Zolmitriptan dosage and administration
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Dosage and Administration
2.1 Dosing Information
The recommended starting dose of zolmitriptan is 1.25 mg or 2.5 mg. The 1.25 mg dose can be achieved by manually breaking the functionally-scored 2.5 mg zolmitriptan tablet in half. The maximum recommended single dose of zolmitriptan is 5 mg.
In controlled clinical trials, a greater proportion of patients had headache response following a 2.5 mg or 5 mg dose than following a 1 mg dose. There was little added benefit from the 5 mg dose compared to the 2.5 mg dose, but adverse reactions were more frequent with the 5 mg dose.
If the migraine has not resolved by 2 hours after taking zolmitriptan, or returns after a transient improvement, a second dose may be administered at least 2 hours after the first dose. The maximum daily dose is 10 mg in any 24-hour period.
The safety of zolmitriptan in the treatment of an average of more than three migraines in a 30-day period has not been established.
2.2 Administration of Zolmitriptan Orally Disintegrating Tablets
Instruct patients not to break zolmitriptan orally disintegrating tablets because they are not functionally-scored. Administration with liquid is not necessary. Orally disintegrating tablets are packaged in a blister pack. Instruct patients not to remove the tablet from the blister until just prior to dosing. Subsequently, instruct patients to peel the blister pack open, and to place the orally disintegrating tablet on the tongue, where it will dissolve and it will be swallowed with the saliva.
2.3 Dosing in Patients with Hepatic Impairment
The recommended dose of zolmitriptan in patients with moderate to severe hepatic impairment is 1.25 mg (one-half of one 2.5 mg zolmitriptan tablet) because of increased zolmitriptan blood levels in these patients and elevation of blood pressure in some of these patients. Limit the total daily dose in patients with severe hepatic impairment to no more than 5 mg per day.
The use of zolmitriptan orally disintegrating tablets is not recommended in patients with moderate or severe hepatic impairment because these orally disintegrating tablets should not be broken in half [see Use in Specific Populations (8.6), and Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].
2.4 Dosing in Patients Taking Cimetidine
If zolmitriptan is co-administered with cimetidine, limit the maximum single dose of zolmitriptan to 2.5 mg, not to exceed 5 mg in any 24-hour period [see Drug Interactions (7.5), Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)].[1]
References
Adapted from the FDA Package Insert.