Is Ubrelvy better than triptans?

Official answer

by Drugs.com

Overview

Head-to-head clinical studies of Ubrelvy and triptans are not available, but both are effective prescription medicines approved to treat acute migraine headaches with or without aura in adults. The best treatment for you may depend upon your previous treatments and side effects, migraine characteristics, and price.

Both Ubrelvy and triptans have been shown in studies to reduce migraine symptoms like headache pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light or sound and are taken at the first sign of pain. They are not used to prevent migraine attacks. Ubrelvy is associated with fewer side effects and warnings than triptans, but triptans are still safe, effective and more affordable for most patients.

Ubrelvy may be an effective treatment for your acute migraine if nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or triptans do not work well, you cannot use NSAIDs or triptans, or you have intolerable side effects from these drug classes.

If you have significant nausea and vomiting with your migraine headaches, taking an oral treatment like Ubrelvy may not be the best approach. Speak with your doctor to review the best options for your specific migraine headaches.

Ubrelvy vs. Triptans: How they work

Ubrelvy and triptans work in different ways to treat acute migraine pain.

Ubrelvy (ubrogepant) is in the class of drugs known as oral calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonists, also known as gepants. CGRP is a protein that carries pain signals along nerves that cause the migraine headache pain

Triptans are selective serotonin (5-HT1B/1D) receptor agonists and work by stimulating serotonin, a neurotransmitter found in the brain.

Studies with Ubrelvy and Triptans

In a large review of well-controlled studies published in 2021, researchers found that both triptans and CGRP antagonists like Ubrelvy work well in the acute treatment of migraine. This review did not directly compare tripants and CGRPs, but looked at individual studies compared to a placebo (an inactive substance).

Overall, both triptans and CGRP antagonists led to significantly increased freedom from pain or pain relief at an average of 2 hours after treatment. An increase in sustained pain freedom or relief was reported one day and one week after treatment for both classes, and improved or restored daily function occurred on average from 2 hours to one day later.

Both Ubrelvy and triptans are easy to take. They both come in an oral tablet form that you swallow. Triptans also come as injections and nasal sprays or powders, which may be an advantage if you experience severe nausea and vomiting with your migraine.

Ubrelvy vs. Triptans: Side Effects

Unlike triptans, Ubrelvy does not cause constriction of blood vessels; therefore, it may be safer for patients who cannot use triptans because of the risk of heart disease or other heart-related factors.

You may tolerate Ubrelvy better if you had side effects from triptans that caused you to stop treatment. Although head-to-head comparisons of side effects are not available, Ubrelvy appears to be very tolerable from a side effect standpoint based on clinical studies.

You may need to limit your dose if you take certain medications affected by liver enzymes or consume grapefruit or grapefruit juice. Your doctor may adjust your Ubrelvy dose if you have kidney or liver problems.

In general, triptans are also well-tolerated by most patients but are associated with more side effects and warnings than Ubrelvy. Not all side effects occur in everyone and some may be rare.

The most common side effects with sumatriptan (Imitrex) tablets, a commonly prescribed triptan, are tingling or numbness in your fingers or toes (paresthesia), warm or cold feeling, feeling weak, drowsy or tired, pain, discomfort, or stiffness in your neck, throat, jaw, or chest, and dizziness.

Warnings for sumatriptan include a risk for heart attack or changes in heart rhythm, severe high blood pressure, bleeding in the brain, stroke, headaches due to medication overuse, reduced blood flow to the intestines, cautious use in patients with epilepsy or a lowered seizure threshold, and severe allergic reactions.

If you have a serious heart risk, your doctor may ask you to take your first triptan dose in a medically monitored setting.

Triptans also carry a rare risk of serotonin syndrome when used with certain antidepressants (SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs or MAOIs) or when used within 24 hours of the use of ergotamine preparation or a different triptan medication.

Sumatriptan is not used to treat some other types of headaches such as hemiplegic (that make you unable to move on one side of your body) or basilar (rare form of migraine with aura) migraines.

Bottom Line

This is not all the information you need to know about Ubrelvy or triptans for safe and effective use and does not take the place of talking to your doctor about your treatment. Review the full product information here, and discuss this information and any questions you have with your doctor or other health care provider.