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If you need urgent assistance, do not use this service. Call 111, or in an emergency call 999.
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Maxalt Melt is the branded rizatriptan wafer. It dissolves on your tongue in seconds and stops a migraine attack once the headache has started, with no water needed. For adults aged 18 to 65 with diagnosed migraine, after an online consultation with a GPhC-registered pharmacist independent prescriber.
For adults aged 18 to 65 whose migraine has been diagnosed by a doctor, for the triptan you already use or a first triptan after painkillers. If you take propranolol, you need a lower dose than we supply, so please see your GP.
Order before 3pm — same-day dispatch (MON - FRI)
~5 min consultation
Secure & confidential · Reviewed by a UK prescriber
Suitable age
18 to 65 years
Max per order
2 packs
Consultation
Yes, online consultation
Maxalt Melt contains rizatriptan, a triptan that treats migraine attacks. The wafer dissolves on your tongue and is swallowed with saliva, so it’s easy to take if you feel sick. It doesn’t work faster than a tablet; the benefit is convenience. Our rizatriptan guide explains how to use it.
Generic rizatriptan orodispersible tablets contain the same medicine at a lower price. Our triptans guide compares the triptans, and you can see all our migraine treatments.
| Medicine type | Triptan (5-HT1B/1D agonist) |
| Active ingredient | Rizatriptan 10mg per wafer |
| Form | Wafer that melts on the tongue |
| Dose | 10mg as the headache starts; a second dose after at least 2 hours if it returns; no more than 20mg in 24 hours |
| Not suitable with | Propranolol (needs a 5mg dose) |
| Contains | Aspartame (a source of phenylalanine); not suitable with phenylketonuria |
| Prescription status | Prescription-only medicine (POM) |
| Suitable for | Adults 18 to 65 with diagnosed migraine |
| Price | 3 wafers £23.99 · 6 wafers £42.99 · 9 wafers £57.99 |
Who we can supply: adults aged 18 to 65 whose migraine has been diagnosed by a doctor, for the same triptan, strength and form you already use. If your migraine is diagnosed and you’ve so far used painkillers, a prescriber can consider a first triptan. We share the consultation with your GP. We can’t switch you to a different triptan or form online; your GP can.
How many: up to 2 packs per order. If you use triptans on 10 or more days a month, we’ll ask you to see your GP, because that can cause medication overuse headache and you may need preventive treatment.
This service isn’t suitable if you:
haven’t been diagnosed with migraine, or your headaches are new, different or getting worse
have had a heart attack, angina, a stroke or mini-stroke (TIA), or have circulation problems in your legs
have high blood pressure that isn’t controlled
get weakness on one side of the body with your migraines (hemiplegic migraine)
have liver or kidney disease (mild or moderate problems need a 5mg dose, which we don’t supply)
are under 18 or over 65
are pregnant, trying for a baby or breastfeeding (please speak to your GP or midwife first)
Tell the prescriber if you:
have heart disease risk factors, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, a family history of early heart disease, or you’re a man over 40 or a woman past the menopause
take an antidepressant (SSRIs such as sertraline or citalopram, SNRIs such as venlafaxine, or an MAOI) or St John’s wort, which raise the risk of serotonin syndrome
take another triptan or an ergotamine medicine
use the combined contraceptive pill and get migraine with aura (see our migraine and the pill guide)
Propranolol: if you take propranolol, rizatriptan must be taken at 5mg. We only supply 10mg, so please see your GP.
Phenylketonuria: Maxalt Melt contains aspartame, so it isn’t suitable if you have phenylketonuria.
Maxalt Melt wafers contain rizatriptan, a triptan that treats migraine attacks once they’ve started, with or without aura. They don’t prevent migraines.
Yes. “Maxalt Melt” is the name on the UK pack; many people call them wafers because they’re thin discs that dissolve on the tongue.
No. They dissolve in seconds, but the medicine is absorbed a little more slowly than from a tablet: blood levels peak around 30 to 60 minutes later. The advantage is that you don’t need water, which helps if you feel sick.
One 10mg wafer as the headache starts. If it works and the migraine returns, you can take a second after at least 2 hours, up to 20mg in 24 hours. If you take propranolol, the dose must be 5mg, which we don’t supply, so please see your GP.
Only if you have phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare inherited condition. Maxalt Melt isn’t suitable for people with PKU. For everyone else, the small amount is not a concern.
No. We supply the same triptan, strength and form you already use. If Maxalt Melt isn’t working well, or you’d like to try a different form such as tablets or a nasal spray, please speak to your GP, who can review your treatment with your full history. Our triptans guide explains how the triptans differ.
Use triptans on fewer than 10 days a month. Taking them more often than that, for 3 months or more, can make headaches more frequent; this is called medication overuse headache. If you need Maxalt Melt that often, see your GP about preventive treatment rather than ordering more. See our chronic migraine guide.
Yes. NICE recommends a triptan combined with an anti-inflammatory painkiller such as naproxen or ibuprofen, or with paracetamol, and the combination often works better than a triptan alone. Don’t take two anti-inflammatories together, and take them with food.
Triptans aren’t ruled out, but we don’t supply them online in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, so please speak to your GP or midwife. NICE advises paracetamol first in pregnancy, with a triptan considered after discussing the risks; sumatriptan has the most safety information. If you’re breastfeeding, the Maxalt product information advises not breastfeeding for 12 hours after a dose.
See your GP if your headaches change, become more frequent, or you need treatment on 10 or more days a month. Get urgent help (call 999) if you have a sudden, severe “thunderclap” headache, a headache with weakness, numbness, a drooping face or slurred speech, a headache with fever, a stiff neck or a rash, or a headache after a head injury. These aren’t migraine and need assessment straight away.
Helpful articles and clinical guides related to this treatment category.
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