Reported Reactions

Drugs › Serotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor agonist

Brand name · Rizatriptan benzoate

Maxalt: adverse event reports filed with FDA

1,962 reports list it as a suspect or interacting product, 2004–2026. Class: Serotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor agonist. Also reported as Tab Maxalt, Maxalt /01406501/, Maxalt 5mg Tablets.

1,962
reports as suspect product
0% of all reports · about 88 a year
217
reports, 12 months to June 2026
163 in the 12 months before
67%
marked serious by the reporter
48% across the class
1.1%
record death among outcomes, as reported
22 reports · not verified by FDA

1,962 adverse event reports received by FDA list the brand name Maxalt (rizatriptan benzoate) as a suspect or interacting product, from February 2004 to June 2026. A further 6,082 reports list it only as a concomitant medication, and those are not counted in the figures on this page.

In the 12 months to June 2026, 217 reports listed it, up 33% from 163 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Over its reporting history that is about 88 reports a year and 0% of the 20,646,523 reports in the database, and 7% of the reports for the serotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor agonist class. How many people take it is not in the data, so a count is not a rate of occurrence.

The MedDRA terms listed most often are drug ineffective (37.7%), off label use (25.9%) and product use in unapproved indication (21.6%). A report can list several reactions, so shares add to more than 100%; 280 different terms appear across these reports. Drug ineffective is recorded in 37.7% of these reports, a larger share than in the median serotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor agonist drug (27.5%).

67% of the reports are marked serious by the reporter (48% across the class); 1.1% record death among the outcomes and 17.6% record hospitalisation, as reported. 41.1% of the reports came from consumers, and the largest patient age group is 45 to 64 (29.8%). FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event."

Reports by month, five years

01734Jul 2021: 11Aug 2021: 17Sep 2021: 4Oct 2021: 11Nov 2021: 11Dec 2021: 182022Jan 2022: 6Feb 2022: 8Mar 2022: 19Apr 2022: 13May 2022: 12Jun 2022: 14Jul 2022: 5Aug 2022: 34Sep 2022: 11Oct 2022: 15Nov 2022: 10Dec 2022: 162023Jan 2023: 12Feb 2023: 12Mar 2023: 12Apr 2023: 14May 2023: 6Jun 2023: 3Jul 2023: 10Aug 2023: 4Sep 2023: 13Oct 2023: 8Nov 2023: 3Dec 2023: 142024Jan 2024: 14Feb 2024: 25Mar 2024: 12Apr 2024: 5May 2024: 7Jun 2024: 13Jul 2024: 26Aug 2024: 6Sep 2024: 13Oct 2024: 18Nov 2024: 26Dec 2024: 172025Jan 2025: 10Feb 2025: 8Mar 2025: 10Apr 2025: 4May 2025: 5Jun 2025: 20Jul 2025: 16Aug 2025: 13Sep 2025: 17Oct 2025: 20Nov 2025: 19Dec 2025: 142026Jan 2026: 19Feb 2026: 18Mar 2026: 14Apr 2026: 28May 2026: 15Jun 2026: 24

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

0911822004: 2420042005: 332006: 382007: 4520072008: 412009: 392010: 4420102011: 532012: 742013: 8020132014: 832015: 882016: 7620162017: 592018: 702019: 10520192020: 1172021: 1632022: 16320222023: 1112024: 1822025: 15620252026: 118

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Maxalt reports recording the termmedian drug in serotonin-1b and serotonin-1d receptor agonist

  1. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected37.7%739
  2. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label25.9%509
  3. Product use in unapproved indicationused for a purpose not on the label21.6%424
  4. Hyperhidrosisexcessive sweating20.4%400
  5. Nauseafeeling sick20.3%398
  6. Nightmarenightmares19.9%390
  7. Sedationdrowsiness from a medicine19.9%390
  8. Nephrolithiasiskidney stones15.7%309
  9. Headachehead pain11.7%230
  10. Migrainemigraine8.3%162
  11. Hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction7.7%152
  12. Drug intolerancethe medicine was not tolerated7.2%141
  13. Angioedemadeep swelling of skin or mucous membranes6.8%134
  14. Swelling facea swollen face6.8%134
  15. Dysphoniaa hoarse voice6.8%133
  16. Vomitingbeing sick3.5%69
  17. Treatment failurethe treatment did not work3.4%67
  18. Dyspnoeashortness of breath3.4%66
  19. Diarrhoealoose or frequent stools3.2%62
  20. Coughcough3%59
  21. Drug hypersensitivityan allergic-type reaction to a medicine3%58
  22. Paraesthesiatingling or pins and needles2.5%50
  23. Drug interactionan interaction between medicines2.4%48
  24. Abdominal painstomach or belly pain2.4%47
  25. Product used for unknown indicationthe reason for taking the medicine was not stated2.3%45
  26. Weight decreasedweight loss2.2%43
  27. Insomniadifficulty sleeping2.1%41
  28. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness2%39

