Horrible headache 24 hours after first aimovig injection

Hi, stacharp. So sorry to hear you're dealing with lingering issues after fighting COVID. You certainly aren't alone here.

We can't give medical advice for your own safety, but there is some basic information I can pass along that might be useful.

First, some people do experience an uptick in symptoms when first starting Aimovig. It takes a month or more to get acclimated and start seeing results, so this may be part of your body's adjustment process. It's also important to note that everyone has different -- some people feel better on Aimovig, others have no change and some do get worse.

Have you been diagnosed with migraine? Migraine is more than just a headache, and it widely considered a genetic disease. There are usually 4 phases to migraine. This is a great article that breaks it down well: https://migraine.com/migraine-basics/migraine-phases/

It may be useful for you to seek out a headache specialist. These are different from neurologists, who treat all kinds of brain conditions and aren't usually experts on migraine disease. Headache specialists treat headaches all day, every day.

Lastly, there is still a huge gap in research on the longterm effects of COVID ... the actual mechanism of what's going on with you, and therefore the best treatment, may took a little different than the typical patient. Don't lose hope -- there are nearly 100 different treatments for migraines and if you're not happy with the results you're seeing, keep trying. It's also OK to seek out a second opinion or find a new doctor, so don't be afraid to do that.

I hope some of this is helpful -- hopefully others will be along soon to share their experiences or resources. In the meantime, feel free to ask us more questions. It's what we're here for.

I wish you a full and speedy recovery!
Melissa, migraine.com team

Thank you Melissa! This is all great advice. I honestly am not sure if I’ve been diagnosed with migraine or if that’s just how they are treating these symptoms. I was wondering if the new CGRP meds will even work if that’s not truly the cause. I did email a local headache clinic to share my experience to see if I’m a candidate...I didn’t realize there was such a specialist outside of a neurologist.

I do know covid is causing many long term issues and while I’m not alone, I am not quite used to losing days at a time due to headaches. I used to get up and workout every morning and now I’m afraid it might trigger a headache. I look forward to the nighttime because I know sleep is the only escape.

I appreciate your reply. Any information is helpful.

I had to be taken off Aimovig, it made my migraines so much worse than before, I had a solid 2 month long one that would not break (intractable). I have since tried Emgality, it was better, but I developed a kind of leveling off on it and began to get used to it, so I have since been switched to IV infusion of Vyepti, and it has been a game changer for me. I'm down from 25+ migraine days a month to an average of 8-10 a month. I recommend switching different CGRP meds until you find the one that works best for you. Best of luck!
Kim

Thank you for sharing your experience. My headaches were pretty constant before the shot but afterwards it was so much worse. Nurtec which is another CPRG was prescribed but didn’t help. I’ve tried it twice for the bad headache pressure and it did nothing. I’m so glad you had something work for you. That must be such a relief.