Does the AMOUNT of triptan taken per day contribute to overuse?
Does the amount of triptan (Maxalt) doses taken per day matter regarding overuse headaches? Sometimes only one triptan does not give enough relief and I take a second dose after two hours. Does taking a second (or third) dose in a day contribute to overuse or should I only count the number of actual days I take any amount of triptan? After taking an initial dose without achieving significant relief, I think to myself, “I should not take another dose because it may contribute to overuse problems?” Is this a valid concern?
Hi Bulldog,
Thank you for your question and being part of the Migraine.com discussion forum. Let me see what information I can give you that may help.
I recently attended a patient education event on treating migraine, help by a true migraine/headache expert. He indicated medication overuse headache becomes a concern when taking pain relievers and/or migraine medications (Maxalt) more that two to three DAYS a week. So taking a second dose, as prescribed by the doctor, may not be an issue when used in this manner. Of course there are always exceptions to this because each person with migraine is so different.
Here is an article on moh that may help; https://migraine.com/blog/help-how-can-i-not-overuse-migraine-medications/.
Let me know if you have more questions.
Nancy
