Triptan
Triptans are a family of tryptamine-based drugs used as abortive medication in the treatment of migraines and cluster headaches. This drug class was first commercially introduced in the 1990s. While effective at treating individual headaches, they do not provide preventive treatment and are not considered a cure. They are not effective for the treatment of tension–type headache, except in persons who also experience migraines. Triptans do not relieve other kinds of pain.
| Triptans | |
|---|---|
| Drug class | |
Chemical structure of sumatriptan, the prototypical triptan | |
| Class identifiers | |
| Use | Migraine, cluster headache |
| ATC code | N02CC |
| Biological target | 5-HT1B receptor, 5-HT1D receptor |
| Legal status | |
| In Wikidata | |
The drugs of this class act as agonists for serotonin 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors at blood vessels and nerve endings in the brain. The first clinically available triptan was sumatriptan, which has been marketed since 1991. Triptans have largely replaced ergotamines, an older class of medications used to relieve migraine and cluster headaches.