I just injected myself with erenumab (Aimovig)
As expected, we’ve been overwhelmed by the demand for the new preventive therapy for migrianes, erenumab (Aimovig). It offers a unique and highly effective therapy with virtually no known side effects, at least so far.
My patients are usually glad to hear that I have migraines (without an aura, but I also have auras without a headache) because I can better relate to their experience. They often ask if I had tried this or another treatment and indeed, I’ve tried many, sometimes less out of necessity but more for the experience. I have never tried drugs such as topiramate (Topamax) or divalproex (Depakote) because they have many potentially serious side effects and I prescribe them very reluctantly after trying many other treatments. I have injected myself with Botox on two occasions, have given myself a nerve block and an intravenous infusion of magnesium.
Luckily, even when I have periods of very frequent attacks, my migraines are easily controlled with sumatriptan tablets or injections. I prefer injections when I want quick relief, such as before going to bed, in the middle of the night, or during a busy work day.
Although over 3,000 patients have been exposed to erenumab in clinical trials and some of them have been on it for 5 years, the true safety of the drug may not be known for at least another 3-5 years.
Even though my migraines do not cause any disability or interfere with my life (except for the need to avoid wine), in the tradition of doctors experimenting on themselves, yesterday I gave myself a shot of erenumab. It was painless and caused no local reaction, which is the most common side effect seen in 5%-6% of patients. This lack of serious and not so serious side effects has been the most surprising aspect of not only erenumab, but also of the other 3 CGRP monoclonal antibodies in development. So admittedly, injecting myself with erenumab was not an act of bravery and I really did it to see if I can drink more wine and take less sumatriptan.
This medicine has been a life changer for me! I rarely experience migraines after 10 years of debilitating migraines. On the rare occasion i get a breakthrough migraine I will take a Ubrelvy. Here are my tips to make the injection a more pleasant experience.
1 skip the thigh – the stomach is much less painful
2 – use the pinch method to reduce pain and swelling
3- wipe the site with alcohol THEN let dry before injection to avoid stinging
4- localized swelling is normal and not everyone will experience it
No, it does not make a difference.
I’ve been using Aimovig for a couple years now. I get injected in the thigh. Just wondering why some months it hurts worse than other months. Some times it burns for several minutes afterwards. Should I not do injection after working out/lifting weights?
I can’t understand people saying its painless. I’ve had two injections, one in each thigh, and it was alot more painful than I expected. I expected a small prick like a vaccine but it really hurts, not just for a second or two either – it hurts while the medication is delivered and takes twenty minutes to gradually fade afterwards. It’s like someone stabbing a thick knitting needle into you very hard and continues to hurt for some time. It would be worth it just once a month if it actually works. Still waiting for any sign of improvement on my constant, daily vestibular migraine.
It’s possible that the effect of the previous injection ends a day or two short of a month. Some of our patients have to inject every 28 days or so. We give them a free sample so that they have 13 shots per year instead of 12. Insurance will only cover 12.
I always get a bad headache, sometimes a migraine, the day after my injection. It will last the whole day sometimes into the next, and then I’m fine. Wondering if anyone else experiences headache day after injection? Otherwise, this medication has done wonders for me! I went from having at least 15 migraines w/aura a month, to only having a couple a month and they are no where near as severe as they used to be.
There’s no need to pinch or stretch.
I just injected aimovig for the first time but forgot to “pinch” or “stretch” the skin. Should I be worried? What will happen?!
I just took my first shot. 140 MG. After 13 years of cluster headaches, all the different medication has let me down eventually. This shot feels like about half the pain and duration of pain of a 6mg sumatriptan shot. Which itself feels like a mink coat compared to a cluster episode. If it even halves the amount sleepless excruciating nights a month then it’s worth the tremendous cost of these shots. This is pretty much the last option that i have available so here’s to hoping it actually works. Good luck to all of you.
