What is Cafergot used for?
Cafergot contains the active ingredients ergotamine tartrate and caffeine. It belongs to a class of drugs called ergot alkaloids. Ergotamine and caffeine both cause cranial vasoconstriction which is effective in treating vascular headaches such as migraine attacks. It is taken at the first sign of an attack.
Cafergot does not have analgesic properties and is therefore not effective in treating other types of headaches. Due to its mechanism of action, it is only effective in treating migraine headaches. You should not take this alongside macrolide antibiotics. Provide a list of your prescription drugs to your doctor to check for drug interaction.
Cafergot has side effects including spinning sensation, muscle pain, cyanosis, absence of pulse, cold extremities, nausea, fast/slow heart rate and vomiting. Make sure you consult the drug information provided regarding effects on your blood pressure. These are commonly with long term therapy but can be reported with short term treatment. call your doctor for medical advice about side effects if they grow serious or seem unmanageable.
Do not take Cafergot if you are pregnant or nursing an infant. The medicine may contaminate breast milk and harm the baby.
