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Hi All, it's been a while since I've posted to the group. Recap for me: I have had NDPH since June 2010 and been on disability from my attorney gig since September 2010. It took them a few years to correctly diagnose me, and I have tried ALL the drugs with no positive effects (plenty of negative effects). I had a brief 3 hour period of significant relief from acupuncture in 2015, but my acupuncturist was never able to reproduce that result.
My neurologist got approval for me to try Aimovig, though apparently he got some pushback from the Kaiser powers that be. They didn't want to use this expensive medication on a NDPH patient, but given my history he was able to push it through. I just took my second dose. So far there has been no noticeable effect, and my neurologist is requiring me to document for him my daily pain severity.
I follow @NDPHReasearch on Twitter, and recently saw this tweet: "Talked to some folks recently who participated in the Aimovig and Ajovy trials for CM. In several instances, response was only noted after the 5th or 6th month." I've asked for more information in case I do need to be on it for longer than has been authorized so far. I'd definitely be interested to hear from anyone who has received some relief from the Aimovig.
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@quazar I am on 140mg Aimovig. I began to improve 4 days after the medication was administered. I am also experiencing side effects. I didn't experience them when I was on 70mg for 2 months but, I also had only 4 migraine-free days out of 60 days on 70mg. The 2 competitor meds - which both work on the CGRP itself rather than the receptor - are not known to have the constipation or muscle cramping produced by Aimovig. Emgality does have a problem in that Lupus patients taking a specific medication can't take Emgality because Emgality increases the toxicity of the Lupus medication. Because I have TMJ and nerve damage, the Aimovig muscle cramping can be quite debilitating. So, I'm trading migraine relief for intense nerve and TMJ pain. There is no rhyme or reason with regards to the side effects as they pertain to me; I haven't narrowed down a reason why some days I experience no cramping while other days it's mild and other days it's severe.
I had to request that Aimovig be added to my Formulary. The insurance company approved it as a Tier 4 medication. All 3 CGRP meds are priced at $6900/year out of pocket. But, I'm willing to bet that individual insurance plans won't cover all 3 OR won't cover them at the same rate. That would, effectively, make one medication more affordable to policy holders.
I think that the Aimovig side effects would be more tolerable for patients with no comorbid illnesses. Those with digestive issues, like gastroparesis, would probably have a difficult time staying on Aimovig. If I could convince my insurance company to cover Emgality, I think I'd switch next month.
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Welcome back, @quazar.
Members, like @msb18 @gothope @laluzhiker are talking about erenumab (Aimovig) in this discussion:
- How do you get relief from frequent migraines https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-do-you-get-relief-from-frequent-migraines/