uses, side effects and dosage are the same regardless of brand.
Used for: Acute treatment of the headache phase of migraine attacks with or without aura.
Verbatim from this product's MHRA label. Tap a section to expand.
Almotriptan should be taken with liquids as early as possible after the onset of migraine-associated headache but it is also effective when taken at a later stage. Almotriptan should not be used for migraine prophylaxis. The tablets can be taken with or without food.
5 mg of almotriptan. A second dose may be taken if the symptoms reappear within 24 hours. This second dose may be taken provided that there is a minimum interval of two hours between the two doses. The efficacy of a second dose for the treatment of the same attack when an initial dose is ineffective has not been examined in controlled trials.
Therefore if a patient does not respond to the first dose, a second dose should not be taken for the same attack. The maximum recommended dose is two doses in 24 hours. Children and adolescents (under 18 years of age) There are no data concerning the use of almotriptan in children and adolescents, therefore its use in this age group is not recommended.
Elderly (over 65 years of age) No dosage adjustment is required in the elderly. The safety and effectiveness of almotriptan in patients older than 65 years has not been systematically evaluated. Renal Impairment Dosage adjustment is not required in patients with mild or moderate renal impairment.
5 mg tablet in a 24 hour period. Hepatic Impairment There are no data concerning the use of almotriptan in patients with hepatic impairment (see Section
). Where such symptoms are thought to indicate ischaemic heart disease, no further dose should be taken and appropriate evaluation should be carried out. Caution should be exercised when prescribing almotriptan to patients with known hypersensitivity to sulphonamides.
Serotonin syndrome (including altered mental status, autonomic instability and neuromuscular abnormalities) has been reported following concomitant treatment with triptans and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
These reactions can be severe. 5). It is advised to wait at least 6 hours following use of almotriptan before administering ergotamine. At least 24 hours should elapse after the administration of an ergotamine- containing preparation before almotriptan is given.
3 Contraindications). 5 mg tablet in a 24 hour period. 2 Pharmacokinetic properties). Undesirable effects may be more common during concomitant use of triptans and herbal preparations containing St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum). As with other 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonists, almotriptan may cause mild, transient increases in blood pressure, which may be more pronounced in the elderly.
Medication overuse headache (MOH) Prolonged use of any painkiller for headaches can make them worse. If this situation is experienced or suspected, medical advice should be obtained and treatment should be discontinued. The diagnosis of MOH should be suspected in patients who have frequent or daily headaches despite (or because of) the regular use of headache medications.
The maximum recommended dose of almotriptan should not be exceeded. Almotriptan contains sodium This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’. 5 Interaction with other medicinal products and other forms of interaction Interaction studies were performed with monoamine oxidase A inhibitors, beta-blockers, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, calcium channel blockers or inhibitors of Cytochrome P450 isoenzymes 3A4 and 2D6.
4 Special warning and precautions for use). 1. As with other 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonists, almotriptan should not be used in patients with a history, symptoms or signs of ischaemic heart disease (myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, documented silent ischaemia, Prinzmetal’s angina) or severe hypertension and uncontrolled mild or moderate hypertension.
Patients with a previous cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Peripheral vascular disease. Concomitant administration with ergotamine, ergotamine derivatives (including methysergide) and other 5-HT1B/1D agonists is contraindicated.
2. Posology and method of administration). 4 Special warnings and precautions for use Almotriptan should only be used where there is a clear diagnosis of migraine. It should not be used to treat basilar, hemiplegic or ophthalmoplegic migraine.
As with other acute migraine therapies, before treating headaches in patients not previously diagnosed as migraine sufferers and in migraine sufferers who present atypical symptoms, care should be taken to exclude other potentially serious neurological conditions.
Cerebrovascular accidents have been reported in patients treated with 5-HT1B/1D agonists. g. cerebrovascular accident, transient ischemic attack). In very rare cases, as with other 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonists, coronary vasospasm and myocardial infarction have been reported.
Therefore almotriptan should not be administered to patients who could have an undiagnosed coronary condition without prior evaluation of potential underlying cardiovascular disease. Such patients include postmenopausal women, males over 40 and patients with other risk factors for coronary disease such as uncontrolled hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, obesity, diabetes, smoking or a clear family history of cardiovascular disease.
