188-SYNCPodcast_CGRP

[00:00:00] Jenny Swisher: Welcome friends to this episode of the Sync Your Life podcast. Today, we’re diving into the topic of a new treatment that’s available in the modern medicine world for migraines and cluster headaches. These are known as CGRP inhibitors. We’re going to be talking about what CGRP is, why this matters.

[00:01:14] Jenny Swisher: We’re also going to be touching on the fact that the majority of people who have migraines are women. So why is this the topic for today? Well, because it really serves two purposes. One, to educate you about CGRP inhibitors. And also, because this is part of my journey right now. I’ve been updating you on my recent journey in perimenopause with the resurgence of my own hormonal migraines with vertigo.

[00:01:36] Jenny Swisher: And this is a promising treatment in the world of migraines, so I wanted to make sure I brought it to your attention for any female listeners who are also suffering right alongside me. So, over the last eight weeks, my head has been sort of tail spinning into another episode of chronic migraine. I dealt with that in my twenties, and it seems it’s back.

[00:01:54] Jenny Swisher: I haven’t seen this type of pain since my late twenties, so let me just tell you, it feels a lot worse, but I’m sure it’s because I’ve experienced what it feels like to feel good, that this feels so bad. But while all of my lab work has come back optimal and fantastic, I literally had a doctor yesterday tell me that on paper, I am extremely healthy.

[00:02:13] Jenny Swisher: I certainly haven’t been feeling fantastic. Daily migraine headaches, vertigo, balance issues, nausea, all of this has had me restructuring my work schedule, it has my husband running around like a chicken with his head cut off, leading the household while I rest.

[00:02:27] Jenny Swisher: It has not been fun. And while you’re probably wondering everything I’m doing, I’m happy to share and it will all be coming on the podcast soon. Just know this, it’s way too much for just one episode, so I’m going to break it into these little pieces and I’m going to educate you along the way as I continue to learn pieces for myself.

[00:02:44] Jenny Swisher: So here are the highlights of what I’ve done in the last eight weeks. I did an episode here on the show about muscle testing, I’ll make sure that I link that up in the show notes. That has been a pivotal piece for me in this puzzle. I’ve changed supplements, I have changed my bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, actually just sort of messed with it a little bit as far as changing things up.

[00:03:03] Jenny Swisher: I’ve met with a neurochiro, a naturopath, balance therapists, ear specialists, ENTs, and osteopaths. And yes, I’ve done a brain MRI, all the lab work, balance tests, VNG tests, and more. So the only thing that keeps coming up for me is estrogen. It’s no surprise because my body required progesterone at a really young age of 27, so it’s really not a surprise that my lower estrogen scores on my recent Dutch test could explain what’s going on for me.

[00:03:30] Jenny Swisher: But, as with anything estrogen, my doctor is being very cautious in our treatment plan because I am so young. Up next, we’ll be talking about homeopathics for estrogen, which is something that I’ll be playing with here soon. I’ll keep you up to date as I move through that. But in the meantime, we’ve had to treat the pain so that I can have some quality of life while I navigate the root cause.

[00:03:51] Jenny Swisher: This is exactly why I often say that I’m not opposed to modern medicine. It has its time and place, and it certainly has its time and place with me right now. I use abortive medications, I use triptans and NSAIDs when I need to to combat the pain at home, and I have even found myself lately in local urgent cares for pain assistance as well.

[00:04:10] Jenny Swisher: Recently, my doctors have started me on two different CGRP medications, which is what we’re going to talk about today. I find that the science here is fascinating. So, the first one that I’m using is Engality, which is a monthly injection. So just know that there are monthly injections, there are 90 day injections, depending on what you choose, and there’s also a dissolvable oral tablet called Nertec.

[00:04:31] Jenny Swisher: I’m also taking Nertec. So Imgality and Nertec are the two that I’m taking. Again, you guys know this, right? This is my personal journey. This is not what I’m recommending for you. You always need to be talking to your doctor or neurologist. But these are the two items that I’m taking and trying. So I won’t go into detail on these individual drugs, as there are plenty of others in their categories.

[00:04:50] Jenny Swisher: But I do want to just talk generally about what CGRPs are and how they’re thought to block migraine with good success rates. So let’s start with just defining CGRP. Well, CGRP stands for Calcitonin Gene Related Peptides. And one thing that we know about migraineurs is that CGRP levels are higher in migraineurs urine than in the average person’s urine.

[00:05:12] Jenny Swisher: And for people like myself who struggle with chronic migraine, guess what? CGRP levels are the highest of anyone. So these CGRP drugs are intended to bind to CGRP receptors in the brain, which blocks trigeminal nerve pain and inflammation from migraine. So yes, let me be truthful in saying that this does not treat the root cause, which for me, we know is hormonal triggers.