Top 30 of 280 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 9 drugs in the serotonin-1b and serotonin-1d receptor agonist class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Death1.1%22
Life-threatening3.6%71
Hospitalisation (initial or prolonged)17.6%346
Disability3.6%70
Congenital anomaly1.5%29
Other serious51.6%1,012
Not serious33%648

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 27,938 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Patient age

Under 21%20
2 to 110.4%7
12 to 171.2%24
18 to 4422.6%444
45 to 6429.8%585
65 to 741.7%34
75 and over0.7%13
Age not given42.6%835

Patient sex

Female61.5%1,207
Male24.4%479
Not given14.1%276

Who reported

Physician22.7%446
Pharmacist4.5%88
Other health professional27.4%537
Lawyer0.4%7
Consumer or non-health professional41.1%807
Not given3.9%77

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 51.1% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

Indication as recorded (MedDRA)ReportsShare
Migraine90746.2%
Headache422.1%
Migraine without aura60.3%
Foetal exposure during pregnancy20.1%
Maternal exposure timing unspecified20.1%
Migraine prophylaxis20.1%

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 1,962 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Drug (any role in the report)ReportsShare of Maxalt reports
Venlafaxine hydrochloride51626.3%
Propranolol48624.8%
Botulinum toxin type a48124.5%
Tylenol46323.6%
Codeine45923.4%
Gabapentin43422.1%
Topiramate43122%
Topamax43021.9%
Acetaminophen40520.6%
Amitriptyline40320.5%

Other products listed in reports where Maxalt is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

MeasureMaxaltSerotonin-1b and Serotonin-1d receptor agonistAll reports
Reports as suspect product1,96227,93820,646,523
Share of that pool—7%0%
Reports, latest 12 months217—1,332,454
Marked serious67%48%57.4%
Death recorded among outcomes, per 1,000 reports112391
Hospitalisation recorded, per 1,000 reports176147213
Consumer-filed share41.1%56.2%45.8%
Top term, share of reportsDrug ineffective 37.7%median 27.5%6.3%

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the serotonin-1b and serotonin-1d receptor agonist class

DrugName typeReportsLatest 12 monthsMarked serious
Imitrexbrand7,4917621.7%
Sumatriptangeneric6,69055663.3%
Sumatriptan succinategeneric3,58036540.8%
Relpaxbrand3,3832250.1%
Zomigbrand1,9222943.3%
Rizatriptangeneric1,10518271.6%
Zolmitriptangeneric1,03714288.1%
Rizatriptan benzoategeneric76810969.5%

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Questions about Maxalt reports

How many adverse event reports has FDA received for Maxalt?

1,962 reports list Maxalt as a suspect or interacting product in the openFDA FAERS release of 28 Sep 2026, covering reports received through June 2026. 217 of them arrived in the latest 12 months. Another 6,082 list it only as a concomitant medication.

What reactions are recorded in Maxalt reports?

drug ineffective (37.7%), off label use (25.9%), product use in unapproved indication (21.6%), hyperhidrosis (20.4%) and nausea (20.3%). These are MedDRA preferred terms coded from what the reporter described; a report can list several, and a term's presence is not a finding that Maxalt was responsible.

How serious are the reports?

67% are marked serious by the reporter. Among the outcomes recorded, 1.1% of reports include death and 17.6% include hospitalisation. FDA has not verified these outcomes and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence" of the events.

Who files these reports?

consumer or non-health professional (41.1%), other health professional (27.4%) and physician (22.7%). Most reports reach FDA through the manufacturer, which must forward reports it receives.

Are reports for Maxalt rising?

217 reports in the 12 months to June 2026, up 33% from 163 in the 12 months before. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases. Counts also move with how many people take a product, its time on the market and publicity.

Do these reports show that Maxalt was responsible for these reactions?

No. FDA states that "a causal relationship cannot be established between product and reactions listed in a report" and that for any given report "there is no certainty that a suspected drug caused the event." The reaction may relate to the condition being treated, to other medicines, or to something else.

Is this a list of the side effects of Maxalt?

No. It is a count of what was reported to FDA. The adverse reactions observed in clinical studies are printed on the FDA-approved label, which a pharmacist or clinician can go through with you.

How do I report an adverse event?

Consumers and health professionals can report to FDA through MedWatch (Form FDA 3500 online, or 1-800-FDA-1088), or to the manufacturer, which must pass reports on. See the guide on how to report.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Maxalt as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (6,082) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.

Drug data (FAERS) through 30 Jun 2026; device data (MAUDE) through 31 Aug 2026. Not medical advice.