Your Ultimate Guide To Aimovig Side Effects, Reviews And Dosage

What Are Aimovig Injections?

Have you heard of Aimovig injections? 💉

The thought of injections often invokes the idea of pain and can make the bravest of us uncomfortable, even queasy 🤢 However, did you know that there is a migraine medication that can be self-administered via injections? For some of us, this can feel like a love-hate relationship with injections!

Also known as Erenumab, Aimovig is an FDA-approved anti-CGRP preventive migraine medication. As the name suggests, Aimovig blocks the CGRP receptors so CGRP cannot attach itself to them. As mentioned in our previous email newsletter, CGRP is often associated with the pain of migraine attacks. However, it is important to consider Aimovig side effects before using it, which we will share more later.

Using Aimovig Autoinjectors

Since Aimovig is delivered via autoinjectors with needle protection by a safety guard, patients can safely complete their injections at home within 15 seconds after receiving instructions from their providers. 

Users must leave autoinjectors at room temperature (up to 25C or 77F) for at least 30 minutes before administering them. However, users cannot freeze or shake Aimovig and must use it within seven days after leaving it at room temperature.

Aimovig Dosage

Aimovig is administered monthly via prefilled autoinjectors with two dosages available: 70mg and 140mg.

Aimovig Side Effects

Here are some potential Aimovig side effects you may experience

• Redness, swelling, and itching around the injection site
• Constipation

Patients with latex allergies may experience allergic reactions because of the latex derivative dry natural rubber on the white and gray needle caps on the autoinjectors.

Emgality VS Aimovig

While there are other injection-based migraine medication like Emgality, it is crucial to consult a medical professional to explore the appropriate migraine medication.

Aimovig Reviews

A clinical review report done in Canada in 2020 received a response from Migraine Canada, a national organization dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for people with migraine. The organization conducted an online survey in two languages and received 379 responses within the country. Seven of the initial survey respondents participated in one of the clinical trials for Aimovig and reported no side effects. One of the respondents even stated, “It gave me my life back for 15 months. I didn’t worry about having meds with me or having to cancel plans. I lived.” The follow-up surveys, targeting patients with Aimovig experience, found that 75% of patients reported some degree of migraine attack reductions with Aimovig, while 25% reported no reduction. 70% of patients mentioned that Aimovig had reduced the usage of acute medications to different degrees.  

Another review done via Times magazine in 2018 by Susan Giordano, an Aimovig clinical trial participant, mentioned how she experienced side effects from the traditional preventive medications and how the flare-ups severely affected her daily life, even with dietary control. She also described that her migraine frequency went to zero when the researchers doubled the shot dosage and saw no side effects considering her experience with other preventive medications. Susan did not renew her acute medication prescription in a year and never had to carry them with her, as she described as an “amazing and exciting journey” to use Aimovig as her preventive medication. 

Not Keen On Using Aimovig?

Ultimately, if you aren’t comfortable with using Aimovig injections or medications, you can opt for migraine home remedies. They are typically easy to make and aren’t invasive. However, it’s still important to make sure you consult a doctor for medical advice. Also, using a migraine tracker like Migraine Buddy can help you find a pattern in the efficacy of medication or relief you take. Otherwise, if the migraine attacks get really bad, you might want to consider going to the Emergency Room (ER) for chronic migraine attacks.

This article is written by Dorothea Tse, one of our amazing #MBvolunteers. If you would like to make a difference in the migraine community, join us here!