Dr. Ahmed Nurtec Side effects Reviews by real patients who used Nurtec (Rimegepant) and reported them on social media (Reddit) is presented here.
We collected data from 221 Nurtec users who reported side effects. A summary of the results is presented here followed by the actual comments of the patients.
Nurtec Side effects reviews: Results:
The total number of patients who recorded their Nurtec experience on Reddit was 221.
Out of the total 221 patients, 128 (57.92%) patients stated that they had “Zero” side effects.
Out of the 99 (42.08%) patients who reported side effects, most patients had:
- Nausea (5.88%),
- Brain Fog (5.88%),
- Heartburn (2.71%), and
- general malaise and lethargy (2.26%).
Other side effects that were rarely reported included:
- Allergic reactions
- Body and joint pains
- Hallucinations
- Hair loss
- Sexual side effects (No orgasm)
- Acne
- Insomnia (couldn’t sleep)
- Constipation
- Sore throat
- Migraine hangover and rebound headaches
- Forgetfulness
- Jumbled thoughts
- Being Dumb
- Strange dreams
- Paraesthesias and ants in pants
- Frequent urination
- Weight gain
Rimegepant (Nurtec ODT) For Migraine: Uses, Dose, Side effects, MOA, Cost
Nurtec Side effects Reviews: Comments of the patients:
The following comments have been copied from Reddit users who reported adverse reactions while using Nurtec for migraine headaches.
The manufacturer has mentioned Nausea, vomiting, and allergic reactions as the only side effects. However, as mentioned above, side effects were very variable.
The most common side effects were related to the gastrointestinal tract. Nausea was the most common side effect reported on Reddit.
Gastrointestinal Side effects of Nurtec (Rimegepant):
“Surely I’m not the only one right? I took cambia as an abortive and it didn’t work so two hours later took my Nurtec and holy shit at the heartburn.
I almost made my coworker take me to the er bc I was convinced I was dying lol but then I ate some tums and it went away. Does this happen to anyone else??”
“Interesting, now you’ve got me wondering if Nurtec caused my heartburn and acid reflux last fall. I only took it as an abortive, but that acid reflux was horrible. I ran out and haven’t taken any for a month, my heartburn and acid reflux is gone”
“I had the same issues with heartburn and stomach upset with Nurtec. That was after taking it one time”
“Nurtec makes me terribly nauseous and I vomit with it about half the time. I don’t like it at all”.
“It gave me intense heartburn for weeks. It did knock my migraine completely out but it’s not worth it for me.”
“I used to poop very regularly. I don’t think I’ve pooped in 3 days. But also eat one small meal a day (thanks to Wellbutrin) so many I’m not eating enough to poop. But constipation didn’t start until Nurtec.
“So I took my first dose yesterday at the onset of my “headaches” I don’t have lasting migraines but more pains burnings stabbing throbbing pulsing either last minutes or a few hours comes and goes but have been happening more often throughout the day.
I felt like utter shit yesterday completely nauseous and just off took forever for the pains to go away. Today I haven’t had any pain but I felt like it was coming and then didn’t. And I can’t orgasm.”
“I just tried Nurtec today for the first time and it was awful. I took it when I could tell a relentless dull migraine was building up.
About 15 minutes after taking it, I experienced extreme nausea and a sudden onset of severe head pain that felt like a rock was lodged inside my skull”.
“Normally my migraines are the throbbing type. I was down for about 3 hrs with an ice pack on my head. Then suddenly everything disappeared rather than slowly faded away”.
“I don’t know what I experienced was from the Nurtec or if I had an atypical migraine for me and Nurtec did nothing except make it worse”.
“I have used triptans for over a decade. My neurologists suggested Nurtec because Imitrex (Sumatriptan) Injections are not consistently working anymore”.
Neuropsychiatric Side effects of Nurtec:
I came here to ask the same. It definitely has helped my headaches, but the last two doses left me shaky, an intense brain fog, and this bizarre vibrating feeling in my torso that felt like I was filled with ants.
“I started Nurtec as a prevention med last week and the last few days I’ve been super dizzy and tired. I can’t find this as a listed side effect anywhere. My health anxiety is so bad since my migraines got worse so I’m paranoid I’m about to stroke out or something”
“I really felt tired and groggy after taking Nurtec”
“The last two doses I took gave me this bizarre vibrating feeling in my stomach and chest. The only way I can describe it is that I was full of ants. Also was shaky and felt like all my thoughts were jumbled”.
Oh, man. I felt drowsy at one point but had to fight through it. I also had the strangest dream that felt way too real. I’m debating taking it again.
“Rizatriptan made me feel like this sometimes during really bad migraines—sorta lethargic and dumb—but I’m feeling like that with Nurtec every other day as a prophylactic”
“I tried a sample of Nurtec and a sample of Ubrelvy. I had what was considered a “bad” reaction to Nurtec because it put me right to sleep.
