Naratriptan is a triptan that's used to treat migraines with or without aura in adults. While the brand name Amerge is no longer available, there's a generic version that you can get by prescription. Naratriptan is a tablet that's swallowed whole once, typically as a single dose. But you can take the medication again 4 hours later if the first dose didn't work to relieve your migraine. Side effects aren't common, but it might make you nauseous, sleepy, or dizzy.
Treatment of migraine attacks with or without aura in adults
Naratriptan is a triptan. It works on receptors in your brain and nervous system that respond to serotonin, a natural chemical in your body that's thought to play a role in migraines.
When it attaches to the serotonin receptors in the brain, naratriptan tightens the blood vessels in the brain and lessens blood vessel swelling that can cause migraine pain. The medication also stops the release of other pain signals through your nervous system. This helps relieve migraine pain.
Source:Â DailyMed
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
More common
Chest pain (severe)
heaviness, tightness, or pressure in the chest, throat, or neck
sensation of burning, warmth, heat, numbness, tightness, or tingling
Less common
Burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings
Less common or rare
Convulsions (seizures)
irregular heartbeat
slow heartbeat
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
Less common
bone pain
change in taste sensation
chills or fever
difficulty with sleeping
eye problems
fainting
general feeling of discomfort or illness
joint pain
muscle or joint stiffness, tightness, or rigidity
pounding heartbeat
stomach discomfort or pain
trembling or shaking of the hands or feet
unusual tiredness or weakness
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
One of the first-choice options for short-term treatment of migraines
Might cause less side effects than sumatriptan (Imitrex)
Available as a lower-cost, generic medication
Only available as a tablet, so it might not be a good option for people who have trouble swallowing pills during migraine attacks
Can take up to 4 hours to get the maximum benefit
Hasn't been studied in children
Can't use to prevent migraines
Take naratriptan with a glass of water at the first sign of a migraine. You can take naratriptan with or without food.
If your migraine comes back or if it doesn't completely go away after you take naratriptan, you can take a second dose at least 4 hours since your first dose. Taking another dose sooner than 4 hours from your previous dose might cause more side effects.
If you feel that naratriptan hasn't helped with your migraine at all after you take the medication, call your primary care provider or neurologist. Don't take a second dose after the first dose of the day without talking to your care team. They can discuss with you whether there's a better treatment option for you.
You might feel some tightness, pressure, or pain in the chest, throat, jaw, or neck after you take naratriptan. It typically doesn't last long and goes away. Keep in mind that these symptoms are very similar to those of a heart attack or heart problems. Get medical help right away if these symptoms worsen or if they don't go away.
Naratriptan can make you feel very sleepy or dizzy. Don't drive or do anything that requires a lot of attention until you know how this medication affects you.
Naratriptan isn't meant to be used to treat more than 4 migraines per month because it might not be safe to do so. Tell your primary care provider or neurologist if you have a lot of migraines in a month. They can consider other medication options to help with your symptoms. Or they might consider medications for migraine prevention.
Let your healthcare team and pharmacist know about all the medications and over-the-counter products you're taking or planning to take. This is especially important if you take antidepressants or other medications for mental health because naratriptan can interact with them and raise the risk for side effects. Your healthcare team can check that your medications are safe to take together. They might make dose adjustments and possibly consider switching you to a different migraine medication to avoid harmful drug interactions.
Naratriptan can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Risk factors: History of heart problems | Age older than 65 | Diabetes | People who are considered obese | High blood pressure | Smoking tobacco
Although rare, some people have reported serious heart problems, such as heart attack and heart rhythm problems, within a few hours after taking naratriptan. In addition, naratriptan might raise your blood pressure to dangerously high levels.
If you have a history of heart or blood circulation problems, talk to your cardiologist or primary care provider first to make sure naratriptan is as safe for you as possible. And make sure to periodically check your blood pressure while you're taking naratriptan. Let your healthcare team know if it's higher than usual. Get emergency help right away if you experience a heart attack, severe headache, chest pain, or irregular heartbeat.
