(BPT) - By Sherly P.
Coming of age in Puerto Rico, life was vibrant. As a family matriarch, I baked, cooked, and cared for 30+ relatives. My house was always the center of our family's activities. Unseen against the backdrop of family events, tables of food and the paradise that is Puerto Rico was my daily experience of living with migraine disease. I never allowed chronic migraine to slow down my education, career or impact my family, but it wasn't always easy.
Through my early 30s, my migraine attacks were mild and manageable. I earned two master's degrees, opened my own bakery, worked as a professional counselor and became a university professor. I also raised two rescue dogs, traveled the world, and maintained a busy social life.
Everything came to a crushing halt, and my migraine began to spiral out of control, after a serious injury in October 2012. I opened my eyes after an eight-hour surgery, but I didn't register the back pain because I was in the throes of the most excruciating migraine attack of my life. Immediately after surgery, my migraine symptoms intensified to include sensitivity to daylight, certain foods, and smells. Light sensitivity was impacting me so severely that I shifted to a nocturnal schedule to avoid daylight, making me feel like a vampire.
This rapid change started years of cycling through neurologists and various treatments in my desperate attempt to regain some control: acupuncture, vitamins, infrared light, yoga and even Himalayan sea salt in my coffee. Nothing worked for me.
Migraine pain became my new normal, robbing me of my health and happiness, and before long, the impact of my migraine disease was too much to bear. I lost my job, abandoned my studies, and retreated from family functions and socializing. The emotional low point came when my own loved ones accused me of exaggerating or faking my symptoms. The severity of it all led to self-isolation, anxiety, and depression. Medical professionals implied my suffering was just "in my head." I decided that I deserved more out of my migraine treatment plan and a neurologist who listened, believed, and validated the severity and impact of my migraine disease over my whole health. Finally, a recommendation led to a new neurologist who was both a migraine specialist and living with migraine herself. Finding her was my turning point as she combined migraine expertise with human empathy.
When I first visited her six years ago, she helped me understand the impact migraine was having on my life, and she was the first person in five years to validate the severity of my condition. I told her my migraine treatment plan wasn't working, and I needed to make a change. We developed an action plan to get a clearer picture of possible triggers for my migraine attacks. Armed with this information, we set out in search of a different treatment plan that would help address the severity of my disease and limitations. While I was in the waiting room for a follow-up appointment, I came across a brochure for VYEPTI® (eptinezumab-jjmr), a prescription medicine used for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults. What jumped out at me with VYEPTI is that it's administered by a healthcare provider four times a year (every three months) via intravenous (IV) infusion. I brought the brochure to my neurologist to discuss it during our appointment. Together we discussed the potential benefits and risks of VYEPTI, and we decided to give it a try. After starting treatment with VYEPTI, I noticed my overall migraine symptoms were becoming less severe.
Finally, I started being able to go back out on my balcony and enjoy the sunshine. Before long, I was experiencing intervals where I would go three or four days without a migraine attack - a huge improvement.
In patients with 4 or more migraine days a month, VYEPTI has been proven to reduce monthly migraine days over months 1-3 compared to placebo. However, individual results may vary and you should not receive VYEPTI if you are allergic to eptinezumab-jjmr or any of the ingredients in VYEPTI. See additional Important Safety Information for VYEPTI below.
With more migraine-free days, my house is once again the home to my family. I'm finally making plans! I'm even going to a concert soon, since it seems I can enjoy music again. I also plan to go back to school to get my Ph.D. in naturopathy. Migraine disease taught me the importance of putting myself first because I deserved more. With my migraine attacks less frequent and severe, I feel like my mental and physical health has improved. The biggest reward were the words from my therapist of 20 years, "finally, I see you again!"
Check out the doctor discussion guide on vyepti.com to get started today.
APPROVED USE
VYEPTI is a prescription medicine used for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Do not receive VYEPTI if you have a known allergy to eptinezumab-jjmr or its ingredients.
VYEPTI may cause allergic reactions. Call your healthcare provider or get emergency medical help right away if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction: rash; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; if you have trouble breathing; hives; or redness in your face.
Before starting VYEPTI, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, or you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including any prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements.
The most common side effects of VYEPTI include stuffy nose and scratchy throat, and allergic reactions.
These are not all the possible side effects of VYEPTI. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
For more information, please see the Prescribing Information and Patient Information or go to vyepti.com.
© 2024 Lundbeck. All rights reserved. VYEPTI is a registered trademark of Lundbeck Seattle BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. EPT-B-101669
