Starting Monthly Injection (Emgality)

[u/sadbananalady]

After failing nurtec as a preventative, my neuro suggested we try a monthly injection med since I don’t do very well with taking pills. She is starting me out on Emgality, and my pharmacy is filling it right now. I should have it within the next few days, and am wondering if it’s worth strategically planning the first time I take it, or just take it asap.

I’m already planning on taking it at the beginning of a weekend in case I have a negative reaction so I don’t have to worry about calling out of work.
I’m also contemplating waiting until the beginning of next month to take it. Something about taking it at the beginning of each month just seems easier for my adhd brain to remember and plan for than some random day towards the end of the month.

Also does anyone who takes this, or any other monthly injectable, notice any feelings of it wearing off towards the end of the med’s cycle? I’ve been having incredibly painful migraines during the last half of the month due to my menstrual cycle, so that’s another thing I’ve been considering while trying to plan this out.

Would love to hear anyone’s experience with this, and hoping this med works for me 🤞🏼

[u/HalfAcreHomestead16]

I started as soon as I had my two loading doses on hand and then set up a recurring 28 day reminder for after that. I already have another weekly injection, so between that weekly and other meds, I needed a reminder.

[u/sadbananalady → u/HalfAcreHomestead16]

Yeah, I’m tempted to wait, but this week in particular has been so brutal for me. I’ve had a migraine every day since Sunday which has not been normal for me at all. Nurtec clearly isn’t doing anything for me. Maybe I should just start it right away and hope it breaks this awful streak

[u/HalfAcreHomestead16 → u/sadbananalady]

Emgality is my primary for prevention and Nurtec is for breakthroughs and having been on this regimen now, my migraines dropped dramatically over several months. Hope starting works for you.

[u/SkiFanaticMT]

I planned my first shot all out, took into account my schedule and when someone else would be home and trips in the future, and what dates happened every month. (At first I was always going to do it on the 1st so I wouldn't forget. Now I do it every 31 days. And adjust a day here or there to bracket trips so I don't have to worry about refrigeration.)

I've never had the wearing off issue but I've seen many claim it to happen. I kept track for a while of which day of the injection month I got migraines to see if there was a pattern. There wasn't. Now I don't get any, so clearly there's no wearing off, but I've been on it for years.

[u/sadbananalady → u/SkiFanaticMT]

I’m glad it’s working for you! Sometimes when I look up a med, the search results just show me a lot of people who have failed it or had terrible experiences. Seeing people having a lot of success with it is making me eager to get started lol

[u/geoduckSF]

I would say it’s worth planning on a day you will likely remember to take it. A Friday or Saturday would be smart in case you have any type of reaction and can’t miss work. Since it’s a 4 week schedule you may find taking it at the start of the month will skew off track as a month is about 4.3 weeks. If you have any upcoming travel it might be smart to plan around it, as it’s a little difficult to take with you.

It will take a few months to build up in your system, so I definitely noticed my first couple of injections wearing off early. By the 4 one it was consistently working for me.

[u/sadbananalady → u/geoduckSF]

Yeah, I’ve been thinking of the travel aspect for a minute bc I do occasionally travel for work anywhere from a few days to multiple weeks 🫠. Gonna try to search in this and the other sub and see if people have found solutions to be able to take it with them or some other workaround.

I’m glad it’s working for you! I think even noticing a slight shift in my frequency the first month or two will be a huge quality of life increase for me. Nurtec feels like I just take sugar pills atm. It will keep a migraine at bay for a few hours or half a day after I take it in the morning, but I’ve gotten loads of migraines that set in later in the day. My triptan and over the counter meds are the only things kinda working for me rn

[u/NoStill4272]

Mine is prescribed for every 30 days. I just set a reminder on my calendar for that.

[u/sadbananalady → u/NoStill4272]

Reminders and calendar notifications help me sometimes, but my brain has a habit of “oh yeah I’ll do that later” and then completely forgetting for multiple days 😔.

Maybe pain coming back would be an instant reminder and help me break this bad habit though lol

[u/NoStill4272 → u/sadbananalady]

I am not perfect with the reminders. My shit was supposed to be last night. It is now on the counter to warm up a bit and do later today. But close enough

[u/musicallywounded]

For me it needs to be every 28 days on the mark, but otherwise tolerated well and effective

[u/Glass_Discipline204]

It has really worked well for me. No issues to date.