Almotriptan
Almotriptan is a triptan medication used to treat acute migraine attacks in adults and adolescents aged 12 to 17.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 3 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
📖 Almotriptan: Patient Information Guide
A plain-language walkthrough of Almotriptan — what it treats, how it works, how it’s taken, side effects, warnings and interactions. Tap any section to expand it.
🎯What it's used for▾
Almotriptan tablets are approved for the acute (as-needed) treatment of migraine headaches — not for preventing them. Here is the full set of supported uses:
- Almotriptan Malate tablets: acute treatment of migraine attacks (with or without aura) in adults with a history of migraine
- Almotriptan Malate tablets: acute treatment of migraine headache pain in adolescents ages 12–17 with a history of migraine (with or without aura) who typically have attacks lasting 4 or more hours untreated
- Almotriptan tablets, USP: acute treatment of migraine attacks (with or without aura) in adults with a history of migraine
- Almotriptan tablets, USP: acute treatment of migraine headache pain in adolescents ages 12–17 with a history of migraine (with or without aura) who typically have attacks lasting 4 or more hours untreated
- In adolescents, effect on migraine-associated symptoms (nausea, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity) was not established in clinical trials
- Not indicated for cluster headache, hemiplegic migraine, or basilar migraine
- Not intended for migraine prevention
⚙️How it works▾
Almotriptan is a triptan — it works by activating specific serotonin receptors called 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D. During a migraine, blood vessels in and around the brain dilate (widen) and pain-triggering substances are released from nerve endings. By binding to these receptors, almotriptan causes those blood vessels to constrict (narrow) and blocks the release of those inflammatory substances. It also reduces pain signal transmission along the trigeminal nerve pathway — the key nerve network involved in migraine pain. Together, these actions help relieve the headache and related discomfort.
💊How it's taken▾
Almotriptan is taken as an oral tablet at the start of a migraine attack. It can be taken with or without food — food does not affect how it works. If the headache improves but comes back, a second dose may be taken at least 2 hours after the first; however, taking a second dose when the first one had no effect has not been proven to help. The safety of treating more than an average of four migraines per month has not been established. People with liver disease or severe kidney disease should use a lower starting dose with a reduced daily maximum — follow your prescriber's specific instructions.
🤒Side effects — in detail▾
Most people tolerate almotriptan well. The most commonly reported side effects include:
- Nausea
- Dry mouth
- Tingling or prickling sensations (paresthesia)
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness (somnolence)
- Headache
- Vomiting (more common in adolescents)
Serious reactions are rare but require prompt attention: chest pain or tightness, signs of a stroke (sudden weakness, speech problems, vision loss), symptoms of serotonin syndrome (agitation, fever, rapid heartbeat, muscle stiffness), severe allergic reactions (throat swelling, difficulty breathing), or bloody diarrhea. Seek emergency care for any of these.
⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
- Heart risk: Serious cardiac events — including heart attack and life-threatening arrhythmias — have been rarely reported. Almotriptan can cause coronary artery vasospasm (sudden tightening of heart artery walls). Anyone with heart disease, prior heart attack, or significant heart disease risk factors needs a cardiovascular evaluation before using it. For high-risk patients taking it for the first time, it should be given in a medically supervised setting.
- Stroke and cerebrovascular risk: Cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, and other serious brain blood vessel events have been reported with triptans. Almotriptan is contraindicated in people with a history of stroke or TIA.
- Serotonin syndrome: A potentially life-threatening reaction can occur — especially when almotriptan is combined with SSRIs or SNRIs. Watch for agitation, confusion, rapid heartbeat, high fever, or muscle twitching.
- Medication overuse headache: Using acute migraine treatments (including almotriptan) on 10 or more days per month can cause a rebound effect — more frequent, harder-to-treat headaches. Stopping the overused drug (with medical guidance) is often necessary.
- Blood pressure: Almotriptan can raise blood pressure and is contraindicated in uncontrolled hypertension. Significant blood pressure events have been reported rarely.
- Liver or kidney impairment: The drug clears more slowly in people with liver or kidney disease. Dose adjustments are required — follow your prescriber's guidance carefully.
🔀What it interacts with▾
Almotriptan has several important drug interactions to be aware of:
- Ergot medicines (e.g., ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, methysergide): Do not use within 24 hours — both can cause blood vessel spasm, and the effects can add up dangerously.
