ERGOTAMINE

Ergot alkaloid with analgesic activity

Dosage Forms

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Tablet

1 mg
2 mg

Uses

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  • Treatment of acute migraine attacks

Dose and Duration

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Treatment of acute migraine attacks
Adult and child over 12 years: 2 mg taken at onset of migraine. If migraine persists, 1–2 mg as required at intervals of 30 minutes up to a maximum dose of 6 mg of ergotamine in 24 hours and maximum of 12 mg in a week

Contraindications

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  • Pregnancy and nursing
  • Coronary heart disease
  • Peripheral vascular disease and Raynaud’s syndrome
  • Obliterative vascular disease
  • Inadequately controlled or severe hypertension
  • Septic conditions or shock
  • Hyperthyroidism
  • Temporal arteritis
  • Acute porphyria

Side Effects

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  • Dizziness
  • Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain
  • Muscular cramps
  • Ergotism (painful seizures, spasms, diarrhoea, paraesthesias, mania, headache, nausea, vomiting, peeling of toes and fingers, peripheral neuropathy, oedema, gangrene)

Interactions

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  • Azithromycin, erythromycin, clarithromycin (increased risk of ergotism)
  • Ketoconazole, miconazole, fluconazole, itraconazole (increased risk of ergotism)
  • Sumatriptan (increased risk of vasospasm)
  • Atazanavir (increased concentrations of ergot alkaloids)
  • Efavirenz (increased risk of ergotism)
  • Cimetidine (increased risk of ergotism)

Patient Instructions

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  • Do not repeat treatment at intervals of less than 4 days
  • Do not take more than 2 courses of treatment per month
  • Do not exceed the recommended dose
  • Stop treatment immediately if numbness or tingling of extremities develops and contact a health worker

Pregnancy

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  • Do not use

Breastfeeding

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  • Do not use

⚠️ Caution

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  • Not recommended for children under 12 years
  • Do not administer ergotamine within 6 hours of administration of sumatriptan. Avoid sumatriptan within 24 hours of administration of ergotamine
  • Avoid in renal impairment and severe hepatic impairment