The drowsiness was very quick. Ubrelvy is so tolerable to me, maybe see if your neuro can give you samples to try”
“I tried it once on a very severe migraine and it did nothing but make me groggy all day. I should have tried it before it got so bad.”
“If I take it in time with food in my stomach, I’m averaging three hours until the migraine is completely gone. Absolute game-changer for me! The only downside is how drowsy it makes me.”
“I’ve only taken it once, but the really bad brain fog lasted two days and makes me hesitant to try it again unless it’s the weekend. We’ll see!”
“I actually took Nurtec once. I started getting really dizzy and also shaky, and it made me so drowsy that I fell asleep. I ended up having a hallucinating dream. It was super weird!
Another weird experience of hallucination. It seems like having some sort of a marijuana effect. After reviewing the patient’s responses, I searched the effect of marijuana on CGRP and migraine.
I was stunned for a while. Marijuana has been studied in patients with migraine. It is thought to be a promising medicine for both acute and chronic treatment of migraine.
One of the effects mentioned in the study was related to the release of CGRP, the same effect as seen with Nurtec and Ubrelvy [Ref].
Nurtec Vs Ubrelvy (Rimegepant Vs Ubrogepant)
Are we using some form of purified marijuana?
“I got strange Nurtec side effects. Basically, I dissolved a Nurtec tablet under my tongue and within 30 minutes I felt high as a kite.
I felt like I was floating, my vision was staticky, my hearing was muffled, I felt loopy and had some brain fog. My thought processes were incredibly slow and I kept forgetting everything very quickly.
The situation was I hadn’t taken any other medication, not even OTC, I ate a full meal before taking Nurtec, and I had a cup of coffee.
Nurtec helped with the pain a lot, Probably knocked the pain down by 50%. obviously compared to the excruciating pain of a migraine these side effects are literally nothing and I’d rather feel weird and have pain relief than not lol”.
The feeling of being high on a drug may make you addicted. Another patient had a similar reaction after which the doctor had to stop it.
Data regarding the addictive potential of these drugs are not available. The efficacy of the drug may fade with time as your body gets used to it.
However, one should not exceed the maximum recommended dose (one tablet per day and a maximum of 15 tablets per month).
As the effect of the drug fades out, it is advisable to take either of the four drugs, Emgality, Ajovy, Aimovig, and Vyepti, monthly as a preventive medicine rather than increasing the dose.
Uncommon Side effects of Nurtec (Rimegepant):
Migraine hangover, cough, brain fog, hives, shortness of breath, unable to achieve orgasm, and acne were some of the uncommon side effects that Nurtec users reported on Reddit.
“I too took Nurtec for the first time on Wednesday. It was near bedtime and I was able to go to bed. With Maxalt I freeze and have to go to the bathroom every 20 minutes so I can’t sleep.
I didn’t have that with Nurtec. It wasn’t totally normal, but much better than other things I’ve had. The next day I had what I called a migraine hangover too.
I think it was a little worse than my usual ones. I felt achy, had a headache, and a cough, maybe brain fog (can’t remember). so for me, I think it was a good experience, or at least I didn’t feel like I lost time and I wasn’t completely miserable.”
“It got rid of the headache, but then 2 days later, I was left with horrible hives (which I never get), horrible brain fog, and extreme fatigue. It was SO ODD.
It was awful. Can I tell you it took two weeks for the hives to clear? Never in my life has that ever happened to me. It was ridiculous.
Also, the hives made my skin too sensitive to touch. Yes, it’s not for chronic migraines, only acute ones. Oh, I am familiar with migraines from PCOS. I get those too. I believe that is the source of my migraines.”
“Has anyone else had a huge acne breakout after starting Nurtec? My face is completely broken out as well as my neck, which has never happened before. It’s also really painful”.
My headache Worsened/ Migraine hangover
Some patients reported worsening migraine symptoms, others improved initially and then had rebound headaches.
“Hi everyone. I get migraines twice a month, when my period starts and when my period ends. I have tried all kinds of birth control, but ironically, they give me more migraines.
I then turned to triptans, specifically Maxalt. Even though Maxalt would relieve my migraine and nausea, the side effects were horrible: tightness in my throat and a feeling of being high that extremely unpleasant.
I felt disconnected from my body like my brain was floating away. So my neurologist gave me Nurtec. I took it on Wednesday because my period had started the night before and now the migraine was getting on:
I was seeing spots in my vision, I was super dizzy and nauseous, and the pain was AWFUL. So I took Nurtec. After an hour, the pain was gone and the spots in my vision were gone.
I was SO HAPPY. But then the next day, I had a migraine hangover? I couldn’t concentrate on anything, the brain fog was intense, and I had a fever.