These evaluations however, may not identify every patient who has cardiac disease and in very rare case, serious cardiac events have occurred in patients without underlying cardiovascular disease when 5-HT1 agonists have been administered.
Not medical advice. Always read the patient information leaflet and follow your prescriber or pharmacist.
Other brands of Almotriptan in United Kingdom.
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There are no in vivo interaction studies assessing the effect of almotriptan on other drugs. As with other 5-HT1 agonists, the potential risk of a serotoninergic syndrome due to a pharmacodynamic interaction in case of concomitant treatment with MAOIs cannot be ruled out.
4). Multiple dosing with the calcium channel blocker verapamil, a substrate of CYP3A4, resulted in a 20% increase in Cmax and AUC of almotriptan. The increase is not considered clinically relevant. No clinically significant interactions were observed.
Multiple dosing with propranolol did not alter the pharmacokinetics of almotriptan. No clinically significant interactions were observed. In vitro studies performed to evaluate the ability of almotriptan to inhibit the major CYP enzymes in human liver microsomes and human monoamine oxidase (MAO) showed that almotriptan would not be expected to alter the metabolism of drugs metabolised by CYP or MAO-A and MAO-B enzymes.
6 Fertility, pregnancy and lactation Pregnancy For almotriptan, very limited data on pregnant patients are available. 3). Caution should be exercised when prescribing almotriptan to pregnant women. Lactation There are no data regarding excretion of almotriptan in human milk.
Studies in rats have shown that almotriptan and/or its metabolites are excreted in milk. Caution should therefore be exercised when prescribing during lactation. Infant exposure may be minimised by avoiding breast feeding for 24 hours after treatment.
7 Effects on ability to drive and use machines There are no studies on the effect of almotriptan on the ability to drive or operate machinery. However, since somnolence may occur during a migraine attack and has been reported as a side effect of treatment with almotriptan, caution is recommended in patients performing skilled tasks.
8 Undesirable effects Almotriptan was evaluated in over 2700 patients for up to one year in clinical trials. The most common adverse reactions at the therapeutic dose were dizziness, somnolence, nausea, vomiting and fatigue. 5%. The following adverse reactions have been evaluated in clinical studies and/or reported in post-marketing experience.
They have been listed by System Organ Class (SOC) and in descending order of frequency. Frequencies are defined as: very common (>1/10), common (≥1/100 to <1/10), uncommon (≥1/1000 to <1/100), rare (≥1/10,000 to <1/1,000), very rare (<1/10,000) and not known (cannot be estimated from the available data).
* However visual disorders may also occur during a migraine attack itself. System Organ Class Common Uncommon Very rare Not Known Immune system disorders Hypersensitivity […]
8 Undesirable effects). Where such symptoms are thought to indicate ischaemic heart disease, no further dose should be taken and appropriate evaluation should be carried out. Caution should be exercised when prescribing almotriptan to patients with known hypersensitivity to sulphonamides.
Serotonin syndrome (including altered mental status, autonomic instability and neuromuscular abnormalities) has been reported following concomitant treatment with triptans and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).
These reactions can be severe. 5). It is advised to wait at least 6 hours following use of almotriptan before administering ergotamine. At least 24 hours should elapse after the administration of an ergotamine- containing preparation before almotriptan is given.
3 Contraindications). 5 mg tablet in a 24 hour period. 2 Pharmacokinetic properties). Undesirable effects may be more common during concomitant use of triptans and herbal preparations containing St John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum). As with other 5-HT1B/1D receptor agonists, almotriptan may cause mild, transient increases in blood pressure, which may be more pronounced in the elderly.
Medication overuse headache (MOH) Prolonged use of any painkiller for headaches can make them worse. If this situation is experienced or suspected, medical advice should be obtained and treatment should be discontinued. The diagnosis of MOH should be suspected in patients who have frequent or daily headaches despite (or because of) the regular use of headache medications.
The maximum recommended dose of almotriptan should not be exceeded. Almotriptan contains sodium This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23 mg) per tablet, that is to say essentially ‘sodium-free’.