FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Although your doctor is the best source for answering your specific questions about migraines and treatment with RELPAX, you can find answers to common questions here.

To see questions, click on the topics below.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT RELPAXtop

RELPAX is indicated for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura in adults.

Many people feel relief with RELPAX in 2 hours.†‡ For some people, RELPAX starts to work in 30 minutes.§

Pain relief was measured in terms of headache response, defined as a reduction from severe or moderate headache to mild headache or no pain after medication.

The percentage of people achieving headache response at 2 hours after treatment was studied across 7 adult studies. Please see full Prescribing Information and Patient Information for a description of the results from these studies.

§9% of patients reported headache response with RELPAX 40 mg at 30 minutes (P=.0001 vs placebo).

Yes, RELPAX reduces migraine symptoms. Patients treated with RELPAX experienced less nausea and sensitivity to sound and light compared with placebo.

RELPAX is believed to:

  • Reduce swelling of blood vessels
  • Block the release of chemicals in the brain that cause more pain
  • Block other symptoms of migraine pain

HOW TO GET BRAND-NAME RELPAXtop

Here are 3 suggested tips to help make sure you receive brand-name RELPAX and not a generic:

  1. At your doctor’s office: Ask your doctor to prescribe brand-name RELPAX and to indicate “DAW” (Dispense As Written)—or the language used in your state—on all of your RELPAX prescriptions.
  2. At your pharmacy’s drop-off: Tell the pharmacist that you want brand-name RELPAX—and be sure to use the RELPAX Savings Card. The RELPAX Savings Card can only be used with brand-name RELPAX.
  3. At your pharmacy’s pick-up: Check your pills to be sure they’re brand-name RELPAX—not the generic—and also check that you’ve saved on your prescription.

Talk to your doctor and/or your pharmacist to ask if you should be getting brand-name RELPAX.

Check your pills for the distinctive shape and markings of brand-name RELPAX.

Images of 20 milligram and 40 milligram pills

SAVING ON RELPAXtop

The RELPAX Savings Card allows eligible patients to pay as little as $4 every time they get a 30-day fill of brand-name RELPAX—and could save up to $3,000 a year. If you have a prescription for brand-name RELPAX, you can use the card for every fill through December 31, 2023.*

*Terms and conditions apply.

There are 2 ways to use the card immediately. Once you’ve activated your Savings Card, you can either:

  • Bring a printed copy of it to the pharmacy
  • Show it to your pharmacist on your phone

You can keep this card with you and continue to save on each fill for RELPAX through December 31, 2023.

To be eligible to use a RELPAX Savings Card

  • You do not have insurance from any Federal Healthcare Program (including Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, or any other state or federal medical pharmaceutical benefit program or pharmaceutical assistance program)
  • You and your spouse/partner are both not over age 65 and retired
  • You do not receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or any other Social Security Administration (SSA) benefits
  • Neither you, your spouse nor your parents are on active military duty and if so, you are not covered by their military health insurance
  • You do not have End-stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
  • You are over the age of 18
  • You agree to the Terms and Conditions

To learn the full details of who is eligible, please see the full Terms and Conditions.

To get a Savings Card, register here and then download your card or have it sent to you via mail, email, or text.

The RELPAX Savings Card can only be used for new prescriptions that are filled after you have activated the card.

Yes, for reimbursement when using a nonparticipating pharmacy: Pay for your RELPAX prescription, and mail a copy of the original pharmacy receipt (cash register receipt NOT valid) with product name, date, and amount circled to: P.O. Box 6875, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Be sure to include a copy of the front of your RELPAX Savings Card, your name, and mailing address.

Yes, for reimbursement when using the RELPAX Savings Card through a mail-order pharmacy: Pay for your RELPAX prescription, and mail a copy of the original pharmacy receipt (cash register receipt NOT valid) with product name, date, and amount circled to: P.O. Box 6875, Bridgewater, NJ 08807. Be sure to include a copy of the front of your RELPAX Savings Card, your name, and mailing address.

TAKING RELPAXtop

Treat early. When you take RELPAX is important. RELPAX provides the most migraine relief when taken at the first sign of pain.

Always carry 2 doses of RELPAX with you. Migraines can hit when you least expect them.

Take 1 whole tablet, with or without food, as soon as you feel a migraine coming on. If your migraine improves, but then it comes back after 2 hours, you can take another dose of RELPAX.

Do not take more than 2 RELPAX 40-mg tablets within 24 hours.

SAFETY & POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTStop

RELPAX can cause serious side effects, including:

  • Heart attack and other heart problems. Heart problems may lead to death.

Stop taking RELPAX and get emergency medical help right away if you have any of the following symptoms of a heart attack:

  • discomfort in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back
  • chest pain or chest discomfort that feels like an uncomfortable heavy pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain
  • pain or discomfort in your arms, back, neck, jaw, or stomach
  • shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
  • breaking out in a cold sweat
  • nausea or vomiting
  • feeling lightheaded

RELPAX is not for people with risk factors for heart disease unless a heart exam is done and shows no problem.

You have a higher risk for heart disease if you:

  • have high blood pressure
  • have high cholesterol levels
  • smoke
  • are overweight
  • have diabetes
  • have a family history of heart disease
  • are a female who has gone through menopause
  • are a male over age 40

Serotonin syndrome. Serotonin syndrome is a serious and life-threatening problem that can happen in people taking RELPAX, especially if RELPAX is taken with anti-depressant medicines called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs).

