Naratriptan is a generic tablet treatment. It’s part of a group of medicines called ‘triptans’ which specifically work against migraine headaches (with or without aura). Triptans, including Naratriptan, are symptom relievers rather than preventers. This means that Naratriptan won’t work to prevent or lower the regularity of your migraines. You take them when you first start to experience symptoms, and they work to alleviate your migraine symptoms so that you can continue with your day.
Migraine headaches are a specific type of headache. Sometimes people get indications that they’re about to get a migraine (called aura), but sometimes they can appear quite suddenly. Typical symptoms include a painful ‘throb’ on one side of the head, accompanied by increased sensitivity to light and sound. It’s not fully known what causes them, but it’s thought that they’re often triggered by specific things, such as tiredness, stress, or certain foods or drinks.
How does Naratriptan work?
Once a migraine has been triggered, it sets off temporary changes to your brain - including a widening of your brain’s blood vessels. This allows more pain and nausea signals to be sent to your brain, which gives you your migraine symptoms.
Naratriptan is a serotonin agonist. This means that it binds to the serotonin receptors in your brain, causing the widened blood vessels to re-constrict, which reduces the transmission of pain signals. This, in turn, can help both your symptoms of pain and nausea.
What doses of Naratriptan are there?
There’s only one dose of Naratriptan, of which you should take a maximum of one tablet for every four hours (and only one for the same migraine). So if Naratriptan isn’t helping you with your symptoms as you’d hoped, you should speak to our clinician. It might be the case that you need to try an alternative treatment.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
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How to take Naratriptan
You should always take Naratriptan exactly as prescribed by our clinician. To take Naratriptan, simply swallow one tablet whole, with water. If your symptoms aren’t improving, don’t take another tablet. You shouldn’t exceed more than one tablet in four hours, or more than two in 24 hours.
How long does it take Naratriptan to work?
Naratriptan is a rapidly absorbed treatment, and you should start to feel relief within two hours of taking it. If you don’t feel symptom relief for the same migraine after four hours, don’t take another one - contact our clinician for advice. Naratriptan takes a little longer to work than many other triptans, but this is countered by the fact that it stays in your system for longer. Where other triptans, like sumatriptan, only stay in your system for around three hours, Naratriptan works to alleviate your symptoms for six - making you less likely to need to take another tablet if your migraine recurs.
What should I do if I make a mistake when taking Naratriptan?
If you take more Naratriptan than you should, seek medical advice immediately. As Naratriptan isn’t a schedule-based treatment, you shouldn’t need to worry about missing a dose.
When we present you with stats, data, opinion or a consensus, we’ll tell you where this came from. And we’ll only present data as clinically reliable if it’s come from a reputable source, such as a state or government-funded health body, a peer-reviewed medical journal, or a recognised analytics or data body. Read more in our editorial policy.
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FAQ: Naratriptan
Have something specific you want to know? Search our info below, or ask our experts a question if you can’t find what you’re looking for.
How is Naratriptan different from other migraine treatments?
Answer:
Migraine treatments typically come in the form of either triptans, painkillers, or antiemetics (anti-sickness medications). There are also treatments that contain a combination of painkiller and antiemetic. You might find that different types of treatment work better for you depending on your health needs. You can also get treatments that come in the form of powder sachets or nasal sprays if you prefer not to take tablets.
Within the category of triptans, as well, there are differences between treatments. Some triptans work more quickly to ease your symptoms, whereas other treatments stay active in your system for a long time, which might suit you better if you get migraines that frequently recur. If you’re not sure which migraine treatment might be best for you, talk to us about your health. Our expert clinicians should be able to point you in the right direction based on your health needs.
Is Naratriptan similar to any other treatments?
Answer:
There’s a branded version of Naratriptan called Naramig. Both of these treatments contain the same active ingredient in the same dose - they’re just produced in different labs and branded differently. As a result, they’ll work in largely the same way to treat your symptoms, they might just differ a bit in terms of cost and appearance. As Naratriptan is the generic equivalent, it’s usually a little cheaper.
How effective is Naratriptan?
Answer:
Naratriptan has been proven to be an effective migraine treatment, even working to provide symptom relief to people who didn’t respond to sumatriptan, another ‘triptan’ treatment for migraines. It also showed considerably better headache relief than placebo, both two and four hours after dosing - 69% vs. 31% and 80% vs. 39%, respectively.
Do I need a prescription for Naratriptan?
Answer:
Yes, you need a prescription for Naratriptan. This is because it isn’t suitable for everyone, and shouldn’t be used for regular tension headaches. As a result, a clinician will need to make sure that it’s both safe and relevant for you before they can prescribe it.
Why should I buy Naratriptan online with Treated?
Answer:
Migraine attacks can appear suddenly and painfully - scuppering your plans and interrupting your day. That’s why we offer potent and effective treatments that can provide fast and reliable symptom relief, allowing you to put your migraine behind you. We also offer a flexible subscription service, so you can get your treatment sent to you as little or often as you like - meaning that you’ll always have the treatment you need, when you need it.
If you’ve got any questions or concerns at any time, you can simply log into your account and send one of our clinicians a message. And if you find that your treatment isn’t working for you as you’d like, then you can pause, change or cancel your subscription whenever you want.
Stark, S., Spierings, E.L.H., McNeal, S., Putnam, G.P., Bolden-Watson, C.P. and O’Quinn, S. (2000).
Naratriptan Efficacy in Migraineurs Who Respond Poorly to Oral Sumatriptan. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 40(7), pp.513–520. Available at:
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