Aimovig Migraine Update: Month 4

Disclaimer: I am a former Amgen and Novartis Spokesperson. This content reflects my own personal opinions and was not created or reviewed by Amgen and Novartis. I was not paid to write this article.

Injection Info

1 Month = 28 Days

Date of 1st Injection: Thursday, June 28, 2018
Time of Injection: 7:00 pm
Dosage: 140 mg (2 – 70mg Injection Pens)
Injection Site: Left Upper Leg
Month 1: 6/29/18 – 7/26/18

Date of 2nd Injection: Thursday, July 26, 2018
Time of Injection: 8:30 pm
Dosage: 140 mg (2 – 70mg Injection Pens)
Injection Site: Left Upper Leg
Month 2: 7/27/18 – 8/24/18

Date of 3rd Injection: Friday, August 24, 2018 (took a day late)
Time of Injection: 10:30 am
Dosage: 140 mg (2 – 70mg Injection Pens)
Injection Site: Left Upper Leg, Left Stomach Area
Month 3: 8/25/18 – 9/20/18

Date of 4th Injection: Thursday, September 20, 2018
Time of Injection: 7:00 pm
Dosage: 140 mg (2 – 70mg Injection Pens)
Injection Site: Left Upper Leg
Month 4: 9/21/18 – 10/17/18

My Thoughts

October 18, 2018 — As I sit here in 19A in a window seat with no window, flying high above between New Orleans and Washington D.C., I am in awe of Aimovig. When I first started the injections, I was both hopeful and skeptical. It’s scary starting a new medication, at least for me. I am so susceptible to side effects, and not the kind listed as common, no. The ones listed near the bottom that tell you to go the emergency room. That’s been my experience with almost everything I’ve tried to tame down my almost daily, severe migraine attacks. I am pleasantly surprised by what I’ve been experiencing on this migraine preventative.

There were a few wrenches thrown into the mix, though. Aimovig was definitely no match for Hurricane Florence when she blew through North Carolina a few weeks ago. I was bedbound with daily migraine attacks for a week straight. Then, when Hurricane Mike blew in, I was suffering through 4 days of migraine attacks.

Something strange I have noticed, I seem to start the migraine attack about a week before both hurricanes actually hit land. The day they both hit land was the end of each attack. Weird, right?

Another trigger Aimovig can’t seem to tame is the pain from the herniated disc in my lumbar region. You’ll see what I mean in the next few paragraphs.

Migraine Attacks

Migraine Buddy Stats - Month 5 — Migraine Buddy Stats – Month 4

Shortly after my attacks related to Hurricane Florence at the end of Month 3, my next major attack wouldn’t happen for 6 days! It was glorious break, BUT I was still in and out of bed here and there due to herniated disc pain. At least my head was feeling right!

At the last minute, Stephan and I decided we wanted to take Marissa and Noah to Atlanta for the weekend. It was Marissa’s 18^th birthday and she desperately wanted to visit the Georgia Aquarium. She’s in love with ocean and sea life. So, all day Thursday (Oct 20^th) I prepared for the trip that would happen the next morning. I wasn’t as prepared as I thought because Friday morning I was still rushing around and getting things together.

Attack #1

By the time we left our house on Friday morning, I was spent! I had surpassed my trigger threshold and as we were backing out of our driveway, I began to have aura and headache pain. The pain, noted as a Level 4, was tolerable and I was still in a great mood and excited to spend a fun weekend with the family. Thankfully, I loaded up on Nuun and pain meds. Upon our arrival in Atlanta there was not a migraine pain in sight. Woohoo!

Saturday morning, I woke up completely pain-free. We spent the entire day walking, going up and down hills, taking the stairs, and just being more active than my normal. I only had little aches and pains here and there, had to rest and bring my heart rate down a couple times, but nothing major and no headache pain. We ended our day well, with dinner and a movie in our hotel room. Bliss!

Attack #2

Sunday, October 23^rd, is a completely different story. I noted an attack beginning at 11:00 am and not ending until 11:45 pm the next day. On the road home I was nauseated half-way through. It’s not fun driving 2.5 hours with a rolling stomach! Thankfully no vomiting and I was able to eat on the last leg home. I also noted: anxiety, confusion/light headed, fatigue, hemiparesis, join pain, moody, muscle pain, muscle tightness, neck pain, sensitivity to light, teeth pain, and throbbing pain. SO not fun driving home. My highest pain level was a 6.

Attack #3

After a two-day break from migraine, on September 27^th, I had a highly unusual side-effect from a new medication I had started a few days before. I was hit, suddenly, with a bout of uncontrollable crying to the point of hyperventilation. I was not feeling sad or upset, nothing that would warrant that type of response. After a call with the doctor, it was decided I would stop that medication. Needless to say, this event triggered a migraine attack. To calm my body down I took an Ativan and eventually fell asleep. I never did take my migraine cocktail. The migraine began around Noon and ended around 7:30pm.

