How Did Switching to Vyepti Compare to Using Emgality for Me?

I am a long-time migraine sufferer. Mine began in my late teens and progressed from episodic to chronic. I am currently living in Chronicville, USA. I moved here in 2012, and my migraine put down roots. Since then, I’ve been actively pursuing the most effective ways to manage this disease. The nature of my migraine disease has proven, more often than not, that it is resistant to most therapy regimens. I have been fortunate to have an excellent specialist partnering with me to find therapy regimens that are helpful for my body. I have seen some relief in the CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) group of medications. I have tried Ajovy, Nurtec ODT, Emgality, and now Vyepti.

What migraine treatments have I been using?

Emgality has been my primary preventative therapy drug for two and one-half years. It has helped keep my pain levels during the constant attack cycles at a manageable level, but as time went on, the efficacy started to diminish at about week three of the four-week treatment period. At this point, I would employ my Nurtec and a Nerivio device to keep the pain from escalating to those unbearable levels. My doctor and I tracked this cycle for two months before starting Vyepti infusions at 300mg every three months. I’m getting ready to do my second infusion soon, but there are things I’ve noticed so far.

How is Vyepti comparing to Emgality?

Managing the pain piece of my attack cycles is my primary goal. Vyepti and Emgality have both been able to make this possible, but full efficacy for the length of treatment is still a problem. As with Emgality, Vyepti has lost its strength as the end of the treatment cycle approaches. I don’t want to be too skeptical, as I’ve only had one complete infusion. I plan to get a minimum of three infusion cycles in before we fully reassess this therapy regimen. Another thing I noticed, now that I have stopped Emgality, is that it was also helping to suppress other symptoms of my attack cycles. The most amplified symptoms I am experiencing with Vyepti versus Emgality are watering eyes, nasal/sinus issues, yawning, sound sensitivity, light sensitivity, and fatigue.

How have my attacks changed?

The symptoms from my migraine attacks don’t seem as well managed with Vyepti as with Emgality. My eyes watering and nasal issues could be due to allergens, but I have not dealt with this while taking Emgality. Sound and light have constantly been triggering aspects, but they are now much more likely to spark an attack escalation than before. I yawn excessively during attack cycles now. This is a new twist, which may be related to increased fatigue. Migraine attacks are draining for me, and I feel like I’m taking steps backward rather than forward lately. I never realized I was taking my gains in migraine management for granted, or at least I was not attributing them to Emgality.

I would like to hear from others using Vyepti regarding their thoughts on efficacy. It would be fascinating to hear if others have noticed changes similar to mine after switching to Vyepti from another treatment option. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!