Details
What is Sumatriptan?
Sumatriptan is a medication designed specifically to treat migraine attacks with or without an aura (temporary visual sensory disturbances). Sumatriptan treats acute migraine attacks, which means sumatriptan should be taken at the start of a migraine, or when you feel like a migraine is coming on. Sumatriptan does not prevent migraines from occurring in the future, and therefore should not be taken if you are not suffering from a migraine attack.
Sumatriptan is effective against migraines that occur during menstruation in women. This is usually between 3 days before and 5 days after the beginning of menstruation.
How does sumatriptan work?
Sumatriptan is a medicine belonging to a group of drugs called serotonin (5-HT1) agonists (or ‘triptans’). Sumatriptan is designed to specifically treat migraines. Migraines are thought to involve chemical changes in the brain that cause a widening or swelling of blood vessels in the brain, which produces the throbbing pain. Sumatriptan constricts these blood vessels and reduces the release of certain brain chemicals which helps relieve the symptoms of migraine.
What is the difference between sumatriptan and Imigran?
Imigran and sumatriptan are the same medication. They both work the exact same way and are equally as effective. The only difference is that Imigran is the specific brand of sumatriptan whilst sumatriptan is a generic medication. This means sumatriptan is generally cheaper than Imigran as you are not paying for the brand.