Frovatriptan
Frovatriptan is a triptan medication used to treat acute migraine attacks, with or without aura, in adults.
🧬 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 4 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 →
📖 Frovatriptan: Patient Information Guide
A plain-language walkthrough of Frovatriptan — 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▾
Frovatriptan is a triptan indicated for the acute (as-needed) treatment of migraine in adults. Here is what the evidence supports:
- Treats migraine headaches with or without aura in adults when taken at the onset of an attack
- Applies only after a confirmed diagnosis of migraine has been established
- Not indicated for the prevention of migraine attacks
- Not established as effective for cluster headaches
- If a patient does not respond to the first dose for a given attack, the migraine diagnosis should be re-evaluated before using frovatriptan again
⚙️How it works▾
Frovatriptan binds tightly to serotonin receptors — specifically the 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D subtypes — located on blood vessels inside the skull and on pain-sensing nerve fibers of the trigeminal system (the main nerve network involved in migraine pain). Activating these receptors causes those vessels to narrow (constrict) and blocks the release of inflammatory substances that cause the throbbing pain and other migraine symptoms. The result is relief from the headache and associated discomfort.
💊How it's taken▾
Frovatriptan succinate is taken orally as a tablet, swallowed with fluids, at the start of a migraine attack. Food does not significantly affect how much of the drug gets absorbed, though it may slightly delay the time to peak effect.
- One tablet is taken at migraine onset
- If the headache returns after initial relief, a second tablet may be taken — but at least 2 hours must pass between doses
- No more than 3 tablets in any 24-hour period
- If the first dose does not work for that attack, a second dose for the same headache is not expected to help
- The safety of treating more than 4 migraine attacks per month has not been established
🤒Side effects — in detail▾
The most commonly reported side effects in clinical trials include:
- Dizziness
- Flushing (feeling of warmth or redness)
- Fatigue
- Paresthesia (tingling or prickling sensations)
- Dry mouth
- Indigestion (dyspepsia)
- Hot or cold sensations
- Skeletal (bone or muscle) pain
- Chest pain or tightness (usually not heart-related, but worth reporting)
Serious reactions — including heart events, stroke, severe allergic reactions, and serotonin syndrome — have been reported rarely. Seek emergency care immediately if you experience chest pain, sudden neurological symptoms, signs of a severe allergic reaction, or agitation with rapid heart rate and high fever.
⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
- Heart and blood vessel risks: Frovatriptan can cause coronary artery spasm and, rarely, serious heart events including heart attack. People with known heart disease, a history of stroke or TIA, peripheral vascular disease, or uncontrolled high blood pressure must not take it. Those with multiple heart risk factors should be evaluated before use.
- Dangerous heart rhythms: Life-threatening arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats), including ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, have been reported. Stop taking frovatriptan and seek emergency help if this occurs.
- Serotonin syndrome: Combining frovatriptan with SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, or MAO inhibitors can trigger serotonin syndrome — a potentially life-threatening condition. Symptoms include agitation, hallucinations, rapid heart rate, high fever, and loss of coordination.
- Medication overuse headache: Using acute migraine treatments — including frovatriptan — too frequently (10 or more days per month) can cause headaches to become more frequent and harder to treat. If this happens, supervised withdrawal may be needed.
- Blood pressure spikes: Significant blood pressure elevations have been reported, even in people without a history of high blood pressure. Blood pressure should be monitored.
- Severe allergic reactions: Anaphylaxis and angioedema (dangerous swelling) have been reported and can be life-threatening. Do not take frovatriptan if you have had an allergic reaction to it before.
🔀What it interacts with▾
Frovatriptan has several important drug interactions to be aware of:
- Ergot-containing drugs (ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, methysergide) — combining within 24 hours is contraindicated due to additive blood vessel narrowing that can be dangerous
- Other triptans or 5-HT1 agonists — also contraindicated within 24 hours for the same reason
- SSRIs, SNRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, MAO inhibitors — risk of serotonin syndrome; use with caution and watch for warning signs
- Oral contraceptives (birth control pills) — can increase frovatriptan blood levels by about 30%, which may increase side effect risk
- Propranolol — can significantly increase frovatriptan blood levels, particularly in males
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 if you have ischemic heart disease (angina, history of heart attack), coronary artery vasospasm (Prinzmetal's angina), or Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome
- Do not take if you have had a stroke, TIA (mini-stroke), or a history of hemiplegic or basilar migraine
- Do not take if you have peripheral vascular disease, ischemic bowel disease, or uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Do not take if you have had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis or angioedema) to frovatriptan before
- Pregnancy: Animal studies suggest potential harm to the fetus. There are no adequate studies in pregnant women. Discuss the risks and benefits with your prescriber.
- Breastfeeding: It is unknown whether frovatriptan passes into human milk. The benefits of breastfeeding should be weighed against potential risks with your doctor.
