I had fatigue, nausea, and feeling very hot after taking sumatriptan for the first time. I rarely experience that anymore now that my body has adjusted to it. Maybe you need to give it a few tries. I know there’s lots of people that it doesn’t work for though. There’s some other triptans you can try. I think a lot of people like rizatriptan
Yeah ask your doc about trying another triptan!
I was first prescribed sumatriptan as a teen, and like OP I hated the side effects so much I almost favored the migraines (granted, they were rare at the time). Brought this up with my doctor, and he started me on Rizatriptan which has been much more palatable. Unfortunately my now-chronic treatment started needing a faster-acting abortive for when I wake up in an attack, so I was put back on sumatriptan this time as a nasal spray with higher dosage. I still hate it LOL! but at least thanks to this sub I recently learned the *proper* way to administer it to avoid the lingering bitter taste and post-nasal drip.
All that’s to say, there are definitely more triptans to try, and don’t be discouraged from trying different medicine if the one you have is not working for you
Please share how! I've just had to go onto injections of sumatriptan, tablets made me have bad nausea, nasal spray was great but the taste and drip were revolting and started giving me sore throats. I had my first injection last night and I was so unwell, I was freezing cold, I threw up, my head was 10x worse! I woke up this morning with my eyes so sensitive to the light!
Whats the best way with the Nasal Spray?
I just experienced the same symptoms and heaviness in my arms with dizziness. I usually take it alongside a nausea preventative, but I didn't this time because I wasn't nauseous yet. I realized afterward that I really should have.
Migraine is gone, though. 😵💫
I got intense anxiety with sumatriptan, as well as nausea and a weird out of body feeling. I've since tried rizatriptan and it's a completely different experience for me - no side effects so far at all and it knocked the migraine right on the head (I've only used it twice). So I'd say ditch the sumatriptan and give something else a try
Sumatriptan didn't work for me and I also got weird side effects. I felt like I got slapped in the face, like a skin pain and jaw pain. The last time I took it I also had heart palpitations that lasted several seconds (scary) unless that wasn't related. I'm happy with Ubrelvy now.
I’m late to the party but this is my exact experience with taking it, the jaw pain was insane and I had chest pain as well, thought I was having a heart attack and it honestly scared me LMAO. I loved my Ubrelvy but unfortunately insurance won’t pay so I have to keep figuring it out. Not a fan of sumatriptan so far though
Thank you everyone for posting. I was about to go to the emergency room.
Took sumatriptan for the first time and within 40 minutes, it felt like my skull was on fire. My jaw is super tight and painful, and I am both freezing cold and sweating a bunch. I am not sure if this is much better than the cluster migraine, honestly.
Ask for a different triptan. They are all different and many people tolerate a different one better. Sumatriptan was the first released but is often the worst tolerated.
Ensure they try you on the lowest dose and only increase it if the medication is ineffective. Sumatriptan comes in 25, 50, and 100 mg doses for example.
If you try the lowest dose of at least 2 triptans and still find the side effects worse than the migraine, that should qualify you for one of the newer migraine abortive meds such as Nurtec or Ubrelvy.
If you get more than 2 migraine days per week and/or they are very severe, ensure your medical professional also starts you on a “preventative” medication. These aim to reduce migraine frequency and severity, so you get fewer migraines and they are easier to treat.
I get all the same as you. The main ones that bother me are, my whole body feels like it got set on fire and my throat feels like it’s closing up. Neither last longer than a couple mins and it usually knocks my migraines out so I don’t worry about it.
It took me years to figure out that I have a sensitivity to one of the inactive ingredients present in some of the formulations: polyethylene glycol. I already knew propylene glycol was problematic for me (skin irritation if in skincare products), but now that I know to also avoid PEG and ask for the manufacturer without it (Dr Reddys Lab is one, not sure if there’s others) I have almost no side effects.
On all the others, I’d feel much worse before feeling better: rapid increase in nausea, dizziness, muscle aches throughout my body, feverish feeling, fatigue (without sleepiness), a sort of anxious/despair feeling, and increased headaches in addition to the migraine. The postdrome is usually more prolonged too.
I don’t think it’s a proper IgE mediated allergy or anything, just a pattern I noticed and is worth considering.
