I have been taking eletriptan for my migraines for several years. I am currently 3 weeks pregnant, is it safe to continue taking it?

Good morning, ma'am,

Due to the lack of data on the impact of triptans in pregnancy, the causal link between the complications observed in the available studies and the use of the drug is not well established. In pregnancy, it is important to assess the risks and benefits of treating migraine with a triptan, especially if it is severe.

Sumatriptan is one of the oldest triptans and is the one for which we have the most data. At this time, it is the one that should be preferred. It does not appear to be associated with an increased baseline risk of major malformations, spontaneous abortion, prematurity, and low birth weight, but could possibly slightly increase the risk of uterine contractions at high doses.

The ideal and theoretical answer would be to switch your eletriptan to sumatriptan. However, there are several things to consider, so I would advise you to discuss this with your doctor.

For your information, sumatriptan is considered safe for breastfeeding. It passes weakly into breast milk and there have been no reported side effects in infants, so it is a feasible long-term solution.

Hopefully this answers your question,

Samantha Hui, pharmacy student

Under the supervision of Alexandre Chagnon, pharmacist