Frovatriptan is used to treat the symptoms of migraine headaches (severe throbbing headaches that sometimes are accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to sound and light). Frovatriptan is in a class of medications called selective serotonin receptor agonists. It works by narrowing blood vessels in the brain. Frovatriptan does not prevent migraine attacks.

Before Using This Medicine
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For frovatriptan, the following should be considered:

Allergies-
Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to frovatriptan. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.

Pregnancy-
Frovatriptan has not been studied in pregnant women. However, in some animal studies, frovatriptan caused harmful effects to the fetus. These unwanted effects usually occurred when frovatriptan was given in amounts that were large enough to cause harmful effects in the mother.

Breast-feeding-
It is not known whether frovatriptan passes into human breast milk. Although most medicines pass into breast milk in small amounts, many of them may be used safely while breast-feeding. Mothers who are taking this medicine and who wish to breast-feed should discuss this with their doctor.

Children-
Studies on this medicine have been done only in patients 18 years of age and older, and there is no specific information comparing use of frovatriptan in children with use in other age groups.

Older adults-
Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of frovatriptan in the elderly with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Other medicines-
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary.

Do not take frovatriptan if you have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), tranylcypromine (Parnate), or phenelzine (Nardil) within the last 14 days. The combination could cause seizures, nausea, vomiting, sweating, flushing, and dizziness.

Do not take frovatriptan if you:

• have taken an ergot-based medication within the last 24 hours–ergot-based medicines include methysergide (Sansert), ergotamine (Ergostat, Ergomar, others) dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45, Migranal Nasal Spray), and ergotamine combination products (Bellergal-S, Cafergot, Ercaf, Wigraine, Cafatine, Cafatine-PB, Cafetrate)
• have taken another serotonin receptor agonist within the last 24 hours – these include frovatriptan (Frova), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt, Maxalt-MLT), sumatriptan (Imitrex), and zolmitriptan (Zomig, Zomig-ZMT); or
• have taken ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), ritonavir (Norvir), or erythromycin (E-Mycin, others) in the last 7 days.

Taking a serotonin receptor agonist with any of the medicines listed above may be dangerous.

Before taking frovatriptan, tell your doctor if you are taking a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) such as citalopram (Celexa), fluoxetine (Prozac), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), or sertraline (Zoloft). You may not be able to take frovatriptan, or you may require a dosage adjustment or special monitoring during treatment if you are taking any of the medicines listed.

Drugs other than those listed here may also interact with frovatriptan. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist before taking any prescription or over-the-counter medicines, including herbal products.

Other medical problems-
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of frovatriptan. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Uncontrolled high blood pressure—Use of frovatriptan may cause this condition to become worse.
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart attack (recent)
  Heart disease or Risk factors for coronary artery disease such as high cholesterol, family history, diabetes, obesity, women after menopause and men over 40 years of age—Use of frovatriptan may cause problems in patients with these risk factors.
• Blood vessel disease, especially in the intestines and fingers—Use of frovatriptan may cause these conditions to become worse.
• Bleeding in the brain or Stroke (or history of)—Use of frovatriptan may increase the chance of having a stroke

Proper Use of This Medicine
Do not use frovatriptan for an episode that is different from your usual Migraines

To relieve your Migraine as soon as possible, use frovatriptan as soon as the pain begins. Even if you get warning signals of a coming Migraine (an aura), you should wait until the pain starts before using frovatriptan. Using frovatriptan during the aura probably will not prevent the pain from occurring. However, even if you do not use frovatriptan until your Migraine has been present for several hours, the medicine will still work.

Lying down in a quiet, dark room for a while after you use this medicine may help relieve your Migraine.

If you feel much better after a dose of frovatriptan, but your Migraine comes back or gets worse after 2 or more hours, you may use one additional dose of frovatriptan

Your doctor may direct you to take another medicine to help prevent Migraines. It is important that you follow your doctor’s directions, even if your Migraines continue to occur. Migraine-preventing medicines may take several weeks to start working. Even after they do start working, your Migraines may not go away completely. However, your Migraines should occur less often, and they should be less severe and easier to relieve. This can reduce the amount of frovatriptan or pain relievers that you need. If you do not notice any improvement after several weeks of Migraine-preventing treatment, check with your doctor.

Dosing-
The dose of frovatriptan will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor’s orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of frovatriptan. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

• Adults—Take one tablet (2.5 mg (milligrams) anytime after the start of your migraine headache. You may take a second tablet if your headache comes back after relief from the 1st dose. You should wait at least 2 hours between doses. Do not take more than 3 tablets in a 24 hour period. 
• Children—Use and dose must be determined by your doctor.

Storage-
To store this medicine:

• Keep out of the reach of children since overdose is especially dangerous in children.
• Store away from heat and direct light.
• Do not store in the bathroom, near the kitchen sink, or in other damp places. Heat or moisture may cause the medicine to break down.
• Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.

What special precautions should I follow?

Before taking frovatriptan,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to frovatriptan or any other medications.
• do not take frovatriptan within 24 hours of another selective serotonin receptor agonist such as almotriptan (Axert), eletriptan (Relpax), naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex), or zolmitriptan (Zomig); or ergot-type medications such as bromocriptine (Parlodel), cabergoline (Dostinex), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45, Migranal), ergoloid mesylates (Germinal, Hydergine), ergonovine (Ergotrate), ergotamine (Bellergal-S, Cafergot, Ergomar, Wigraine), methylergonovine (Methergine), methysergide (Sansert), and pergolide (Permax).
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: oral contraceptives (birth control pills); propranolol (Inderal); selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem, in Symbyax), fluvoxamine, paroxetine (Paxil), and sertraline (Zoloft);selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) such as duloxetine (Cymbalta), sibutramine (Meridia),and venlafaxine (Effexor). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
• tell your doctor if you smoke, if you or any family members have or have ever had heart disease, if you have gone through menopause (change of life), and if you have or have ever had a heart attack; angina (chest pain); pounding heartbeat or shortness of breath; a stroke or ‘mini-stroke’; high blood pressure; high cholesterol; diabetes; circulation problems such as varicose veins, blood clots in the legs, Raynaud’s disease (problems with blood flow to the fingers, toes, ears, and nose) or ischemic bowel disease (bloody diarrhea and stomach pain caused by decreased blood flow to the intestines); or liver disease.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking frovatriptan, call your doctor.
• you should know that frovatriptan may make you drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
• talk to your doctor about your headache symptoms to make sure they are caused by migraine. Frovatriptan should not be used to treat hemiplegic or basilar migraine or headaches caused by other conditions (such as cluster headaches).

What special dietary instructions should I follow?

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

What side effects can this medication cause?

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

• dizziness
• headache
• dry mouth
• indigestion
• excessive tiredness
• flushing
• hot or cold feeling
• pain in joints or bones

Some side effects can be serious. The following symptoms are uncommon, but if you experience any of them, call your doctor immediately:

• tightness, pain, pressure, or heaviness in the chest, throat, neck, and/or jaw
• slow or difficult speech
• faintness
• weakness or numbness of an arm or leg
• severe stomach pain
• bloody diarrhea
• rapid, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
• difficulty breathing
• paleness or blue color of the fingers and toes
• pain, burning, or tingling in the hands or feet
• rash or itching

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