Sumatriptan

Date: April 2020, Version 1

What is it?

Sumatriptan (Imigran®) is a medicine used to treat migraine and cluster headaches (severe recurrent headaches on one side of the head, typically around the eye). Sumatriptan is available in tablet form, as a nasal spray and as an injection.

Is it safe to take sumatriptan in pregnancy?

When deciding whether to use sumatriptan during pregnancy it is important to weigh up the potential benefits to your health and wellbeing against any possible risks to you or your baby, some of which may depend on how many weeks pregnant you are. Your doctor or specialist will be able to help you make decisions about your treatment.

What if I have already taken sumatriptan during pregnancy?

If you are taking any medicines while pregnant, you can discuss this with your doctor. You can then decide together whether ongoing treatment is appropriate, and if so, your doctor will ensure that you are taking the most effective dose.

Can taking sumatriptan in pregnancy cause my baby to be born with birth defects?

A baby’s body and most internal organs are formed during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. It is mainly during this time that some medicines are known to cause birth defects.

Studies of a total of around 3,000 pregnant women taking sumatriptan do not raise concern of a link with birth defects in the baby.

Can taking sumatriptan in pregnancy cause miscarriage?

Three small studies do not suggest taking sumatriptan in early pregnancy is linked to miscarriage. Ongoing research is ideally required to confirm this.

Can taking sumatriptan in pregnancy cause stillbirth?

No studies have addressed whether use of sumatriptan in pregnancy increases the chance of stillbirth.

Can taking sumatriptan in pregnancy cause preterm birth, or my baby to be small at birth (low birth weight)?

Three studies which together include around 700 babies exposed to sumatriptan in the womb do not collectively raise concerns of effects on the baby’s birth weight and the likelihood of preterm delivery.

Can taking sumatriptan in pregnancy cause learning and behavioural problems in the child?

A baby’s brain continues to develop right up until the end of pregnancy. It is therefore possible that taking certain medicines at any stage of pregnancy could have a lasting effect on a child’s learning or behaviour.

No studies have assessed the learning and behaviour of children exposed in the womb to sumatriptan.

Will my baby need extra monitoring during pregnancy?

Most women will be offered a scan at around 20 weeks of pregnancy to look for birth defects as part of their routine antenatal care. Taking sumatriptan in pregnancy is not expected to cause problems that would require extra monitoring of your baby.

Are there any risks to my baby if the father has taken sumatriptan? We would not expect any increased risk to your baby if the father took sumatriptan before or around the time you became pregnant.

Who can I talk to if I have questions?

If you have any questions regarding the information in this leaflet please discuss them with your health care provider. They can access more detailed medical and scientific information from www.uktis.org.

How can I help to improve drug safety information for pregnant women in the future?

Our online reporting system (MyBump Portal) allows women who are currently pregnant to create a secure record of their pregnancy, collected through a series of questionnaires. You will be asked to enter information about your health, whether or not you take any medicines, your pregnancy outcome and your child's development. You can update your details at any time during pregnancy or afterwards. This information will help us better understand how medicines affect the health of pregnant women and their babies. Please visit the MyBump Portal to register.

General information
Sadly, miscarriage and birth defects can occur in any pregnancy.

Miscarriage occurs in about 1 in every 5 pregnancies, and 1 in every 40 babies are born with a birth defect. This is called the ‘background risk’ and happens whether medication is taken or not.

Most medicines cross the placenta and reach the baby. For many medications this is not a problem. However, some medicines can affect a baby’s growth and development.

If you take regular medication and are planning to conceive, you should discuss whether your medicine is safe to continue with your doctor/health care team before becoming pregnant. If you have an unplanned pregnancy while taking a medicine, you should tell your doctor as soon as possible.

If a new medicine is suggested for you during pregnancy, please make sure that the person prescribing it knows that you are pregnant. If you have any concerns about a medicine, you can check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist.

Our Bumps information leaflets provide information about the effects of medicines in pregnancy so that you can decide, together with your healthcare provider, what is best for you and your baby.