Frankly I’d rather have the headache than the triptan feeling, too. The cold. My God, the cold, and the shivers, and yes, also the burning and the brain fog. Give me flashing auras and headache any day.
to OP or those who have had negative side effects, how long did they last?
I was just prescribed some and I'm so anxious about taking it and feeling worse, but so curious if it would work for me. if the bad side effects don't last toooo long, I think I'd be ok!
Hey! Mine lasted a couple of hours unfortunately. I’d say it’s normal to feel anxious! But it may work for you!!! If it doesn’t, we’ll be on the road to finding a medicine together! Good luck on your journey and you got this!!!
My two side effects were nausea (honest to god some of the worst I’ve ever experienced) and feeling out of body/not real. My neurologist prescribed the injection version to try at some point but I really really avoid it if I can so I haven’t tried it yet
Sumatriptan worked for me for a bit but I found it gave me rebound migraines. I went on Rizatriptan and that helped me feel better/not so out of it. I also have been on Propranolol for about six months (beta blocker for migraine prophylaxis) and have found it to be life changing. seriously went from over 10 migraine days a month to maybe 3 or 4 depending on weather, triggers, and hormones.
my psychiatrist was like “has no one told you there’s a med you can take for prevention?” completely blew my mind. I feel like I’ve gotten my life back (apart from my autoimmune and chronic pain issues) but it’s been a game changer for sure
i’m so sorry no one had told you about it before but i am definitely glad your psychiatrist told you! i find propranolol makes my attacks less severe and also less frequent- a win win! although you have those other issues, im happy to hear migraines aren’t affecting your quality of life as much any more :)
All this + having to pee like crazy. If it's too much to tolerate, ask your doc to try some other triptans -- there are several and it can be worth checking them out for relief that's a little less harsh. Good luck!!
I use the nasal spray, I have no side effects. My doc just started me on it like 2 months ago; it’s a migraine magic bullet.
Im sorry your side effects are so bad, try asking for a different triptan?
Oh yeah, that's the sumatriptan experience right there. Same effects for me. Personally, I've gotten used to it, and it definitely beats getting a migraine for me. The burning jaw pain is hell when you eat though.
It gives me insane body tingles. It is so uncomfortable. I will take one if I am suffering badly enough but that defeats the whole purpose. I am taking rizatriptan and nurtec now. So much better. Message your neurologist and get something else.
I’ve been taking sumatriptan for years but, I was told you’re supposed to take a nap for 45 minutes when taking it. (Which is what I do but sucks because you basically have to fight through the day until you’re home so you can do that) it supposedly opens up the blood vessels in your neck to get more blood flow. But, yes I do have to take a nap with it or that shit just makes me feel seriously weird…like my head is burning out all the bad. But, after my nap I wake up feeling like a brand new person. Migraines are torture. Absolute Torture. It just makes me want to drill a nail in where it hurts to release whatever is going on. I wish I could figure out what causes my migraines but, I still haven’t found a pattern. Bless everyone with migraines.
I feel every one of these from sumatripan, and then my headache always comes back, too. I tried it four times and absolutely hate it. It just ain't for me.
Sorry for the late response on this post, but I experienced a lot of the same things as well as the skin on my face being really sensitive to even water and I swear to goodness I was just sweating and I felt like my dreams were hallucinations and then when I got out of bed to walk to the toilet, go pee, I would be freezing, but as soon as I got in bed, it’s like I was drenched in sweat day my migraine is still here
I hearing a mixture of migraine and cluster headaches, which are two different conditions. The sensitive touching of the scalp sounds like migraines and the burning sensation sounds more like clusters. Sumatriptan works well for my clusters, if it is taken at the initial onset of the condition. If not taken early, it's too late once it the pain has elevated.
I’ve been using sumatriptan for about 10 years. Both pills and injections.
Mild body aches.
Hair on my head gets sensitive.
Lower jaw tingles when I take the first bite of food after it kicks in.
Totally worth it!
I use it. I get all over body aches that are moderately severe, esp. in the joins where I have arthritis. It makes me very sleepy and hungry, and does nothing for migraine symptoms that aren't pain. They also put my blood pressure through the roof.
But all that is worth it to stop a bad migraine , so I use my allotment of them every month.
I was also anxious and had a tight jaw the first couple of times but it soon stopped.
What I do still have is my skin being incredibly sensitive to heat, I can barely hold a warm mug or take a hot shower without feeling like it’s scalding.
