A migraine is a headache that causes a pulsing sensation or throbbing discomfort on one side of a person’s head. It is a genetic neurological condition that affects each person differently. While some might have a hard time with frequent and severe attacks, others might experience manageable or infrequent episodes. When someone is diagnosed with migraine, doctors may prescribe Vyepti, besides other treatments, to help them manage the symptoms and find relief.

Migraine symptoms
Besides a throbbing headache, migraine attacks can cause nausea, vomiting, and other discomforts. In a few severe cases, one might also experience visual or sensory disturbances (known as aura) before the onset of the headache. Aura can bring along problems like blind spots in the patient’s vision, difficulty speaking, flashing lights, blurry vision, or tingling sensation on one side of the body. Sometimes, the pain and other symptoms can be bad enough to impact a person’s daily routine. A migraine attack can last from a few hours to a few days.

How does Vyepti work?
CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) is a protein that attaches to and activates particular receptors in the brain, which experts believe could cause migraines. Vyepti is a CGRP blocker that bonds to the CGRP protein and stops it from attaching to the brain’s receptor cells. This interaction prevents migraine pains in patients.

Vyepti is the first and only FDA-approved migraine treatment and is administered via IV. It is also important to note that the treatment is preventive and might not improve the patient’s condition if the migraine attack has already set in. That’s why one must use it at the right time before an episode begins.

How is Vyepti used?
Patients must speak to their healthcare provider before starting Vyepti. Before prescribing it, the doctor may consider the patient’s history, existing conditions, allergies, and ongoing treatments.

Since Vyepti is an intravenous treatment, it needs to be administered under the supervision of a healthcare professional. That’s why patients must visit the clinic according to the decided schedule or avail of the services of a registered nurse for home infusion. A single infusion takes around 30 minutes.

Vyepti results
When performing clinical studies on patients with chronic migraines, researchers found a substantial decrease in the number of attacks patients had during a month. Patients with episodic migraine attacks also showed promising results. The effects lasted for three months after a single treatment. Some patients experienced improved health right from day one after treatment.

Patients can check with their doctors and insurance companies for available financial assistance and coverage for Vyepti. They can even contact the Vyepti Connect service for assistance with co-pay and check which infusion locations are covered by their insurance plans.