Axert

Axert is a prescription medication used to treat migraine headaches once they have started. Axert belongs to a group of drugs called serotonin receptor agonists or "triptans", which relieve pain by narrowing blood vessels around the brain. 

Axert is a prescription medication used to treat migraine headaches once they have started, with or without aura.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Take Axert exactly as prescribed. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully. The maximum recommended daily dose is 25 mg.

In very rare cases, patients taking this class of medicines experience serious side effects including death. These effects include:

• heart problems
• stroke
• increased blood pressure

Tell your doctor right away if you feel tightness, pain, pressure, or heaviness in your chest, throat, neck, or jaw after taking Axert. 

Some people may have a reaction called serotonin syndrome, which can be life-threatening, when they use Axert. In particular, this reaction may occur when they use Axert together with certain types of antidepressants known as SSRIs or SNRIs. Symptoms may include:

• mental changes (hallucinations, agitation, or coma)
• fast heartbeat
• changes in blood pressure
• high body temperature or sweating
• tight muscles
• trouble walking
• nausea
• vomiting
• diarrhea

Call your doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms after taking Axert.

• have ever had heart disease.
• have uncontrolled high blood pressure.
• have hemiplegic or basilar migraine. If you are not sure, ask your doctor.
• have taken another serotonin receptor agonist (e.g., another triptan) in the last 24 hours. These include naratriptan (Amerge), rizatriptan (Maxalt), sumatriptan (Imitrex, Treximet), or zolmitriptan (Zomig).
• have taken ergotamine-type medicines in the last 24 hours. These include ergotamine (Bellergal-S, Cafergot, Ergomar, Wigraine), dihydroergotamine (D.H.E. 45), or methysergide (Sansert).
• had an allergic reaction to Axert or any of its ingredients.

The most common side effects in adults are:

• nausea
• sleepiness
• tingling or burning feeling 
• headache
• dry mouth
• vomiting
• dizziness

If you experience sleepiness, you should not drive or operate heavy machinery or perform any task that requires mental alertness.

Serious side effects may occur. See "Drug Precautions" section.

This is not a complete list of Axert side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and  herbal supplements. Especially tell your doctor if you take:

• monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, such as phenelzine sulfate (Nardil) or tranylcypromine sulfate (Parnate) for depression or another condition, or if it has been less than two weeks since you stopped taking an MAO inhibitor.
• ketoconazole (Nizoral), itraconazole (Sporanox), ritonavir (Norvir), or erythromycin (Emycin), or if it has been less than one week since you stopped taking one of these drugs.
• selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), two types of drugs for depression or other disorders. Common SSRIs are Celexa (citalopram HBr), Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate), Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac/Sarafem (fluoxetine), Symbyax (olanzapine/fluoxetine), Zoloft (sertraline), and fluvoxamine. Common SNRIs are Cymbalta (duloxetine) and Effexor (venlafaxine).

These medicines may affect how Axert works, or Axert may affect how these medicines work. This is not a complete list of Axert drug interactions. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories - A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

This medication falls into category C. In animal studies, pregnant animals were given this medication and had some babies born with problems. No well-controlled studies have been done in humans. Therefore, this medication may be used if the potential benefits to the mother outweigh the potential risks to the unborn child.

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if Axert is excreted in human breast milk or if it will harm your nursing baby.