Triptans
Sumatriptan belongs to the group of medications called triptans, used to treat the migraine. Triptans are serotonin (or 5-HT1) receptor agonists. They mimic the effects of serotonin and narrow the blood vessels in the brain, relieving the migraine pain.
Sumatriptan is a medication used in treatment of the migraine without the early signs of migraine attack. Those “signs” are called aura, and often include vision problems, like dark spots, flashing light or lines affecting the vision. This drug may also be used to treat cluster headaches.
Adverse Effects
The most common side effects include: nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, diarrhea and weakness. Some patients had rectal bleeding and Xerostomia. Many patients experience dizziness, sleepiness, flushing and burning and tingling feeling.
When using the sumatriptan as injection, people report changes on the injection spot, usually redness, swelling and burning sensation, but sometimes even changes in subcutaneous fat tissue (such as lipoatrophy or lipohypertrophy).
Chest problems are quite frequently reported by patients using sumatriptan. The tightness, heaviness and pressure in the chest, or chest pains, are usually associated with the anxiety attack in these patients, although some specialists consider this symptom as a sign of cardiac ischemia.
Some of the cardiovascular effects might be severe, including life endangering arrhythmias, Prinzmetal angina pectoris or myocardial infarction.
Sumatriptan affects the blood and may cause anemia, pancytopenia, thrombocytopenia and cyanosis.
Some of the patients are hypersensitive to the medication. They might experience rash, redness of the skin or breathing problems, such as fast or uneven breathing, or even bronchospasm. Changes in face skin color, swelling of the eyes, eyelids, face and lips are reported. Hypersensitivity is rarely a serious condition when using sumatriptan. Sumatriptan might cause oversensitivity to the sun and sunburns.
Sumatriptan might affect the liver and kidneys, causing liver problems, acute kidney failure or angioneurotic edema.
Some patients experience vision problems when using this drug. Blindness, caused by sumatriptan temporary or permanent is extremely rare condition.
This medication often causes nervous side effects. The most common are dizziness, headache and paresthesias, but there were cases of serotonin syndrome, vasculitis, cerebrvascular problems and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Convulsions are rarely reported. However, patients having problems with epileptic attacks or some other forms of seizures should be especially careful when using sumatriptan. Psychiatric side effects might include anxiety and panic disorders.
Sumatriptan may cause the increase of growth hormone levels in theblood.
Warning
Sumatriptan should not be used in patient with coronary arterydisease.
Patients with prior history of seizures, pregnant women and breastfeeding moms should consult their doctor about the use of this medication.
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