Ergotamine and caffeine (Oral)

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on May 22, 2022.

Commonly used brand name(s)

In the U.S.

• Cafergot

Available Dosage Forms:

• Tablet

Therapeutic Class: Ergot Alkaloid Combination

Chemical Class: Ergotamine

Uses for ergotamine and caffeine

Ergotamine and caffeine combination is used to treat or prevent vascular headaches, including migraine, migraine variants, or histaminic cephalalgia. It will not relieve pain other than from migraine headaches.

Ergotamine and caffeine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Before using ergotamine and caffeine

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For ergotamine and caffeine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to ergotamine and caffeine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of ergotamine and caffeine combination in the pediatric population. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

No information is available on the relationship of age to the effects of ergotamine and caffeine combination in geriatric patients.

Breastfeeding

Studies in women suggest that this medication poses minimal risk to the infant when used during breastfeeding.

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking ergotamine and caffeine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using ergotamine and caffeine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.

• Almotriptan
• Amprenavir
• Atazanavir
• Azithromycin
• Boceprevir
• Clarithromycin
• Cobicistat
• Conivaptan
• Darunavir
• Delavirdine
• Dirithromycin
• Dopamine
• Eletriptan
• Erythromycin
• Fosamprenavir
• Frovatriptan
• Idelalisib
• Indinavir
• Itraconazole
• Josamycin
• Ketoconazole
• Letermovir
• Lopinavir
• Mepartricin
• Mifepristone
• Miokamycin
• Naratriptan
• Nefazodone
• Nelfinavir
• Nirmatrelvir
• Posaconazole
• Riociguat
• Ritonavir