Attack #4

The next day, September 28^th, I woke up late close to Noon. This was a particularly bad day, with pain level at 8. At around 4:46 pm, I began to feel sharp stabbing pains at the top of my head, which is my warning that convulsions are on the horizon. At 8:45 pm, I was again hit with really strong stabbing at the top of my head followed by strong stabbing in my left temple. This level of pain triggered strong convulsions and aphasia. The strong stabling pain is pretty typical before I have an event of convulsions. After taking an Ativan to calm down my nervous system, I was able to find the end of the attack three hours later.

Attack #5

My next attack was a two-dayer. On September 30^th at 11:30 am, after making breakfast for my family I started to feel the beginning of a migraine attack. I couldn’t finish breakfast after the beginnings of a hemiplegic migraine, which irritated my herniated disc. I spent the whole day in bed and in lots of pain. I couldn’t move very much without severe pain in my back. Both conditions seemed to feed off each other. Flexeril helped a lot. I officially ended my attack on October 1^st at 10:44 pm.

Attack #6

After a nice two-day break, I was hit with a lower-level attack around a 4. Again, it happened the same time my back began to hurt pretty painfully. This attack lasted about 9 hours. Honestly, my back had been hurting every day for a while. I was scheduled for an epidural the next day, which had been rescheduled because of Hurricane Florence. So, I was overdue.

Attack #7

That night, after the epidural on October 5th, I was hit with a migraine attack. It was severe at about a 9. This attack would last 4 days and include an unsuccessful trip to the ER. My headache pain would lessen while I was on Flexeril but would ramp back up as soon as it would wear off. None of my migraine tricks worked. The pain in my neck and back was so severe I couldn’t change my posture much without crying. The only thing that helped this attack was time.

When I woke up on the morning of October 10^th, I was pain-free in my back and headache. I know for a fact that my herniated disc is a major trigger for my hemiplegic migraine attacks. Working with my Neuro to figure this out!

After this bout of attacks, I would go on to remain migraine-free for 14 days!!! Half of that time was spent in Month 4 and the restkicked off Month 5. Best two-weeks I’ve had in years! I was able to launch my new online store, Achy Smile Shop. If you follow me on social media, you know all about it!

Final Thoughts About Month 4

November 2, 2018 — I know my attacks sound horrible! Keep in mind, I have two severe migraine with aura subtypes called Hemiplegic Migraine and Migraine with Brainstem Aura. Also realize, before Aimovig I used to have these attacks daily, with maybe a one-day break. Now, every day wasn’t always at an 8 or 9, my baseline used to be a daily Hemiplegic Migraine attack around a 4. That was my life. This new normal with Aimovig is exciting. With each month that passes I realize that I am having fewer attack days and lower pain levels overall. Also, maybe even more exciting, I no longer have migraine hangover!

Aimovig has given me completely migraine-free days, sometimes for days in a row. That has made a major impact on my emotional well-being. I am happier and my achy smiles aren’t so achy a lot of days. I am grateful and Blessed.

I realize I am posting this update half-way through Month 5, there are more updates to be seen! So, keep Achy Smile bookmarked and look out for my next report about life on Aimovig. Keep smiling!

Aimovig Month 4 Stats & Log

Disclaimer: I am a former Amgen and Novartis Spokesperson. This content reflects my own personal opinions and was not created or reviewed by Amgen and Novartis. I was not paid to write this article.

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission.

4 responses to “Aimovig Migraine Update: Month 4”

Connie says:

November 2, 2018 at 7:03 pm

Hi Erica, does the migraine buddy app produce the stats & log table?

- Erica Nicole Carrasco says:
  
  November 7, 2018 at 4:00 pm
  
  Hi Connie! Yes & No. Migraine Buddy does produce all of the charts. The log table I created myself in Excel using the data from the Migraine Buddy charts. Hope that helps!
  
Jenn says:

November 8, 2018 at 10:13 pm

I just found your blog while doing some research on Aimovig. I have read through all of your updates so far, and I’m so excited to hear your results! It confirms much of what my dr told me. I have severe chronic and idiopathic migraine syndrome, and I have since I was 6 years old. At 43, I’m thrilled at the prospect of new meds given that everything I’ve tried has failed or been only somewhat effective. I can’t wait to try this tomorrow when I pick it up! This is so encouraging! God bless you, and I’ll pray you continue to see these great and sustained results.

- Erica Nicole Carrasco says:
  
  November 8, 2018 at 10:43 pm
  
  I’m pulling for you Jenn!! It’s so exciting! Even if Aimovig isn’t the right med for us (which I feel it is for me), it’s exciting to know there is real progress for migraine treatment. Luckily, we don’t have just one CGRP receptor antagonist to try, there are currently three FDA approved preventatives just for migraine. I’m crossing my fingers Aimovig is the one for you! But if it’s not, there are still others to try too. They all work in different ways, luckily. I’ll be posting Month 5 in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out! Definitely subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss it. So nice to meet you Jenn!