Some people who've taken triptans like naratriptan have had life-threatening strokes or bleeding in the brain. For this reason, you won't be able to take this medication if you've had a stroke in the past. Let your primary care provider or neurologist know about your medical history.
Symptoms of stroke or other brain injuries include sudden weakness on one side of the body, severe headaches, drooping face, trouble breathing, or changes in your speech or vision. These symptoms can be similar to migraine symptoms, so strokes can be mistaken for a migraine. Stop taking naratriptan and get medical help as soon as possible if you notice symptoms of a stroke, especially if you haven't had a migraine before.
Naratriptan can cause extreme narrowing of your blood vessels in different parts of your body. Depending on the location, this can lead to serious stomach problems (e.g., stomach pain, bloody diarrhea), vision problems, and changes in sensation in your hands and feet. Sometimes, it can cause symptoms similar to Raynaud's phenomenon, which can look like color changes in your hands and feet (can turn pale or more reddish depending on how much blood is flowing through). Don't take any more naratriptan until you see a member of your healthcare team if you notice these symptoms after you take the medication. They can check out what's going on.
Taking more than the recommended dose of migraine medications, including naratriptan, or taking them too often can cause them to not work as well. This can lead to more migraine-like headaches or more migraine attacks. Let your primary care provider or neurologist know if you're taking multiple migraine medications and if you need to take them for more than 9 days per month. Also, let them know if you have more than 4 migraine headaches a month while you're taking naratriptan. Your primary care provider or neurologist can talk with you about better options to help with migraines.
Risk factors: Taking other medications that raise serotonin levels
Some people who take naratriptan have developed a rare, but potentially life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome. This condition happens when there's too much serotonin in the brain.
Let your primary care provider or neurologist know about all the medications you take before you start naratriptan, as well as any medications you plan to take. Your risk for serotonin syndrome can be higher if you use naratriptan with other medications that can raise your serotonin levels, such as certain antidepressants, mental health medications, and migraine medications.
Symptoms of serotonin syndrome include fast heart rate, sweating, muscle stiffness or spasms, fever, and confusion. Get medical help right away if you have any of these symptoms.
The typical dose is 1 mg or 2.5 mg by mouth once as a single dose for migraine pain.
If your migraine comes back or if it doesn't completely go away, you can take another dose 4 hours after the first dose. Don't take more than 5 mg in a day.
Your dose might differ if you have kidney or liver damage.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
Certain conditions that cause an irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmias), such as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
History of stroke or transient ischemic attack ("mini-stroke")
Uncontrolled high blood pressure
Use of ergot-containing or ergot-type medications like dihydroergotamine (Migranal) or other triptans in the last 24 hours
Currently take or have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), such as selegiline, in the last 14 days
Severe kidney or liver problems
Treatment of migraine attacks with or without aura in adults
Treatment of migraine attacks with or without aura in adults
Treatment of migraine attacks with or without aura in people ages 6 years and older
By signing up, I agree to GoodRx's Terms and Privacy Policy, and to receive marketing messages from GoodRx.
Ailani, J., et al. (2021). The American Headache Society Consensus Statement: Update on integrating new migraine treatments into clinical practice. Headache.
American Heart Association. (2022). Prinzmetal’s or Prinzmetal angina, variant angina and angina inversa.
Bionpharma Inc. (2023). Naratriptan- naratriptan tablet, film coated [package insert]. DailyMed.
Feuerstadt, P. (2019). Small bowel ischemia. American College of Gastroenterology.
Göbel, H., et al. (2000). Comparison of naratriptan and sumatriptan in recurrence-prone migraine patients. Naratriptan International Recurrence Study Group. Clinical Therapeutics.
MedlinePlus. (2024). Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPW).
Swarup, S. S., et al. (2023). Coronary artery vasospasm. StatPearls.
Tfelt-Hansen, P. (2021). Naratriptan is as effective as sumatriptan for the treatment of migraine attacks when used properly. A mini-review. Cephalalgia.
Research prescriptions and over-the-counter medications from A to Z, compare drug prices, and start saving.