Lasmiditan

Lasmiditan is used to treat the symptoms of migraine headaches (severe throbbing headaches that sometimes are accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to sound and light). Lasmiditan is in a class of medications called selective serotonin receptor agonists. Lasmiditan may work by stopping pain signals from being sent to the brain and stopping inflammation of the nerves that cause symptoms of migraine. Lasmiditan does not prevent migraine attacks or reduce the number of headaches you have.

Lasmiditan comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken at the first sign of a migraine headache. If your symptoms improve after you take lasmiditan but return within 24 hours, do not take a second tablet. You should not take more than one dose of lasmiditan in a 24-hour period. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take lasmiditan exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

Swallow the tablets whole; do not split, chew, or crush them.

If you take lasmiditan more often or for longer than the recommended period of time, your headaches may get worse or may occur more frequently. You should not take lasmiditan or any other headache medication for more than 10 days per month. Call your doctor if you need to take lasmiditan to treat more than four headaches in a 1-month period.

Lasmiditan may be habit forming. Do not take a larger dose, take it more often, or take it for a longer period of time than prescribed by your doctor.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Before taking lasmiditan,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to lasmiditan, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in lasmiditan tablets. Ask your pharmacist or check the Medication Guide for a list of the ingredients.

• tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking the following medications or have stopped taking them within the past two weeks: isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Ensam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.

• tell your doctor what herbal products and nutritional supplements you are taking, especially St. John's wort.

• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had high blood pressure; slow, weak, or irregular heart beat; or liver problems.

• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking lasmiditan, call your doctor.

• you should know that lasmiditan may make you drowsy. You should not drive a car or operate machinery for at least 8 hours after you take lasmiditan.

• ask your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking lasmiditan. Alcohol can make the side effects from lasmiditan worse.

Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, continue your normal diet.

• Lasmiditan may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

  • dizziness

  • sleepiness

  • numbness

  • tingling feeling

  • tiredness

  • nausea

  • vomiting

• Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms, call your doctor immediately or get emergency medical treatment:

  • hallucinations (seeing thing or hearing voices that do not exist)

  • agitation

  • fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat

  • sweating

  • trouble walking

  • tight muscles

  • sudden, nausea, vomiting. or diarrhea

  • hives

  • itching

  • wheezing or difficulty breathing or swallowing

  • swelling of the face, throat, tongue, lips, or eyes

• Lasmiditan may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

• If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online (http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch) or by phone (1-800-332-1088).

Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).

It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers (such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers) are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location – one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach. http://www.upandaway.org

Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them. However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. Talk to your pharmacist or contact your local garbage/recycling department to learn about take-back programs in your community. See the FDA's Safe Disposal of Medicines website (http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p) for more information if you do not have access to a take-back program.

In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at 1-800-222-1222. Information is also available online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at 911.

Keep all appointments with your doctor. Your doctor may monitor your blood pressure and heart rate during your treatment with lasmiditan.

You should keep a headache diary by writing down when you have headaches and when you take lasmiditan.

Do not let anyone else take your medication. Lasmiditan is a controlled substance. Prescriptions may be refilled only a limited number of times; ask your pharmacist if you have any questions.

It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.