Amerge Side Effects, Warnings
What is Amerge used for?  
Amerge is used for the short term treatment of most migraine attacks in adults. Amerge
is not used to prevent migraines, or to decrease the number of migraine attacks.
Amerge has not been shown to treat cluster headaches.

Who should not take Amerge?
You should not take Amerge if you have any of following conditions:

History of heart or circulatory disease, including heart attack, angina (chest pain), or
stroke.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Severe kidney or liver disease.
Hemiplegic or basilar migraine.

You have taken other migraine medications in the same class as Amerge, or
medications containing ergotamine, dihydroergotamine, or methysergide within the
past 24 hours.

You have had an allergic reaction to the drug or its ingredients.
General Precautions:

If you have the following conditions your health care provider will evaluate you to decide
if Amerge is right for you:

Risk factors for heart disease including, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, obesity,
diabetes, smoking, strong family history of heart disease, or if you are
postmenopausal, or a male over 40
Mild to moderate kidney or liver disease

What are some possible side effects of Amerge? (This is NOT a complete list of side
effects reported with Amerge. Your health care provider can discuss with you a more
complete list of side effects.)

Some signs of rare but serious side effects include:
Pain or tightness in the chest or throat. If severe, or does not go away, call your health
care provider right away. If this happens at all, discuss with your health care provider
before taking any more Amerge.

Rarely, people have a serious allergic reaction to Amerge. This could cause shortness
of breath, wheeziness, heart throbbing, swelling of eyelids, face, or lips, or a skin rash,
lumps or hives. If this happens, tell your health care provider right away.

Other side effects may include:
Feelings of tingling, heat, or flushing
Chest heaviness, or pressure
Feeling tired
Dizziness

For more detailed information about Amerge, ask your health care provider.
FDA ALERT [7/2006] – Possible Life-Threatening Serotonin Syndrome When Used With SSRI or SNRI Medicines

A life-threatening condition called serotonin syndrome can happen when medicines called 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor
agonists (triptans), such as Amerge, and medicines used to treat depression and mood disorders called selective serotonin
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), are used together.  Signs and
symptoms of serotonin syndrome include the following: restlessness, hallucinations, loss of coordination, fast heart beat,  
increased body temperature, fast changes in blood pressure, overactive reflexes, diarrhea, coma, nausea and vomiting.

Serotonin syndrome may be more likely to occur when starting or increasing the dose of a triptan, SSRI, or SNRI.  This
information comes from reports sent to FDA and knowledge of how these medicines work.  If you take medicines for
depression or mood disorders, ask your healthcare professional if your medicine is an SSRI or SNRI.

Before you take Amerge and an SSRI or SNRI together, talk to your healthcare professional.  If you must take these medicines
together, be aware of the possibility of serotonin syndrome, and get medical care right away if you think serotonin syndrome is
happening to you.