Relpax

Relpax is a type of medication called a triptan, which is formulated specifically to help you with the symptoms of migraine attacks. It’s a tablet treatment that you take when you start to notice the symptoms of a migraine attack – it won’t prevent migraines from occurring if you take it on a scheduled basis.

Migraine symptoms are thought to happen as a result of temporary changes to your brain’s chemistry, instigated by a ‘trigger’. Triggers can vary from person to person; for some it can be as a result of stress or lack of sleep, whereas some women get migraines as their period is starting.

When someone experiences a migraine, the blood vessels in their brain widen, allowing the transmission of more pain signals.

Relpax, like other triptans, works by binding to the serotonin receptors in your brain. This then causes the blood vessels in your brain to narrow, reducing the transmission of pain signals and improving your migraine symptoms.

There are two doses of Relpax: 20mg and 40mg. You’ll likely be prescribed the 40mg tablet unless you have a kidney impairment, in which case you’ll be recommended the 20mg dose.

It’s not recommended that you exceed 80mg (two tablets) a day. If you often feel like 40mg doesn’t help with your symptoms as you’d hoped, speak to our clinician. You might find another treatment to be more effective.

You should always take Relpax exactly as instructed by our clinician. To take Relpax, simply swallow one tablet, whole, with water. Don’t take more than one tablet for the same migraine attack. If your migraine symptoms come back after you start feeling better, make sure you leave at least a two hour gap between doses.

You should start to feel symptom relief within two hours of taking Relpax. If you don’t feel any symptom relief after two hours, don’t take another tablet to try and make it work better. Instead, get in touch with your clinician for guidance.

Don’t take more than two tablets of your prescribed dose per day. If you’ve accidentally taken too much Relpax, seek medical advice straight away. As Relpax should only be taken when you get symptoms, you shouldn’t worry about forgetting to take a dose of Relpax.