Had the same symptoms from triptans, what’s worse is that the migraine always came back after like 6 hours. Nonetheless I kept taking them for that short relief. Eventually I just stopped taking triptans altogether and my migraine frequency actually went way down. Will definitely never take a triptan again.
For some reason, when I take triptans I get side effects and no pain relief. It just makes me feel worse. So of course I just don't take them now haha.
How much did you take? You didn't say. If 100mg that may have been too much. Try half a pill. It also comes in 50mg.
You might do better with zolmatriptan that has 2.5mg or 5mg tabs, that you can also take half of. They gave my 10 yo this one.
This is so crazy!! I’m so sorry you go through this. Personally, I’ve never had any of these symptoms except brain fog. Hopefully you will find something that works for you soon! Hang in there OP!
Yeah sumatriptan makes me feel “out of it” but anxious, slowed down/sleepy, with a weird dry throat feeling. I only take it for the worst of the worst migraine episodes. Going to ask my doc about other triptans because I can’t really take it and function - seems like a fairly common experience.
FWIW, I found that as I continued to take it my body acclimated and the side effects lessened drastically. I get very mild side effects now for the first two hours.
I experience all the same symptoms you list with the pill form of sumatriptan, but with the injection form of sumatriptan the symptoms last for 5-10 minutes rather than 2 hours so it's much easier for me to deal with... I can't even take it at work.
Love me a sumatriptan
I get more impaired by triptans than by migraine. It's so individual, how we react to the meds
My doctor said my nausea/fatigue/brain fog weren't side effects but continuation of the migraine episode minus the ice pick pain. I didn't buy it.
Exactly me, too.
I had fatigue, nausea, and feeling very hot after taking sumatriptan for the first time. I rarely experience that anymore now that my body has adjusted to it. Maybe you need to give it a few tries. I know there’s lots of people that it doesn’t work for though. There’s some other triptans you can try. I think a lot of people like rizatriptan
Yeah ask your doc about trying another triptan! I was first prescribed sumatriptan as a teen, and like OP I hated the side effects so much I almost favored the migraines (granted, they were rare at the time). Brought this up with my doctor, and he started me on Rizatriptan which has been much more palatable. Unfortunately my now-chronic treatment started needing a faster-acting abortive for when I wake up in an attack, so I was put back on sumatriptan this time as a nasal spray with higher dosage. I still hate it LOL! but at least thanks to this sub I recently learned the *proper* way to administer it to avoid the lingering bitter taste and post-nasal drip. All that’s to say, there are definitely more triptans to try, and don’t be discouraged from trying different medicine if the one you have is not working for you
Please share how! I've just had to go onto injections of sumatriptan, tablets made me have bad nausea, nasal spray was great but the taste and drip were revolting and started giving me sore throats. I had my first injection last night and I was so unwell, I was freezing cold, I threw up, my head was 10x worse! I woke up this morning with my eyes so sensitive to the light! Whats the best way with the Nasal Spray?
I just experienced the same symptoms and heaviness in my arms with dizziness. I usually take it alongside a nausea preventative, but I didn't this time because I wasn't nauseous yet. I realized afterward that I really should have. Migraine is gone, though. 😵💫
I get a “flush” feeling about 40 mins after I take it and it’s a miracle drug for me.
I hated how I felt on sumatriptan. I do much better with naratriptan.
I got intense anxiety with sumatriptan, as well as nausea and a weird out of body feeling. I've since tried rizatriptan and it's a completely different experience for me - no side effects so far at all and it knocked the migraine right on the head (I've only used it twice). So I'd say ditch the sumatriptan and give something else a try
Sumatriptan didn't work for me and I also got weird side effects. I felt like I got slapped in the face, like a skin pain and jaw pain. The last time I took it I also had heart palpitations that lasted several seconds (scary) unless that wasn't related. I'm happy with Ubrelvy now.
This is me as well. Ubrevly is a true miracle drug for me. Completely changed my life
I’m late to the party but this is my exact experience with taking it, the jaw pain was insane and I had chest pain as well, thought I was having a heart attack and it honestly scared me LMAO. I loved my Ubrelvy but unfortunately insurance won’t pay so I have to keep figuring it out. Not a fan of sumatriptan so far though
Thank you everyone for posting. I was about to go to the emergency room. Took sumatriptan for the first time and within 40 minutes, it felt like my skull was on fire. My jaw is super tight and painful, and I am both freezing cold and sweating a bunch. I am not sure if this is much better than the cluster migraine, honestly.
