Path to Better Days: One Woman’s Story with Migraine Disease

Jennifer is a paid VYEPTI ambassador

Migraine is more than just a "bad headache." It's a complex brain disease that can progress, robbing people of time with their loved ones and often forcing them to miss out on the everyday moments. It's a disease that impacts every person differently, and for those living with chronic migraine, it often feels like it's impossible to control.

More than 40 million people live with migraine disease in the U.S. — it is the second-most disabling disease globally. However, despite its prevalence, there are many misconceptions and gaps in understanding about the disease, including how it's portrayed on TV and in movies, which often downplay the true impact of migraine attacks on individuals' lives. In fact, nearly half of people with chronic migraine experience disease-related stigma.

For someone like Jennifer, who lives with chronic migraine, the disease has impacted nearly every aspect of her life, leading to lost personal time, missed moments with family and friends, and strains on her career.

The True Impact of Migraine

Jennifer always had a zest for life, often spending weekends out dancing with her friends or spending time with her family and loved ones. After marriage and the birth of her daughter, she started her dream job with a nonprofit organization, where she felt rewarded in her daily work. Things were going really well for Jennifer, until a few years later when she started to feel something strange happening to her head. "Sometimes it felt like my head was on fire, and other times it felt like electrical volts of pain were searing through it," Jennifer recalls.

Jennifer's journey to a migraine diagnosis and feeling any relief from her migraine attacks was long and difficult, spanning years of tests and treatments that didn't bring her the effect she was desperately seeking. During that time, Jennifer's symptoms continued to worsen, eventually becoming so severe that they began to affect her job performance. Outside of work, even Jennifer's young daughter didn't understand why her mom spent so much time alone in a dark room.

"It's hard to explain to an 8-year-old that you don't feel good and that you get pain so bad that it feels like your head is going to explode," Jennifer shares. "When my severe migraine attacks started affecting how I showed up at work and at home — and as a mother — I knew that enough was enough and it was time to make a change."

Taking Action to Find Her Path to Better Days

Jennifer continued her quest for consistent migraine symptom relief and getting back more of the everyday moments she used to enjoy.

"My migraine attacks were about so much more than headaches," Jennifer recalls. "I once told my doctor I was happy I'd only had five migraine attacks over a few weeks, and he said, 'You think that's good?' That was a defining moment where I felt we could push the boundaries on what's possible."

Jennifer tried multiple treatments to help manage her symptoms, but none of them provided the improvement that she was looking for to help her be more present in her day-to-day. Knowing that she expected more from her migraine treatment plan, Jennifer continued partnering with her doctor to find the right treatment. So, when her doctor asked her if she wanted to try a treatment called VYEPTI^® (eptinezumab-jjmr), a prescription medicine used for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults, she was interested.

Doing her research, Jennifer learned that VYEPTI represented a different approach to treatments in that it's given by a healthcare provider four times a year (every three months) via intravenous (IV) infusion. After discussing the potential benefits and risks of this treatment with her doctor, Jennifer wanted to give it a try.

In patients with 4 or more migraine days a month, VYEPTI has been proven to reduce monthly migraine days over months 1-3 compared to placebo. However, individual results may vary, and you should not receive VYEPTI if you are allergic to eptinezumab-jjmr or any of the ingredients in VYEPTI. See additional Important Safety Information for VYEPTI below.

Better Days Living with Migraine

For Jennifer, VYEPTI made a difference quickly. "Is this really how good I'm supposed to be feeling?" Jennifer remembers saying to her doctor after her first VYEPTI infusion when she started to notice a difference.

Since starting VYEPTI, Jennifer has experienced changes in her migraine, which is helping her thrive both at home and at work. "Now that I'm having fewer migraine days, I'm trying to make the most of it," she shares. "I always want to do good things for people and spend more time giving back to others. Sometimes, it's the little things you take for granted that have a big impact."

She's also pursuing personal passions like gardening, kayaking, hiking, walking her dog and attending concerts — activities she previously avoided. Jennifer even attended an international sporting event, navigating her typical migraine triggers like noise and heat.

"Looking back, I try not to regret all the time I spent isolated from family and friends," Jennifer says. "If you're struggling with migraine, please keep talking to your doctor and looking for the treatment that's right for you. You may not always feel this way — improvement is possible. And you deserve it."

If migraine is still impacting your life, there are tools available to help you share your experience with your doctor and discuss if VYEPTI could be right for you. Check them out on VYEPTI.com. Individual experiences may vary.

APPROVED USE

VYEPTI is a prescription medicine used for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Do not receive VYEPTI if you have a known allergy to eptinezumab-jjmr or its ingredients.

VYEPTI may cause serious side effects such as:

Allergic reactions. Call your healthcare provider or get emergency medical help right away if you have any symptoms of an allergic reaction: rash; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat; if you have trouble breathing; hives; or redness in your face.
High blood pressure. High blood pressure or worsening of high blood pressure can happen after receiving VYEPTI. Contact your healthcare provider if you have an increase in blood pressure.
Raynaud's phenomenon. A type of circulation problem (Raynaud's phenomenon) can worsen or happen after receiving VYEPTI. Contact your healthcare provider if you have symptoms such as your fingers or toes feeling numb, cool, or painful, or changing color from pale to blue to red.

Before starting VYEPTI, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you have high blood pressure; circulation problems in your fingers and toes; are pregnant or plan to become pregnant; or are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including any prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, or herbal supplements.

The most common side effects of VYEPTI include stuffy nose and scratchy throat, and allergic reactions. These are not all the possible side effects of VYEPTI. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

For more information, please see the Prescribing Information and Patient Information.

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