Migraine is a common, disabling disorder associated with considerable personal and societal burden. Current guidelines recommend
triptans for the acute treatment of
migraine unlikely to respond to less effective
therapies.
Rizatriptan is a second-generation
triptan available in
tablet or orally disintegrating
tablet (wafer) formulations that offers several advantages over other members of its class.
Rizatriptan is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and achieves maximum plasma concentrations more quickly than other
triptans, providing rapid
pain relief. Clinical trials have shown that
rizatriptan is at least as effective or superior to other oral
migraine-specific agents in the acute treatment of
migraine, and has more consistent long-term efficacy across multiple
migraine attacks.
Rizatriptan has a favorable tolerability profile, and patients have reported greater satisfaction and a preference for
rizatriptan over other
migraine-specific agents. Improvements in quality of life reported with
rizatriptan are consistent with its favorable efficacy and tolerability profiles. Notably, multi-attribute decision models that combine clinical data with patient- and physician-reported treatment preferences have identified
rizatriptan as one of three
triptans closest to a hypothetical "ideal". The efficacy and tolerability of
rizatriptan for the acute treatment of
migraine have thus been well established.