I just switched to Aimovig after using Emgality for 18 months. I have to admit, the injection is much less painful. Also, to reduce inflamation and swelling at the injection site, I take a Benadryl and Tagamet 30 minutes before injection. Works like a charm!
I just did the Aimovig injection for the first time this morning. I did it in my stomach and used the pinch method. There was no pain at all, and it only took about 2 seconds to inject. I was concerned because it didn’t take 15 seconds, but I looked at the window, and it showed yellow (meaning the medicine had been dispensed). There was a slight stinging at the injection site for about 10 minutes, but that’s gone now.
I’ve been on aimovig for almost a year and my results have been wonderful. Significant decrease in how often I get migraines. Only issue is the pain during injection- the shot lasts around 10 seconds and really does hurt although it’s worth it! I’ve never had side effects except for my most recent injection, in the side of my thigh. I have a welt that’s about 1.5” wide and 1” tall. It feels warm and a bit numb- noticed this about an hour after injecting but the warmth /burning did not start until this morning (15 hours after injection). I recommend this product to anyone suffering from chronic migraine
One trick to lessen the pain of injections is to apply an ice cube to the site of injection for about a minute and then inject. If pain remains a problem, injections of a similar drug, fremanezumab (Ajovy) are less painful, but Ajovy comes only in a prefilled syringe, so it is not as simple to use as pushing a button.
I had my first injections with Aimovig on October 5, 2018. I traveled out of the country the following week and experienced migraine with aura four times over 13 days. That was as frequent as a bad month. I will receive my second injections this weekend and hope for a better month. I put the prevalence down to change of food, sleep deprivation and time changes. At home now I have had some headaches, but not with aura or the intensity. I was told that I needed three months to really judge the Aimovig efficacy. The only negative was the pain with the injection, it felt like wasps stinging while it was administered, not after. It was injected into my thigh. Any suggestions to lessen that pain would be appreciated. Thanks, Good Luck
By now we’ve had experience with a few hundred patients on Aimovig and we have seen a couple who complained of worsening of their headaches. The worsening lasted a few weeks. Some reported a reduction in frequency but an increase in intensity of their migraine attacks. We have also seen constipation in about 5% of patients and 3 or 4 of them stopped Aimovig because of it. We switched these patients to Ajovy and constipation seems to be less of a problem with Ajovy. A few developed rashes from Aimovig and when we switched them to Ajovy they did not get a rash. In one patient with a severe rash that require treatment with prednisone rather than just Benadryl, I first gave a small test dose of Ajovy and a week later, when she did not develop a rash, gave her the full dose. It can take 5- days before the rash appears. Ajovy and Emglaity can also cause rashes.
Overall, Aimovig and the other two drugs have met our expectations – they appear to be very effective in over 50% of patient with very few serious side effects.
Dear Dr. Mauskop,
I’m a long time migraine sufferer and interested in trying Aimovig. However, I’m hesitant because of some of the reviews on drugs.com that note some side effects, namely headaches worse in intensity and duration, muscle pain, nausea (https://www.drugs.com/comments/erenumab/aimovig-for-migraine-prophylaxis.html). I’m wondering if you have seen any serious side effects in your patients and if you can shed any light on side effects (possible cause, how long they might last). My main concern is the medication causing worse headaches.
Thank you!
My mistake. I see you just posted this two days ago. I was confused by the date ordering. Looking forward to hearing about your results.
Do you have a follow up on this? It doesn’t look like it’s available yet, but I’m interested in trying it and wanted to see what kind of results you found.
Hahaha I have given up wine as well so I can relate. ?? I filled out the form to request aimovig yesterday. My neurologist showed me how to inject it and it looks pretty easy. He is not sure how long it will take to get it. I am hoping my insurance doesn’t make it an ordeal. I am excited to try it out and hopefully take less sumatriptan and have wine again one day too. I was told it might take months for it to work. Is that what you have seen as well? Thank you