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for a list of these medicines if you are not sure.

Call your doctor right away if you have any of the following symptoms of serotonin syndrome:

  • mental changes such as seeing things that are not there (hallucinations), agitation, or coma
  • fast heartbeat
  • changes in blood pressure
  • high body temperature
  • tight muscles
  • trouble walking
  • nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

Do not take RELPAX if you:

  • have heart problems or a history of heart problems
  • have or have had a stroke or problems with your blood circulation
  • have hemiplegic or basilar migraines. If you are not sure if you have these types of migraines, ask your doctor
  • have narrowing of the blood vessels in your legs, arms, stomach, or kidney (peripheral vascular disease)
  • have ischemic bowel disease
  • have uncontrolled high blood pressure
  • have taken any of the following medicines in the last 24 hours:
    • other “triptans” or triptan combination products such as:
      • almotriptan (Axert®)
      • frovatriptan (Frova®)
      • naratriptan (Amerge®)
      • rizatriptan (Maxalt®)
      • sumatriptan (Imitrex®)
      • sumatriptan and naproxen sodium, (Treximet®)
      • zolmitriptan (Zomig®)
    • ergotamines such as:
      • Bellergal-S®
      • Cafergot®
      • Ergomar®
      • Wigraine®
    • dihydroergotamines such as:
      • D.H.E. 45® or Migranal® or methysergide (Sansert®)
    • have taken the following medicines within the last 72 hours:
      • ketoconazole (Nizoral®)
      • itraconazole (Sporanox®)
      • nefazodone (Serzone®)
      • troleandomycin (TAO®)
      • clarithromycin (Biaxin®)
      • ritonavir (Norvir®)
      • nelfinavir (Viracept®)
    • are allergic to eletriptan or any of the ingredients in RELPAX

    Please see Full Prescribing Information and Patient Information for a complete list of ingredients in RELPAX.

    All brands are trademarks of their owners.

RELPAX may cause serious side effects. See What is the most important information I should know about RELPAX?

These serious side effects include:

  • changes in color or sensation in your fingers and toes (Raynaud’s syndrome)
  • stomach and intestinal problems (gastrointestinal and colonic ischemic events). Symptoms of gastrointestinal and colonic ischemic events include:
    • sudden or severe stomach pain
    • stomach pain after meals
    • weight loss
    • nausea or vomiting
    • constipation or diarrhea
    • bloody diarrhea
    • fever
  • problems with blood circulation to your legs and feet (peripheral vascular ischemia). Symptoms of peripheral vascular ischemia include:
    • cramping and pain in your legs or hips
    • feeling of heaviness or tightness in your leg muscles
    • burning or aching pain in your feet or toes while resting
    • numbness, tingling, or weakness in your legs
    • cold feeling or color changes in 1 or both legs or feet
  • medication overuse headaches. Some people who take too many RELPAX may have worse headaches (medication overuse headache). If your headaches get worse, your doctor may decide to stop your treatment with RELPAX

The most common side effects of RELPAX include:

  • dizziness
  • nausea
  • weakness
  • tiredness
  • drowsiness

Tell your doctor if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of RELPAX. For more information, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

ABOUT MIGRAINEStop

A migraine isn’t just a bad headache. It’s an intense, throbbing pain, usually felt on one side of the head. Some people also get nauseous and experience sensitivity to light and sound. The symptoms of migraine are thought to be caused by a complex series of neurological events that also appear to affect the blood vessels in the head.

  • Migraines without aura

Not all migraines are the same. But many people experience:

  • Throbbing pain
  • Sensitivity to light and/or sound
  • Nausea
  • Migraines with aura

An aura is a feeling or series of sensations that come before a migraine attack and can last about 5-60 minutes.

Common symptoms of aura include:

  • Seeing flashing lights, zigzag lines, or blind spots
  • Feeling numbness or tingling in the face or hands
  • Speech disturbances

The aura may be followed by some or all of the symptoms of a migraine without aura.

Start the conversation. Keep a diary to track when you experienced the migraine, what you did and ate that day, and if you took any medication. The more your doctor knows about your headaches and symptoms, the more he or she can help determine if you suffer from migraines.

If you get migraines, you’re not alone. More than 39 million people in the United States have migraines. Women are 2 times as likely as men to suffer from migraines. In fact, 15% of women and 6% of men are afflicted over a 1-year period. Migraines are most often seen in adults 18 to 44 years of age.

Triggers are things that can bring on migraines. They vary from person to person. Often it’s a combination of triggers that can set off an attack. Common triggers may be related to your diet, body, and environment.

  • Dietary
    • Aged cheeses
    • Soy products
    • Hot dogs
    • Lunch meats
    • Alcohol (often red wine)
    • Caffeine (too much or withdrawal)
    • Skipped meals
    • Monosodium glutamate (MSG, found in some canned and processed foods)
    • Aspartame (artificial sweetener)
  • Physical
    • Feeling worn down
    • Hormone changes
    • Being tired
    • Stress
    • Too much or too little sleep
  • Environmental
    • Weather changes
    • Light (bright, fluorescent, flashing, or flickering)
    • Odors and pollution (smog, smoke, perfume, chemical odors)

Migraines can cause throbbing headaches that can vary in intensity. However, they can also be accompanied by sensitivity to light and sound, as well as nausea.