- Children under 18: Safety and effectiveness have not been established; not recommended for this age group
- Older adults (65+): Blood levels of frovatriptan are 1.5 to 2 times higher than in younger adults; no dose adjustment required, but prescribers should be aware
- Severe liver disease: No experience exists in this population; significantly higher drug levels are expected, so use with caution
- Multiple cardiovascular risk factors (diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, strong family history of heart disease): a cardiovascular evaluation should be done before starting frovatriptan
🚑If you take too much▾
Frovatriptan has a long half-life of about 26 hours, so if too much is taken, monitoring should continue for at least 48 hours or until symptoms resolve. There is no specific antidote. It is not known whether dialysis can remove frovatriptan from the blood. If you suspect an overdose, seek emergency medical care immediately.
📡Pharmacodynamics — effects in the body▾
Frovatriptan activates 5-HT1B/1D serotonin receptors on the blood vessels and nerve fibers involved in migraine. This causes narrowing (constriction) of dilated intracranial blood vessels and reduces the release of inflammatory neuropeptides (pain-promoting chemicals) from trigeminal nerve fibers. Together, these effects interrupt the migraine process and relieve headache pain.
🔬Pharmacokinetics — how your body processes it▾
After an oral dose, frovatriptan reaches peak blood levels in about 2 to 4 hours. Its bioavailability (the proportion that actually reaches circulation) is relatively low — around 20% in males and 30% in females — and women who take oral contraceptives may see about 30% higher levels. One notable feature of frovatriptan is its long half-life of approximately 26 hours, meaning it stays in the body much longer than most other triptans. It is primarily broken down by the liver enzyme CYP1A2 and eliminated mostly through feces (about 62%) and urine (about 32%). In people with mild to moderate liver impairment or in elderly individuals, drug levels can be about twice as high as in younger healthy adults, though no dose adjustment is required for mild to moderate liver impairment or for older adults.
📦How to store it▾
Store frovatriptan succinate tablets at controlled room temperature, 25°C (77°F) excursions permitted to 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F) . Protect from moisture.
📄 Written from Frovatriptan’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 Frovatriptan
38 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Frovatriptan in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Major · 2
- Moderate · 25
- Minor · 11
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 Frovatriptan — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What exactly does frovatriptan do — does it prevent migraines or stop them? ▾
When should I take it during a migraine attack? ▾
What side effects are most likely, and which ones should make me call a doctor? ▾
Can I take it with my antidepressant or other migraine medicines? ▾
Is it safe to use frovatriptan if I'm pregnant or breastfeeding? ▾
I've been taking this a lot — is that a problem? ▾
Is Frovatriptan available over the counter? ▾
When was Frovatriptan first available? ▾
Who makes Frovatriptan? ▾
💬 Answers drafted from Frovatriptan’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 Frovatriptan comes
Frovatriptan 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
- Used to treat acute migraine attacks with or without aura in adults
- Not for migraine prevention or cluster headache treatment
- Swallow one tablet with fluids at the onset of a migraine
- A second tablet may be taken at least 2 hours after the first if the headache returns after initial relief
- Do not take more than 3 tablets in any 24-hour period
- Can be taken with or without food, though food may slightly delay when the drug reaches peak levels
📊 Frovatriptan across the U.S. market
How Frovatriptan 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 (4) — 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 Frovatriptan is used
A general measure of how commonly Frovatriptan 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 Frovatriptan 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 Frovatriptan prescribed? Of the 1,596 medications we measure, Frovatriptan ranks #1,096 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 31% of them.
Utilization by Frovatriptan 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.
frovatriptan 2.5 MG Oral Tablet
Summed across the 2 of 10 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 349462
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 Frovatriptan, 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 2 of 10 listed Frovatriptan NDCs with Medicaid activity.
🔍 Compare Frovatriptan products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Frovatriptan — 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 | ||||
| 2.5 mg | — | Almac Pharma Services Limited | DRUG FOR FURTHER PROCESSING | View NDC → |
| 2.5 mg | Oral | Amneal Pharmaceuticals NY LLC × 3 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2.5 mg | Oral | Endo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | NDA | View NDC → |
| 2.5 mg | Oral | Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA × 3 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2.5 mg | Oral | Ingenus Pharmaceuticals, LLC × 3 listings | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2.5 mg | Oral | Leading Pharma, LLC | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2.5 mg | Oral | Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 2.5 mg | Oral | Par Pharmaceutical | NDA | View NDC → |
| 💊Bulk drug substance | ||||
| 1 kg/kg | — | Alivus Life Sciences Limited | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
| 1 kg/kg | — | Mylan Laboratories Limited | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
| 1 kg/kg | — | Sionc Pharmaceutical Private Limited | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
| 1 kg/kg | — | Viyash Life Sciences Private Limited | BULK INGREDIENT | View NDC → |
Showing 18 of 18 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 18 Frovatriptan 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 Frovatriptan — 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 Frovatriptan 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 Frovatriptan 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 228783 1 dose form · 1 strength
-
Dose form (SCDF) Oral Tablet RxCUI 378697In current FDA listingsClinical drug / strength (SCD) 2.5 MGRxCUI 349462
Look up RxCUI 228783 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 Frovatriptan 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
Frovatriptan 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 4 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. Ingenus Pharmaceuticals, LLC 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.