How Long Does Ubrelvy Take to Work?
Key takeaways:
Ubrelvy (ubrogepant) is a prescription medication that treats migraine attacks in adults. It comes as an oral tablet.
Ubrelvy works quickly to treat migraines — usually within 1 to 2 hours. You should take Ubrelvy as soon as you experience headache pain or other migraine symptoms, such as sensitivity to light or sound.
Taking Ubrelvy with a high-fat meal can delay how fast it starts working. Several medications and supplements can also interact with Ubrelvy and make it less effective, such as phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek) and St. John’s wort.
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Migraines often strike suddenly. They can cause intense headache pain alongside other sensory and visual symptoms, better known as an aura. For people who experience migraine attacks, finding quick and long-lasting relief is a big priority.
One medication to consider in these situations is Ubrelvy (ubrogepant). It’s a prescription-only tablet that treats sudden migraine attacks with or without aura in adults. A type of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist, Ubrelvy works to treat migraines by blocking CGRP molecules, which are thought to play a role in migraine-related pain and inflammation. It can’t prevent migraines, though.
Ubrelvy works quickly to relieve migraine pain. But a few factors can affect how to take it and how well it works.
Migraine treatments: Discover some of the best medications and natural remedies that can help relieve migraines fast.
Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonists: Learn how Ubrelvy stacks up to other CGRP inhibitors for migraine management.
An over-the-counter matchup: Find out if Advil or Excedrin works better to treat migraine headaches.
How long does Ubrelvy take to work?
Ubrelvy starts working relatively quickly to relieve migraine pain, usually within 1 to 2 hours. The recommended Ubrelvy dosage to treat migraines is 50 mg to 100 mg as a single dose, which can be repeated after 2 hours if migraine symptoms persist.
However, some people experience a “prodrome” phase with their migraines. Prodromal symptoms may include sensitivity to light or sound, tiredness, and dizziness. Aura symptoms may come later and include seeing flashing lights or feeling tingling or numbness. In a clinical study where Ubrelvy was taken during the prodrome phase (about 1 to 6 hours before the start of a migraine headache), nearly half of people avoided moderate-to-severe headache pain within 24 hours.
To get the fastest migraine pain relief, you should take Ubrelvy as soon as symptoms of a migraine episode begin — be it headache pain or prodromal symptoms.
How long does it take to see full effects from Ubrelvy?
Ubrelvy’s full effects may set in after 2 hours have passed. Most people with migraines who took Ubrelvy in clinical studies saw the full effects of the medication within 2 to 4 hours.
These effects also appear to be relatively long-lasting. For instance, in clinical studies, over 70% of people who experienced pain relief from a single dose of Ubrelvy reported still being free from pain after 1 to 2 days.
If you don't experience migraine pain relief within 2 hours after taking your first dose of Ubrelvy, you can take a second dose. But you shouldn’t take more than 200 mg of Ubrelvy in a 24-hour period.
What can affect how long Ubrelvy takes to work?
Yes. A few factors may affect how long Ubrelvy takes to work, including food and other medications.
You can take Ubrelvy with or without food. But keep in mind that taking Ubrelvy with a high-fat meal can delay how fast it treats a migraine, sometimes by up to 2 hours. It may also lower Ubrelvy levels in the body, which means it may not work as well to treat a migraine. A high-fat meal is a meal that contains a lot of fat, such as fried foods or full-fat dairy.
Ubrelvy interacts with several medications too, such as phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek), rifampin (Rifadin), and phenobarbital. It also interacts with the herbal supplement St. John’s wort. These products tend to speed up liver enzymes (proteins) that are involved in processing Ubrelvy in the body. This, in turn, may lower Ubrelvy levels and lead to a less effective treatment.
Other medications and foods may do the opposite. They increase Ubrelvy levels, which raises the risk of side effects. This includes antibiotics like clarithromycin, several antifungals, and grapefruit juice. The same goes for heart medications, such as verapamil (Verelan), carvedilol (Coreg), quinidine, and several others.
Do your best to avoid combining Ubrelvy with these medications, foods, and supplements. Let your prescriber or pharmacist know about all the medications and supplements you take prior to starting Ubrelvy. They’ll be able to check for any interactions.
What should you expect when starting Ubrelvy?
Ubrelvy is generally tolerated well. But it can occasionally cause side effects such as nausea, dry mouth, and sleepiness. Since Ubrelvy is recommended to be used as needed for migraines, it typically doesn’t cause long-term side effects.
If you experience stomach upset after taking Ubrelvy, try taking your next dose with a low-fat snack or meal. This may help ease nausea and stomach upset moving forward. If you experience dry mouth while taking Ubrelvy, try to temporarily increase your fluid intake. You can also try chewing sugar-free gum or sucking on sugar-free candy. It also helps to limit caffeine and alcohol.
Rarely, allergic reactions can happen, including anaphylaxis, trouble breathing, and facial swelling. If you think you’re experiencing a severe allergic reaction, call 911 or seek emergency medical attention without delay.
How long do you need to take Ubrelvy?
You can take Ubrelvy for as long as you’re experiencing migraines. But you shouldn't take Ubrelvy to treat more than eight migraines per month. Researchers have not tested if it’s safe to take Ubrelvy that often.
If you experience migraines often, let your healthcare professional know. They may want to prescribe a maintenance medication to prevent migraines. Certain CGRP antagonists are approved to prevent migraines, such as Ajovy (fremanezumab), Emgality (galcanezumab), and Aimovig (erenumab). Additional medications that can prevent migraines include beta blockers, certain anti-seizure medications, and antidepressants, among others.
How to save on Ubrelvy
There are ways to save on Ubrelvy, which is only available as a brand-name medication. GoodRx can help you navigate between copay savings cards and patient assistance programs to save money on your prescription.
Save with a copay savings card: If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to fill Ubrelvy at no monthly cost using a savings card from the manufacturer.
Save with patient assistance programs: If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Ubrelvy’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of charge.
The bottom line
Ubrelvy (ubrogepant) is a prescription medication that treats migraines. This oral tablet works within a couple hours to relieve migraine pain. It can also provide sustained pain relief after 1 to 2 days. How well Ubrelvy works can be affected by food and other medications. Talk to a healthcare professional if you have questions about taking Ubrelvy.
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References
Allergan. (2023). Ubrelvy- ubrogepant tablet [package insert].
American Migraine Foundation. (2022). Migraine prodrome: Symptoms and prevention.
Dodick, D. W., et al. (2019). Ubrogepant for the treatment of migraine. The New England Journal of Medicine.
Dodick, D. W., et al. (2023). Ubrogepant for the treatment of migraine attacks during the prodrome: A phase 3, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial in the USA. The Lancet.
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