Zomig Nasal Spray 5mg (Zolmitriptan)

Zomig Nasal Spray contains zolmitriptan, a triptan that treats migraine attacks once they’ve started, with or without aura. It doesn’t prevent migraines.

Blow your nose, close one nostril, put the tip in the other and press the plunger firmly once as you breathe in gently. Each device is a single dose, so don’t test it first.

It can start working within about 15 minutes for some people, because part of the dose is absorbed through the nose. The main benefit is that you don’t need to swallow anything when you feel sick.

One 5mg spray as the headache starts. If it works and the migraine returns, you can use a second spray after at least 2 hours, up to 10mg in 24 hours. Some medicines and liver problems limit you to one spray in 24 hours; the prescriber will check.

An unusual taste, nasal discomfort or a nosebleed, dizziness, drowsiness, tingling, and a feeling of heaviness or tightness in the chest or throat, which usually passes quickly. Severe or lasting chest pain needs urgent help (call 999).

No. We supply the same triptan, strength and form you already use. If Zomig Nasal Spray isn’t working well, or you’d like to try a different form such as tablets or a wafer, 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 Zomig Nasal Spray 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 Zomig Nasal Spray product information advises not breastfeeding for 24 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.