- Other triptans (5-HT1 agonists): Do not combine or use within 24 hours — same mechanism, additive vasospasm risk.
- SSRIs and SNRIs (many antidepressants): Using together can rarely trigger life-threatening serotonin syndrome. If combined use is necessary, close monitoring is essential.
- Potent CYP3A4 inhibitors (e.g., ketoconazole and similar strong antifungals): Can increase almotriptan blood levels by roughly 60%, raising the risk of side effects. A lower dose and daily maximum apply; this combination should be avoided entirely in people with kidney or liver disease.
- MAO inhibitors (e.g., moclobemide): May modestly slow almotriptan clearance; inform your prescriber if you take or recently took an MAO inhibitor.
This is not a complete list of interactions. Always talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
📋Before taking it▾
- Do not take almotriptan if you have ischemic heart disease, history of heart attack, or coronary artery vasospasm (including Prinzmetal's angina)
- Do not take it if you have had a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)
- Do not take it if you have peripheral vascular disease or ischemic bowel disease
- Do not take it if you have uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Do not take it if you have hemiplegic migraine or basilar migraine
- Do not take it if you are allergic to almotriptan or any of its inactive ingredients
- Tell your doctor if you have a sulfonamide allergy — almotriptan contains a sulfonyl group and caution is advised
- Tell your doctor if you have liver disease or significant kidney disease — dose limits are lower for you
- If you are pregnant: animal studies showed potential harm to the fetus. Use only if your doctor decides the benefit outweighs the risk.
- If you are breastfeeding: it is unknown whether almotriptan passes into human milk; use with caution and discuss with your doctor
- Not for children under 12 — safety and effectiveness are not established in this age group
- Older adults (65+): clearance may be slower; typically start at the lower dose and use caution
🚑If you take too much▾
In clinical experience, people who took very large single doses did not experience serious adverse events, but based on how triptans work, a significant overdose could cause high blood pressure or serious cardiovascular problems. There is no specific antidote. If an overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical care immediately — cardiac monitoring should continue for at least 20 hours even if no symptoms appear right away.
📡Pharmacodynamics — effects in the body▾
During a migraine, blood vessels around the brain dilate and sensory nerve endings in the trigeminal system release pain-triggering, inflammatory substances. Almotriptan activates 5-HT1B/1D receptors on those dilated blood vessels, causing them to constrict, and on the nerve terminals, reducing the release of those inflammatory neuropeptides. The result is reduced pain signal transmission along the trigeminal pain pathway — which is why the headache eases. Small increases in blood pressure have been observed after dosing, even in people with normal blood pressure.
🔬Pharmacokinetics — how your body processes it▾
After taking almotriptan by mouth, about 70% of the dose reaches the bloodstream, with peak levels occurring roughly 1 to 3 hours after the dose. Food does not change how the drug is absorbed. Almotriptan is processed mainly by the liver through two enzyme pathways (MAO and CYP3A4/2D6), producing inactive breakdown products. Its half-life — the time it takes for the body to clear half the drug — is about 3 to 4 hours. Roughly 75% of the dose leaves the body through the kidneys (about 40% unchanged), and about 13% is excreted in stool. Clearance is significantly reduced in people with moderate to severe kidney impairment or liver disease, leading to higher drug levels — which is why lower doses are recommended for those patients.
📦How to store it▾
Store at 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F). Dispense in a tight, light-resistant container as defined in the USP using a child-resistant closure.