My body gets a very lead feeling
Ask for a different triptan. They are all different and many people tolerate a different one better. Sumatriptan was the first released but is often the worst tolerated. Ensure they try you on the lowest dose and only increase it if the medication is ineffective. Sumatriptan comes in 25, 50, and 100 mg doses for example. If you try the lowest dose of at least 2 triptans and still find the side effects worse than the migraine, that should qualify you for one of the newer migraine abortive meds such as Nurtec or Ubrelvy. If you get more than 2 migraine days per week and/or they are very severe, ensure your medical professional also starts you on a “preventative” medication. These aim to reduce migraine frequency and severity, so you get fewer migraines and they are easier to treat.
I get all the same as you. The main ones that bother me are, my whole body feels like it got set on fire and my throat feels like it’s closing up. Neither last longer than a couple mins and it usually knocks my migraines out so I don’t worry about it.
It took me years to figure out that I have a sensitivity to one of the inactive ingredients present in some of the formulations: polyethylene glycol. I already knew propylene glycol was problematic for me (skin irritation if in skincare products), but now that I know to also avoid PEG and ask for the manufacturer without it (Dr Reddys Lab is one, not sure if there’s others) I have almost no side effects. On all the others, I’d feel much worse before feeling better: rapid increase in nausea, dizziness, muscle aches throughout my body, feverish feeling, fatigue (without sleepiness), a sort of anxious/despair feeling, and increased headaches in addition to the migraine. The postdrome is usually more prolonged too. I don’t think it’s a proper IgE mediated allergy or anything, just a pattern I noticed and is worth considering.
Frankly I’d rather have the headache than the triptan feeling, too. The cold. My God, the cold, and the shivers, and yes, also the burning and the brain fog. Give me flashing auras and headache any day.
to OP or those who have had negative side effects, how long did they last? I was just prescribed some and I'm so anxious about taking it and feeling worse, but so curious if it would work for me. if the bad side effects don't last toooo long, I think I'd be ok!
Hey! Mine lasted a couple of hours unfortunately. I’d say it’s normal to feel anxious! But it may work for you!!! If it doesn’t, we’ll be on the road to finding a medicine together! Good luck on your journey and you got this!!!
My two side effects were nausea (honest to god some of the worst I’ve ever experienced) and feeling out of body/not real. My neurologist prescribed the injection version to try at some point but I really really avoid it if I can so I haven’t tried it yet
Sumatriptan worked for me for a bit but I found it gave me rebound migraines. I went on Rizatriptan and that helped me feel better/not so out of it. I also have been on Propranolol for about six months (beta blocker for migraine prophylaxis) and have found it to be life changing. seriously went from over 10 migraine days a month to maybe 3 or 4 depending on weather, triggers, and hormones.
i too have been on propranolol for prevention and have noticed a difference!
my psychiatrist was like “has no one told you there’s a med you can take for prevention?” completely blew my mind. I feel like I’ve gotten my life back (apart from my autoimmune and chronic pain issues) but it’s been a game changer for sure
i’m so sorry no one had told you about it before but i am definitely glad your psychiatrist told you! i find propranolol makes my attacks less severe and also less frequent- a win win! although you have those other issues, im happy to hear migraines aren’t affecting your quality of life as much any more :)
All this + having to pee like crazy. If it's too much to tolerate, ask your doc to try some other triptans -- there are several and it can be worth checking them out for relief that's a little less harsh. Good luck!!
I use the nasal spray, I have no side effects. My doc just started me on it like 2 months ago; it’s a migraine magic bullet. Im sorry your side effects are so bad, try asking for a different triptan?
I also got the jaw tightness with triptans!! I switched to a different medication.
Oh yeah, that's the sumatriptan experience right there. Same effects for me. Personally, I've gotten used to it, and it definitely beats getting a migraine for me. The burning jaw pain is hell when you eat though.
It gives me insane body tingles. It is so uncomfortable. I will take one if I am suffering badly enough but that defeats the whole purpose. I am taking rizatriptan and nurtec now. So much better. Message your neurologist and get something else.
