Naratriptan: a review

Abstract

Even though naratriptan and sumatriptan are both 5-HT1B/5-HT1D receptor agonists, the biological and pharmacokinetic profile of naratriptan differs significantly from that of sumatriptan. With a plasma half-life of 6 h, very high oral bioavailability of 63-74% and higher lipophilicity than sumatriptan, naratriptan exhibits a distinct clinical therapeutic profile. The similar tolerability to placebo, prolonged efficacy for 24 h or more and very low headache recurrence rate make naratriptan an attractive option in the treatment of acute migraine.