How many triptans a month?
Easing Team
The people who make Easing
Short answer
It's counted in days, not tablets. NICE, which writes guidance for the NHS, asks doctors to be alert to medication overuse headache when someone takes triptans, opioids, ergots or combination painkillers on 10 or more days a month, or paracetamol, aspirin or an NSAID such as ibuprofen on 15 or more days a month, for 3 months or more. The limit for you, including how many doses you can take in a day, comes from your prescriber and the leaflet. Tap the days below to count this month.
In this post
Tap a day once for paracetamol, aspirin or an NSAID; twice for a triptan, opioid, ergot or combination painkiller; three times for both; four times to clear.
- Triptan, opioid, ergot or combination days
- 0 NICE line: 10
- Paracetamol, aspirin or NSAID days
- 0 NICE line: 15
- Days with any headache medicine
- 0
Saved in this browser on your device only. Days you log in the online headache diary show here too.
The two lines, word for word
NICE guideline CG150, recommendation 1.2.7: "Be alert to the possibility of medication overuse headache in people whose headache developed or worsened while they were taking the following drugs for 3 months or more: triptans, opioids, ergots or combination analgesic medications on 10 days per month or more or paracetamol, aspirin or an NSAID, either alone or in any combination, on 15 days per month or more."
The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) uses the same 10 and 15 days, depending on the medicine, kept up for more than 3 months.
| Medicine | Days a month NICE mentions | For how long |
|---|---|---|
| Triptans (e.g. sumatriptan, rizatriptan) | 10 or more | 3 months or more |
| Opioids (e.g. codeine), ergots, combination painkillers (e.g. co-codamol) | 10 or more | 3 months or more |
| Paracetamol, aspirin or an NSAID (e.g. ibuprofen), alone or together | 15 or more | 3 months or more |
So how many triptans can I take a month?
There isn't one number of tablets that applies to everyone. The line above is about days: taking a triptan on 10 or more days a month for 3 months or more is the pattern NICE asks doctors to look out for. How many doses you can take in one day, and how far apart, is on your prescription and the patient leaflet. If you find yourself needing a triptan on many days, that's worth raising with your GP, whatever the count.
Why it's days, not tablets
Two tablets on one day count as one day. Taking one tablet on each of 10 different days counts as 10. That's why the counter marks days, and why a diary that only lists doses can make the number hard to see.
Count it over three months
One busy month above a line isn't the pattern NICE describes; it's about 3 months or more. Keep counting, or log full entries in the online headache diary, which counts medicine days for every month and prints 8 weeks for your appointment. For headache days themselves, see how many migraine days a month is chronic.
Where Easing fits
We make Easing, a headache diary for iPhone, coming soon to the App Store. It counts medicine days from what you log and puts them in a PDF for your doctor. It doesn't decide what you should take.
Questions people ask
How many days a month can you take triptans?
NICE asks doctors to be alert to medication overuse headache when triptans are taken on 10 or more days a month for 3 months or more. Your own limit comes from your prescriber.
How many days a month can you take ibuprofen or paracetamol for headaches?
NICE's line for paracetamol, aspirin or an NSAID such as ibuprofen is 15 or more days a month, for 3 months or more. Talk to your GP or pharmacist if you need them that often.
Does taking two triptans in one day count as two days?
No. The lines count days on which you took the medicine, so two doses on one day is one day.
Can this counter tell me if I have medication overuse headache?
No. It counts days and doesn't diagnose anything. Your doctor decides, and the days you counted are what they'll ask about.
Is what I tap saved anywhere?
Only in this browser on your device. Nothing is uploaded.
Sources: NICE guideline CG150, Headaches in over 12s, recommendation 1.2.7; ICHD-3, 8.2 Medication-overuse headache. Checked 29 October 2026.