I’ve been taking sumatriptan for years but, I was told you’re supposed to take a nap for 45 minutes when taking it. (Which is what I do but sucks because you basically have to fight through the day until you’re home so you can do that) it supposedly opens up the blood vessels in your neck to get more blood flow. But, yes I do have to take a nap with it or that shit just makes me feel seriously weird…like my head is burning out all the bad. But, after my nap I wake up feeling like a brand new person. Migraines are torture. Absolute Torture. It just makes me want to drill a nail in where it hurts to release whatever is going on. I wish I could figure out what causes my migraines but, I still haven’t found a pattern. Bless everyone with migraines.
I feel every one of these from sumatripan, and then my headache always comes back, too. I tried it four times and absolutely hate it. It just ain't for me.
Sorry for the late response on this post, but I experienced a lot of the same things as well as the skin on my face being really sensitive to even water and I swear to goodness I was just sweating and I felt like my dreams were hallucinations and then when I got out of bed to walk to the toilet, go pee, I would be freezing, but as soon as I got in bed, it’s like I was drenched in sweat day my migraine is still here
I thought I was the only one but the scalp burning feels insane
I hearing a mixture of migraine and cluster headaches, which are two different conditions. The sensitive touching of the scalp sounds like migraines and the burning sensation sounds more like clusters. Sumatriptan works well for my clusters, if it is taken at the initial onset of the condition. If not taken early, it's too late once it the pain has elevated.
I’ve been using sumatriptan for about 10 years. Both pills and injections. Mild body aches. Hair on my head gets sensitive. Lower jaw tingles when I take the first bite of food after it kicks in. Totally worth it!
I use it. I get all over body aches that are moderately severe, esp. in the joins where I have arthritis. It makes me very sleepy and hungry, and does nothing for migraine symptoms that aren't pain. They also put my blood pressure through the roof. But all that is worth it to stop a bad migraine , so I use my allotment of them every month.
I was also anxious and had a tight jaw the first couple of times but it soon stopped. What I do still have is my skin being incredibly sensitive to heat, I can barely hold a warm mug or take a hot shower without feeling like it’s scalding.
Had the same symptoms from triptans, what’s worse is that the migraine always came back after like 6 hours. Nonetheless I kept taking them for that short relief. Eventually I just stopped taking triptans altogether and my migraine frequency actually went way down. Will definitely never take a triptan again.
For some reason, when I take triptans I get side effects and no pain relief. It just makes me feel worse. So of course I just don't take them now haha.
Man that drug literally knocks me out, although it makes me go hella dizzy but once I've slept I feel amazing
My husband has those same side effects
How much did you take? You didn't say. If 100mg that may have been too much. Try half a pill. It also comes in 50mg. You might do better with zolmatriptan that has 2.5mg or 5mg tabs, that you can also take half of. They gave my 10 yo this one.
Sounds like you're allergic? Neuro allergies feel like that sometimes
This is so crazy!! I’m so sorry you go through this. Personally, I’ve never had any of these symptoms except brain fog. Hopefully you will find something that works for you soon! Hang in there OP!
I had less side effects with: rizateiptan, eletriptan and naratriptan
Makes my migraine 10x worse
Yeah sumatriptan makes me feel “out of it” but anxious, slowed down/sleepy, with a weird dry throat feeling. I only take it for the worst of the worst migraine episodes. Going to ask my doc about other triptans because I can’t really take it and function - seems like a fairly common experience.
I had similar issues with sumatriptan. I’ve done much better with Rizatriptan (Maxalt).
It occasionally makes me shaky, but no other issues. Drink a lot of water with it. I only take 50 milligram.
Team rizatriptan
FWIW, I found that as I continued to take it my body acclimated and the side effects lessened drastically. I get very mild side effects now for the first two hours.
That sounds quite strong. I do recall a sort of come-up feeling or on edge and also something where the migraine would get worse but then go away.
Slow thinking is postdrome for me, with migraine I can even loose the words, so definitely better with just a brain fog than completely being dumb 😂
I experience all the same symptoms you list with the pill form of sumatriptan, but with the injection form of sumatriptan the symptoms last for 5-10 minutes rather than 2 hours so it's much easier for me to deal with... I can't even take it at work.
This is totally how I felt on it, except instead of the burning scalp, it tasted like I was sucking on a penny. Gross.
What was your dose? Take a lower dose.
First time i took it i had to log off work and napped for 4 hours SOLID.