Taking a triptan, like Imitrex, and a gepant, like Ubrelvy, together has not been studied in clinical trials. However, they have different mechanisms of action and are not contraindicated to take together. The combination may work better for some individuals than taking either by itself.
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There are several options for this 2-week period. One is to come into our office for a nerve block or for a Toradol injection. Another option is to go on a preventive during that 2-week period-an example would be Nurtec every other day. The best strategy is to call our office and set up an appointment to discuss treatment options to lessen your migraine burden during that wearing off period.
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Vyepti is a recently approved medication approved for the prevention of migraine in adults. It targets CGRP so works it similar to Aimovig, Ajovy and Emgality. However, it is given IV every 3 months instead of being an injectable. Key features include quick onset of action; in fact, some individuals may experience their migraine headache go away during the 30-minute infusion time frame. Vyepti requires approval by the insurance company before it can be initiated. If interested, please schedule a visit.
To make an appointment, please call 949-861-8717.
In any individual patient, the risk of a medication needs to be weighed against the benefits and this is especially true in pregnancy. Fortunately, most women note migraine improvement during pregnancy and can stop getting Botox. For those in whom migraines continue to be disabling, a clinical decision can be made between the provider and pregnant patient. Fortunately, a published study in 2016 looked at 232 outcomes in women receiving Botox during pregnancy. This review showed the prevalence of fetal defects (2.7%) comparable to the rate in the general population for pregnancy in the US. More recently, an additional number of cases was been reviewed bringing the total up to 397 and this shows the prevalence of fetal defects to be 2.6% once again comparable to the general population for pregnancy. In general, it is wise to avoid as much medication as possible during pregnancy. However, in some select cases, the disability of frequent migraine attacks in a pregnant woman may warrant consideration of Botox treatment to prevent migraine.
To make an appointment, please call 949-861-8717.
In the clinical trials with all three CGRP injections (Aimovig, Ajovy, Emgality) patients had to be off Botox for 4 months before receiving CGRP injections. This exclusion was not due to safety concerns; rather, the trials were designed to see how well migraines would respond to CGRP by itself or with an oral preventive and not while still receiving Botox. One of the concerns is that insurance companies may not approve both. Both are relatively expensive treatments. We have patients in our practice who are doing both but we are encouraging them to try CGRP by itself at some point as CGRP injections may work so well for migraine prevention that Botox is not needed. Fortunately, there are wonderful savings programs for all 3 CGRP injections for commercial insurance patients so now is a good time to set up an appointment and see what preventive regimen best for your migraines.
To make an appointment, please call 949-861-8717.