How do you feel about your current migraine treatment plan?
Is your plan working for you? Have you had to try multiple types of medication to get to where you are now? What has your experience been like searching for the right migraine treatment?
Disclaimer: Please avoid offering medical advice! This is a space to share what has and hasn't worked for you. We strongly advise speaking with a doctor or specialist before making any changes to your treatment plan.
I've used Aimovig since it became available. I get good results, it reduced the number of migraines in half and the pain, nausea etc is less. The last 10 days of the cycle I do get breakthrough migraines that last on average 2 days. I am retired now so I can just relax and take oral meds to help.
When did you start it? We are hoping right along with you that it provides you with some relief. Please let us know how it turns out. Thinking of you and glad you're with us. Warmly - Holly (team member) 
Thanks for sharing! Will you keep us posted on how it goes! Pain free wishes on the way, Nancy Harris Bonk, team member
I’m also retired on Medicare AARP UHC Advantage. I have migraines about weekly. My new neurologist is giving me trial doses of Ajovy and samples of Nurtec and Ubrelvy. I’ve had 2 doses of Ajovy and it does seem to help. Before I retired I was getting Nurtec for $0 with a co-pay card, but that no longer works with Medicare.
All of the new CGRP drugs work well for me, but unfortunately they are prohibitively expensive. Ajovy is $889/month and Nurtec and Ubrelvy are about $1000/8 pills.
I just got off the phone with my neurologist PA who are trying to get these drugs approved for insurance but don’t seem to be getting anywhere. She is trying hard and hasn’t given up, but it’s not looking promising.
I can’t take any triptan drugs since I had a heart attack and those drugs are not allowed for heart disease patients.
Oh well - as we used to say “onward through the fog”. ..
Is it Vyepti that you're taking? Just wanted to make sure you know about their savings program ... it's not for people with Medicare/Medicaid but maybe you can get something out of it.
https://www.vyepti.com/financial-assistance
I feel for you and I hope you can find an alternative that's both useful and more affordable. -Melissa, team member
my sister in law is retired and still gets her meds at a discount. I think there's another type of assistance program and it goes off of your AGI ... Wouldn't hurt to try. Hope you have more migraine free days ahead
- Such a predicament you are in. I am so afraid as I age to have Medicare as my main health insurance. I hope you finally get approved for Ajovy or another CGRP. I am having the same issue. I can't get them to approve a CGRP. Fortunately, I can take triptans and they work okay, but having chronic migraines - as you know - we only get a limited amount monthly. I too have trialed Ubrelvy, Nurtec, and Emgality but they didn't help. Now I am fighting to get infusions of Yvepti to help with migraine disease. Just know you are not alone. We empathize with your current situation. I send you (and your PA) strength to continue fighting. I do hope you find a treatment that is affordable and effective. Thoughtfully, Rebecca (team member)
Vyepty at the higher level lasted18days. Wow! I use frova and nurtec football when they break thru. Can't take a lot of meds because of kidney issues and hemiplegic migraine.That's fiorinal
Oh my goodness here we go. I started with Propranolol and Amitriptyline...no help. Tried oral Imitrex and another Triptan with no help. Tried a breakthrough nasal spray with no help. I'm now on Topamax, Ajovy, Botox and Imitrex injections for breakthrough. I also take butterbur, feverfew, vitamin D, vitamin K2, co-enzyme q10, omega 3, magnesium and I use my Cefaly device daily and still have daily migraines. They aren't as bad. Usually a 3-5 out of 10 on the pain scale but still wears you out. I'm still trying new things. I just ordered a new pillow that is highly rated for migraine sufferers. One day I'll find the magic combination I hope.
Thank you for joining the conversation and sharing your input with us. Migraine is a complex neurological disease falling on a spectrum from mild to severely debilitating without a cure at the moment. Just like you, many of us are on a combination of medications, supplements, devices, complementary therapies and lifestyle modifications - I sure am!
I hear you about pain wearing us out. Living with 3-5 level pain every day is exhausting. Is there any chance you're taking pain relievers and/or acute migraine medications (prescription or over-the-counter) more than 10 days a month? If so this may be contributing to the pain. All we want is to be pain free, however if we are taking these medications too frequently we can end up in a medication overuse headache (MOH) cycle formerly called rebound, which may make our attacks more difficult to treat and we can end up in a daily cycle of pain that may be hard to break. I got myself into this cycle with caffeine, believe it or not. Caffeine is a stimulant which can contribute to MOH. I was drinking about three cups of coffee a day and apparently I'm very sensitive to it. So it's one cup in the morning for me and I'm OK. Let me share our resources on MOH with you;
1) https://migraine.com/headache-types/medication-overuse-rebound
2) https://migraine.com/forums/how-break-medication-overuse
I look forward to hearing more from you and I'm sending you pain free wishes, Nancy Harris Bonk, Patient Leader/Moderator (Team Member)
