One Woman Shares How She Found Some Migraine Relief – After Experiencing the Debilitating Disease for Much of Her Life
Amanda, a 35-year-old mother, outdoor enthusiast and electrical engineer, will always remember May 28, 2021. That was the day she started to experience some relief from migraine, a debilitating, neurologic disease.
For a long time, Amanda dealt with migraine attacks at least twice a week. It often began with pain in her left shoulder that would move up her neck to the base of her head — a personal sign that a migraine was on its way. Her experience typically included sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and head pain, causing her to call in sick to work, cancel plans for the day and lie in bed in the pitch dark. Amanda was diagnosed with episodic migraine, meaning she experienced 14 or fewer migraine headache days per month.
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“For me, migraine can be very isolating,” Amanda said. “No one at work or home really understood what I was going through, and it was difficult to articulate the magnitude of the pain I was feeling.” Therefore, she began looking into migraine care options.
Amanda didn’t want migraine to define her, so she tried to continue to live an active lifestyle and pursue her fast-paced career, but her debilitating symptoms often took control.
After she and her husband had their first baby, the lack of sleep, stress and change in routine as a new mom only exacerbated her migraine symptoms. She began having more consistent migraine attacks and it only got worse as her kids got older. Now, with three young children ages 3-7 years old, Amanda found herself missing out on time with her kids because she was experiencing a migraine.
“It was difficult for me with little kids and working part-time,” Amanda said. “I wanted to be able to show up for my kids and take them to the zoo or a hike without having to cancel. I never wanted to disappoint them. My breaking point was finding myself being physically present but not mentally present for those fleeting moments with my small children.”
After moving to Colorado, Amanda found a new doctor who introduced her to preventive migraine treatments on the market, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonist therapies and identified one that he thought could work for her.
With the support of her doctor, Amanda started Emgality® (galcanezumab-gnlm) 120mg injection. Emgality is a prescription medicine used for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults. Do not use Emgality if you are allergic to galcanezumab-gnlm or any of the ingredients in Emgality. Emgality may cause allergic reactions, such as itching, rash, hives, and trouble breathing. Allergic reactions can happen days after using Emgality. The most common side effects of Emgality are injection site reactions. Please see additional safety information below. Among people who had 4-14 migraine days per month, those taking Emgality averaged about 4-5 fewer migraine days per month over the course of 6 months compared to about 2-3 for those taking placebo. In two 6-month studies, among people who had 4-14 migraine days per month, 16% of people on average in one study and 12% in another had a migraine-free month with Emgality vs 6% of people taking placebo in both studies. In people with 4-14 migraine days per month, Emgality reduced the impact of migraine on people’s daily activities, while people with 15+ headache days per month (in a 3-month study) did not achieve significant differences vs placebo. Among people with 15+ headache days per month, those taking Emgality averaged 4.8 fewer migraine days per month over the course of 3 months compared to 2.7 for those taking placebo. In a 3-month study, the number of people with 15+ headache days per month who were migraine-free in an average month did not differ between Emgality and placebo.
After taking Emgality, Amanda felt like she was able to finally enjoy some of the little things in life again, like a hike or a play date with her kids.
“I couldn’t believe that I could have more time with family and friends, run around with my kids and sign up for harder projects at work without a migraine,” Amanda shared. “Being able to show up for my career, family and myself with fewer migraine attacks is something I will never take for granted.”
Amanda spent many years dealing with migraine before she found a treatment that worked for her. If you are experiencing migraine-related symptoms including head pain, nausea, sensitivity to light and/or sound, talk to your doctor about migraine and learn more about preventive treatment options, like Emgality.
For more information, please visit Emgality.com and ask your doctor if a preventive migraine treatment like once-monthly Emgality is right for you.
This is a paid partnership between Eli Lilly and Company and Amanda Carlton. This article represents Amanda’s personal experience taking Emgality and individual results may vary.
INDICATION AND SAFETY SUMMARY
Emgality® (em-GAL-it-e¯ ) is used for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults. The medicine comes in a prefilled pen or syringe and is taken once a month.
Warnings – Do not use Emgality if you are allergic to galcanezumab-gnlm or any of the ingredients in Emgality.
Emgality may cause allergic reactions, such as itching, rash, hives, and trouble breathing. Allergic reactions can happen days after using Emgality. Call your healthcare provider or get emergency medical help right away if you have any of the following symptoms, which may be part of an allergic reaction: swelling of your face, mouth, tongue, or throat, or trouble breathing.
Common side effects
The most common side effects of Emgality are injection site reactions.
These are not all the possible side effects of Emgality. Tell your doctor if you have any side effects.
You can report side effects at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Before using
Before you use Emgality, discuss these questions with your doctor:
•Do you have other medical conditions?
•Do you take other medicines? Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, and herbal supplements you take.
Tell your doctor if:
•You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
Pregnancy Registry: There is a pregnancy registry for women who take Emgality®. The purpose of this registry is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. You may enroll yourself by calling 1-833-464-4724 or by visiting www.migrainepregnancyregistry.com or you may talk to your healthcare provider about how you can take part in this registry.
•You are under age 18. It is not known if Emgality is safe and effective in children.
How to take
•Read the Instructions for Use that come with Emgality. There you will find information about how to store, prepare, and inject Emgality.
•Use Emgality exactly as your doctor says.
•If you miss a dose, inject it as soon as possible. Then continue to take it once a month from the date of your last dose.
Learn more
Emgality is a prescription medicine. For more information, go to www.emgality.com or call 1-833-EMGALITY (1-833-364-2548).
This summary provides basic information about Emgality, but it does not include all information known about this medicine. Read the information that comes with your prescription every time you have a prescription filled. This information does not take the place of talking to your doctor. Be sure to talk to your doctor or other healthcare provider about Emgality and how to take it. Your doctor is the best person to help you decide if Emgality is right for you.
GZ CON MIG BS 14SEP2022
Please see Instructions for Use that come with the device.
Emgality® is a registered trademark owned or licensed by Eli Lilly and Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates.
PP-GZ-US-2274 12/2023 ©Lilly USA, LLC 2023. All rights reserved.
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