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Why have I been given this information?
You have been given this information because you are being treated for migraines. A medicine called Vyepti is one of the treatment options.
What is Vyepti and how does it work?
Vyepti is a prescription medicine used to prevent migraines in adults who have at least four migraine days a month.
Vyepti works by blocking the protein called Calcitonin Gene-related peptide related to pain transmission in your brain. This means that migraines will happen less often, and when they do happen, they will be less severe.
How well does Vyepti work?
Studies have shown that Vyepti works well.
Vyepti is quickly absorbed into the body, so its effects can sometimes be seen from the first day of taking it.
The active ingredient in Vyepti, Eptinezumab, can reduce the number of monthly migraine days by eight.
How will I be given Vyepti?
You will be given an appointment every three months in hospital.
At these appointments, you will be given Vyepti (which is a liquid) as an infusion.
An infusion means that the Vyepti will be fed into your body through a thin tube that is placed into the back of your hand.
This infusion will take 30 minutes.
Who can take Vyepti?
You will be given Vyepti if:
- You have four or more migraines a month and
- You have tried at least three other preventative drugs and they have not helped to improve your migraines, or you could not tolerate the side effects to those drugs.
Does Vyepti have any side effects?
As with any drug, Vyepti has possible side effects.
These include:
- Six to eight percent of people had a stuffy nose and scratchy throat
- Three percent of people experienced fatigue (tiredness)
- One percent or less of people had a hypersensitivity reaction. This includes a rash, angioedema (swelling under the skin), urticaria (hives), or an anaphylactic (allergic) reaction.
Are there any reasons that I cannot have Vyepti?
You cannot have it if you:
- have hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI)
- have uncontrolled high blood pressure (over 150mmHg systolic)
- have had a stroke or TIA (transient ischemic attack)
- have had a heart attack
- have angina
- are pregnant or breastfeeding.
What happens after I have had my first infusion of Vyepti?
Around two months after your first infusion you will be booked into a telephone clinic with one of our headache nurse specialists, to see how you responded to Vyepti.
It is important that you keep a headache diary that clearly shows the days you had a migraine as well as how severe the migraine was, scoring it from 0 to 10 (10 being the worst). The nurse will be able to judge how well the Vyepti is working by looking at your diary.
If you have chronic migraine (more than 15 days a month), you will be able to have more Vyepti if your migraines are at least 30% better than before you started the Vyepti.
If you have episodic migraine (four to 14 migraine days a month), you will be able to have more Vyepti if your migraines are at least 50% better than before you started Vyepti.
A few days before your telephone appointment, please send the photo of your headache diary to [email protected].
Who can I contact for further information and advice?
Please email us for advice and support.
The information in this leaflet is for guidance purposes only and is in no way intended to replace professional clinical advice by a qualified practitioner.