8 Sumatriptan Side Effects You Should Know About

If you have migraines, your healthcare provider may have prescribed sumatriptan (Imitrex, Tosymra, others). This is a medication that can treat painful symptoms of migraines. It also comes in many different forms, including a tablet that you can take by mouth, a nasal spray, and an injection. 

Sumatriptan treats active migraine symptoms by attaching to serotonin receptors (chemical binding sites) in your body. When it does this, it has several effects. Most notably, it can help narrow swollen blood vessels going to your brain. This helps provide relatively quick migraine relief.

While sumatriptan is an effective medication that has been around for awhile, it has a few side effects to keep in mind. Here, we’ll review eight of the top sumatriptan side effects.

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1. Dizziness and fatigue

If you are taking sumatriptan, you may experience dizziness. It may also be accompanied by feeling of tiredness or weakness (fatigue). These feelings tend to be temporary and go away as your dose wears off.

Plus, not everyone taking sumatriptan has dizziness and fatigue. It’s also less likely with certain dosage forms, like the oral tablet or nasal spray. But if you do experience it, you should avoid driving a car or doing other tasks that require mental alertness until you know how sumatriptan affects you. 

2. Pins and needles sensations

If you’re taking sumatriptan, you may experience feelings of “pins and needles” throughout your body. These usually feel like small burning or prickling sensations on your skin. You may have felt a similar feeling if you’ve ever fallen asleep with your arms or legs in an awkward position.

The medical term for this side effect is paresthesia. While these symptoms are commonly felt in the hands, feet, arms, or legs, they can occur anywhere on your body. If you are experiencing this, you should contact your healthcare provider. They may be able to manage this side effect by adjusting the dose, changing the type of sumatriptan that you take, or switching to a different type of triptan medication. 

3. Feeling too warm or cold

Pins and needle sensations aren’t the only skin-related side effects of sumatriptan. Some people taking sumatriptan also report feeling too cold or too warm, or feeling flushed.

This generally shouldn’t cause any long-term problems. But it could be an annoyance. If your body temperature is higher than normal and accompanied by mental health changes, it’s time to see a healthcare provider. This could be a sign of a rare side effect that might require medical attention. 

4. Pain in your chest, neck, or jaw

You may experience pressure, tightness, or pain in your chest, neck, or jaw after taking a dose of sumatriptan. In most cases, this is temporary and unrelated to any heart problems.

But don’t ignore sudden or intense chest pain since it could be a sign of something more serious. If your healthcare provider deems it necessary, they might run a few tests to make sure your heart is in good shape before prescribing sumatriptan. If you have a condition like coronary artery disease, they likely won’t prescribe it.

5. Rebound headaches

Some people experience frequent headaches after initially finding sumatriptan effective. If you are using sumatriptan more than 2 days per week or 10 days a month, you may be having rebound headaches. These are also known as medication overuse headaches.

If this happens to you, your healthcare provider may have you temporarily stop taking sumatriptan or reduce the number of doses you take per week. And if they find that your current medication(s) aren’t controlling your migraines adequately, they may recommend trying a preventive migraine medicine.

6. High blood pressure

High blood pressure is a common health condition but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be taken seriously.

In rare cases, sumatriptan can cause your blood pressure to rapidly increase to dangerous levels. This can happen even if you’ve never had high blood pressure before. Possible symptoms of really high blood pressure are severe headaches, new or worsening chest pain, and shortness of breath. If you have symptoms like these, it’s important to seek medical attention.

Your healthcare provider may monitor your blood pressure while you’re taking sumatriptan. And if you have high blood pressure that isn’t well managed, your healthcare provider may recommend avoiding sumatriptan as a precaution.

7. Heart problems

In very rare cases, sumatriptan can cause serious heart problems, such as heart attack and stroke. If you’re at risk of heart problems, your healthcare provider may consider giving your first dose in a controlled healthcare setting for safety reasons. They may also avoid prescribing sumatriptan altogether.

When it comes to heart attacks, there are important symptoms to look out for. If you experience sudden chest pain, difficulty breathing, and breaking out in a sweat, you may be having a heart attack. But not everyone who has a heart attack has the same symptoms, and some have no symptoms at all. Stroke symptoms include difficulty speaking or understanding speech, vision problems, and weakness on one side of the body. 

Sumatriptan can also cause another heart condition — arrhythmias. Most people’s hearts beat in a regular pattern or rhythm, much like a clock ticking. If you have arrhythmia, your heart doesn’t beat in a regular rhythm. In some cases, people don’t experience any symptoms of an irregular heart rhythm. When they do have symptoms, people feel dizzy and short of breath. They may even feel their heart skip a beat.

If you’re having symptoms of heart attack, stroke, or arrhythmia, you should seek immediate medical attention.

8. Serotonin syndrome

Sumatriptan could contribute to serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome happens when you have too much serotonin in your body. When it happens, it’s usually mild.

The risk of serotonin syndrome is more relevant if you’re taking high doses of multiple medications that affect serotonin. Several medications can impact your serotonin levels. Common examples include:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors like fluoxetine (Prozac) or sertraline (Zoloft)

• Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors like duloxetine (Cymbalta) or venlafaxine (Effexor XR)

• Anti-nausea medicines like ondansetron (Zofran)

• Pain medications like methadone (Methadose) or tramadol

• Cough medications like dextromethorphan (Delsym)

If you take sumatriptan alongside other medications that affect serotonin, it’s important to watch out for possible symptoms of serotonin syndrome. Mild symptoms include dizziness, nausea, and diarrhea. 

In some cases, serotonin syndrome can turn into a medical emergency. More severe symptoms include a high body temperature, tight muscles, and mental changes. These mental changes could include seeing things that other people don’t see, coma, or seizures. These symptoms warrant a trip to the closest emergency room.

When should I contact my healthcare provider about sumatriptan side effects?

Sumatriptan can cause many different side effects. Some are mild and manageable, while others are more serious.

It’s important to listen to your body while taking sumatriptan. If you develop any kind of unusual symptom, you should contact your healthcare provider for further guidance. What’s more, if you’re experiencing side effects that are hard to tolerate, you should tell your healthcare provider as soon as possible.

However, if you think you’re experiencing a medical emergency, like a heart attack or stroke, you should go to the closest emergency room as soon as you can.

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Written by:

Mandeep Sohal, PharmD

Mandeep Sohal, PharmD, has more than 7 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is licensed in California. In his career, he’s had experience with specialty pharmacy, community pharmacy, pharmacy benefit management, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

Edited by:

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS

Joshua Murdock, PharmD, BCBBS, is a licensed pharmacist in Arizona, Colorado, and Rhode Island. He has worked in the pharmacy industry for more than 10 years and currently serves as a pharmacy editor for GoodRx.

Reviewed by:

Tegan Smedley, PharmD, APh

Tegan Smedley, PharmD, APh, has 10 years of experience as a pharmacist. She has worked in a variety of settings, including retail, hospital, and ambulatory care.

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