According to information found in a paper published online in the November issue of Headache,Rizatriptan is safe and effective at treating an acute migraine in patients who are on topiramate prophylaxis.

Of this information, the research team says, “Results are comparable with those from clinical trials in patients not using prophylaxis, suggesting that the use of topiramate does not affect the efficacy or tolerability of rizatriptan for acute migraine treatment.”

The senior investigator of the study, Dr. Tony W. Ho, and his coauthors have made it a point to note that prophylactic topiramate can decrease the frequency of migraines by as much as 65 percent in some patients. For this particular study, researchers analyzed data collected from 108 patients that suffered from at least two migraines per month regardless of their use of topiramate. Participants were then treated with an oral dose of 10-mg rizatriptan and once with a placebo; each dose was given at random.

What they found was that “at two hours, 55 percent of rizatriptan patients reported pain relief, compared with 17.4 percent of patients in the placebo group. At 36 hours, 32.6 percent of treated patients and 11.1 percent of controls reported sustained pain relief.”

Only 15.8 percent of the patients reported any side effects, which were mild. However, it should be noted that heart patients are not recommended to take this drug.

Dr. Ho and his team conclude, “The study data appear to indicate that the response to rizatriptan among migraineurs taking topiramate is largely similar to that observed in the general migraine population. Results of the current study demonstrate that treatment with rizatriptan is an effective option for managing migraine attacks in these patients.”

Topiramate (Topamax) is used as an epilepsy medication to prevent seizures and has been the subject of much controversy after research showed Topamax was linked to birth defects in babies whose mothers took the drug while pregnant. Some of the babies exposed to Topamax in-utero were born with cleft lip, cleft palate, spina bifida, neural tube defects and PPHN.

If your baby was born with birth defects as a result of being exposed to Topamax, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your baby’s injuries.