📄 Written from Almotriptan’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Every point is grounded in that labeling — nothing is invented. How we use AI →
Supplements & herbs that interact with Almotriptan
154 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Almotriptan in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Major · 4
- Moderate · 108
- Minor · 42
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
🩺 Pharmacist Counseling Corner
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Almotriptan — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What exactly is almotriptan for — is it the same as a regular painkiller? ▾
When should I take it — do I wait until the headache is really bad? ▾
What side effects should I expect, and which ones should make me call a doctor? ▾
I also take an antidepressant. Is it safe to take almotriptan at the same time? ▾
Can I take almotriptan frequently to prevent migraines from happening? ▾
Are there people who absolutely should not take almotriptan? ▾
Is Almotriptan available over the counter? ▾
When was Almotriptan first available? ▾
Who makes Almotriptan? ▾
💬 Answers drafted from Almotriptan’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Grounded in that labeling — nothing is made up. How we use AI →
🧰 Keep exploring
💊 How Almotriptan comes
Almotriptan is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Tablet
How this form is used
- Almotriptan Malate tablets: acute treatment of migraine attacks in adults with a history of migraine with or without aura
- Almotriptan Malate tablets: acute treatment of migraine headache pain in adolescents ages 12 to 17 with attacks usually lasting 4 or more hours when untreated
- almotriptan tablets, USP: acute treatment of migraine attacks in adults with a history of migraine with or without aura
- almotriptan tablets, USP: acute treatment of migraine headache pain in adolescents ages 12 to 17 with attacks usually lasting 4 or more hours when untreated
- Almotriptan Malate tablets and almotriptan tablets, USP: taken by mouth with or without food at the onset of a migraine
- Almotriptan Malate tablets and almotriptan tablets, USP: if the headache returns after initial relief, a second dose may be taken no sooner than 2 hours after the first dose
- Almotriptan Malate tablets and almotriptan tablets, USP: do not exceed the maximum daily dose; do not take a second dose if the first dose had no effect
- Almotriptan Malate tablets and almotriptan tablets, USP: patients with liver disease or severe kidney disease should use a lower starting dose and a reduced daily maximum — follow your prescriber's guidance
📊 Almotriptan across the U.S. market
How Almotriptan appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (3) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
📈 How widely Almotriptan is used
A general measure of how commonly Almotriptan is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Almotriptan is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Almotriptan prescribed? Of the 1,594 medications we measure, Almotriptan ranks #1,168 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 27% of them.
Utilization by Almotriptan product
Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.
almotriptan 12.5 MG Oral Tablet Most dispensed
Summed across the 2 of 6 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 284205
almotriptan 6.25 MG Oral Tablet
Summed across the 2 of 6 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 284204
Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Almotriptan, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 4 of 12 listed Almotriptan NDCs with Medicaid activity.
🔍 Compare Almotriptan products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Almotriptan — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Tablet | ||||
| 6.25 mg | Oral | Ajanta Pharma USA Inc. × 3 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 12.5 mg | Oral | Ajanta Pharma USA Inc. × 3 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 6.25 mg | Oral | Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 12.5 mg | Oral | Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 6.25 mg | Oral | Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 12.5 mg | Oral | Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 💊Bulk drug substance | ||||
| 1 kg/kg | — | Matrix Pharmacorp Private Limited | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
| 1 kg/kg | — | MSN Laboratories Private Limited | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
| 1 kg/kg | — | SMS Pharmaceuticals Limited | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
Showing 13 of 13 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 13 Almotriptan NDCs →
📈 What people report — real-world data (FDA FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Almotriptan — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Almotriptan in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
🏛️ The road to your pharmacy
How Almotriptan went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
🚨 Recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
Source: openFDA drug enforcement (recall) reports.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 279645 1 dose form · 2 strengths
-
Dose form (SCDF) Oral Tablet RxCUI 374657In current FDA listings
Look up RxCUI 279645 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
📦 Supply & shortage status
Whether Almotriptan is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
🏷️ Sold under these brand names
🏭 Manufacturers & labelers
RxNorm drug class
Almotriptan belongs to the Serotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d Receptor Agonist class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
🔬 Where this comes from
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How we combine label and product data
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records; we don’t author the underlying clinical facts. We identified 3 FDA-filed SPL label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. The representative label is the starting point for the displayed reference monograph; the 12 largest stored in-scope SPL records, which may include that representative, are compared section by section, and the longest available version of each section is retained. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, product-listed strengths, and product-record counts are aggregated separately from ingredient-matched FDA NDC Directory records; package records listed above are associated with the linked SPL; and the normalized concept hierarchy comes from NLM RxNorm.
For canonical ingredient pages, bounded product-attributed indication and administration excerpts may be added to the AI evidence, and the generator is instructed to preserve available product, brand, route, and form qualifiers instead of treating one label as universal. Where a section is identified as AI-written, its plain-language text is generated from bounded label evidence. New draft drug pages remain in the admin review queue before first publication. Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates; it is not the sole source used for the page.
This is general education, not medical advice — always consult your doctor or pharmacist about your medications and any medical condition. For the exact wording of the linked representative label, view that label on DailyMed; some displayed composite sections may come from other in-scope SPL labels. Learn how we use AI and our data sources & update cadence.