The day after that I woke up with a mad rash on my torso, collarbone, neck, and arms. Still with a fever. Covid test was negative. My doctor determined that I was having an allergic reaction to Nurtec.
I checked and there’s a tiny number of people who reported a rash a few days after taking Nurtec. Has anyone here had that experience? I’m on a regimen of Benadryl, Zyrtec, and Pepcid at the moment.”
“Has Nurtec made anyone’s migraines worse? I swear I’ve tried what feels like every migraine preventative out there, so I was super excited when I heard about Nurtec and how high the success rates are, but it’s made zero difference for me.
I think it also has to do with the added stress of work, but it seems like my migraines have only gotten worse. Has this happened to anyone else?
I feel very upset. Eight years with migraines and we haven’t found one medication that helps. I have a prescription for naratriptan but triptans made me feel awful, and I only get eight a month.
Also another weird question- I just switched from sumatriptan to naratriptan because it made me feel physically sick.
The only thing that really bothers me about naratriptan is that it makes me have to pee a LOT. Does this happen to anyone else??? I tried looking it up but couldn’t find anything. I can’t take it after 5:00 or I’ll be up peeing all night.”
Nurtec and Allergic Reactions
“I wish I could take this. I am super allergic to it (Swollen lips, vomiting, and wheezing)”.
“I am now entering Day 5 of my rash/hives. Going to take prednisone to put a stop to this.”
“There’s a ton of issues with CRGPs! There are so many lawsuits and studies coming out now since they used a small sample size! I nearly died taking Aimovig.”
“My neuro thought that was an off chance and had me take Nurtec, and I threw up for days, started swelling, and had my throat start closing within 72 hours.
The shots alone have caused people a bunch of hair loss and constipation so bad that many had to have surgery”
“My Dr gave me some samples on Friday, she wants me to take it as a preventative so insurance is being super uptight because it’s so expensive.”
“So far it’s done nothing for the constant 2 wk migraine I’ve had and it makes my chest feel tight/lots of pressure and made me slightly drowsy. I don’t think this is one that’s going to really work out tbh. I hope you have better luck!”
“I just took one Nurtec several days ago because I was having a really bad headache day, and I literally had the worst sore throat for about 6 days.
It’s finally easing up.” “I had no idea what caused it, but I do remember taking Nurtec before my sore throat happened? Wtf, IDK. These migraine meds are so fricking weird. The things we do for pain relief.”
Erenumab (Aimovig) Injection: Uses, Dose, MOA, Brands, Side effects
Muscles and Body pains with Nurtec
“I Hate it!!!
Got rid of the headache but when it wore off I have been left with extreme crippling pain down my spine, pain shooting pain down my left arm and leg (had an EKG – no heart attack), brain fog, hives, muscle cramps in feet, nerve pain in the face, extreme fatigue, and my ribs feel like I’m being bear-hugged”.
This pain is worse than any I have had before. It’s been two weeks, and the after-effects are wearing off some (face goes between pain & numb & is spreading from left to right), but not quick enough.
I was finally able to get an appointment tomorrow with a Neurologist after two weeks of this crap”
My other meds/treatments have stopped working, (Maxalt, Tylenol, massage, tei fu, banana/chocolate/water treatment, soak in hot tub/shower, naps, caffeine, feverfew, baclofen, etc.).
Most of the pain has been on my left side. I’ve suffered from migraines since I was 15, and had them under control for the most part with only 1 or 2 a month.
Went to a Neurologist for a check-up and refill of my Maxalt and he suggested this. I felt fine for 2 days when it wore off bam!! I was in bed for 4 days, and could not even roll over without assistance.
I’ve been doing research on this drug. It’s not for chronic migraines. It’s only for acute. Learned a lot more too through the FDA website, but need to discuss it with the doctor first.
There have been over 1,000 adverse reactions, that people/doctors felt the need to report.
This drug received final approval just 2 months ago (Dec 2021).
Also, my 22-year-old daughter has migraines from PCOS and a terrible car accident. Was given the same pill and is having terrible reactions as well. Not as quite bad, but almost.
Her symptoms are a little different but the exhaustion is ramped up!! She also has pains she has never had before. Doc sent her for a 90-minute EEG and another MRI”.
“No one is experiencing any side effects with Nurtec? I am having joint pain in my knees, ankles, and hands. It is unbearable at times.”
“It started when I was taking Emgality, then Aimovig. I did some research, and joint pain is a side effect. I am wondering when the side effects will become wider known; and how will we know since these are such new medicines?!!!”
“I had crazy joint pains from Aimovig, my neurologist said that it’s not a common symptom but had to discontinue use from the pain. Felt like my whole body was being stretched out and not in a good way”
Muscle spasms and joint pains have been mentioned with some of the CGRPR antagonists. Although, it has not been documented with Nurtec, theoretically, it is possible.