[00:05:35] Jenny Swisher: But for someone suffering 10 or more days a month, like I am with migraine, it can be a great option to try. Side effects are super low, with a 2 percent nausea rate, sometimes injection site irritability. But otherwise, it’s very well tolerated. The American Migraine Foundation calls CGRP inhibitors, quote, the biggest news in migraine treatment and prevention in decades.

[00:05:57] Jenny Swisher: According to WebMD, when CGRP is released in the brain, it affects the trigeminal nerve, which is responsible for communicating pain and sensitivities to touch and temperature. CGRP also causes inflammation and pain that happens during a migraine. It makes headache pain worse and causes headaches to last longer.

[00:06:15] Jenny Swisher: Studies show that CGRP inhibitors helped make migraines come less often, lessened headache days, and cut medication usage among those who had episodic and chronic migraine, with or without aura. Just so you know, you will need a prescription from your doctor for CGRP inhibitors, so they are not over the counter.

[00:06:31] Jenny Swisher: So what I like about them most is that while I haven’t seen them break the pain for me, they can be taken on top of triptans, which is my usual rescue remedy for migraine.

[00:06:41] Jenny Swisher: Other research has shown that CGRP inhibitors are better at relieving migraine pain than conventional migraine medications. In one study where more than half of participants had previously tried at least two preventative migraine meds, 30 percent reported that CGRP inhibitors significantly reduced how often they had migraines.

[00:06:56] Jenny Swisher: CGRP inhibitors may be especially effective if you have a lot of side effects or if you don’t get headache relief from conventional migraine medicines. Now, if you’re listening to this and you’re a fellow migraineur like me, you will nod your head when I say this. Sometimes dealing with the headache is better than dealing with the side effects of the different medications that help the pain.

[00:07:16] Jenny Swisher: I always tell my husband, if I take this medicine, It’s going to eliminate the throbbing and the pain, but it’s going to give me nausea. I’m going to feel off balance. Sometimes it’s just not the trade off you’re looking for. So that’s the exciting thing about CGRP is that there’s not a lot of side effects.

[00:07:31] Jenny Swisher: Talk to your doctor, of course, about which ones might be the right option for you. Everybody’s unique, but I have been finding this to be so fascinating. So one thing that I’ve noticed is that while it hasn’t stopped the pain for me in the middle of a pain cycle and tryptans seem to do the trick best for me, CGRP NERTEC, which is a dissolvable tablet that you just sit underneath your tongue is helping my other migraine symptoms.

[00:07:53] Jenny Swisher: So within a couple of hours, I’m noticing that I don’t have as much light sensitivity. I don’t have as much nausea and I’m not as off balance. So many women are out there living with migraine headaches. Most of these I have to assume are hormonally triggered. The fact that two thirds of migraine sufferers are women says something, right?

[00:08:11] Jenny Swisher: What is the one unique thing about women? Women are complex hormones. So putting more research and focus in the area of women’s hormone health is needed as it is in so many other health care areas. But in the meantime, the development of CGRP science is pretty amazing, and it’s very promising for those of us who suffer.

[00:08:28] Jenny Swisher: As I continue my journey with changing up bioidentical hormone creams and all those things, more testing and root cause evaluation, I’ll be using CGRP as part of my regimen. As always, you should consult with your doctor. So again, if I haven’t said enough, let me say it again. Because if you’re struggling, my dear, there is an option out there for you.

[00:08:46] Jenny Swisher: Recently, Dr. Paige Goutil and I have been partnering up to lead virtual consults for a majority of women in my course. And so many women are coming into these consults, maybe never before having complained of headaches, and all of a sudden they’re entering perimenopause and they’re starting to see hormonal headaches pop up.

[00:09:04] Jenny Swisher: I think more women suffer from headaches than are willing to admit. I think a lot of women out there are taking things like ibuprofen and Tylenol and Excedrin. And they don’t realize that there are other options out there that can actually be more beneficial to them than that.

[00:09:18] Jenny Swisher: There’s one more thing I wanted to read to you from this article that I will link up in the show notes. But it comes from the Journal of Pain and Therapy from December of 2021.

[00:09:26] Jenny Swisher: They said 40 women were given CGRP monoclonal antibody injections over 6 months. Most of them took Imovig, but a few used Ingality or Ajovi, which are just other brands. After six months, the researchers saw a significant reduction in the frequency, duration, and intensity of migraine attacks occurring during the perimenstrual window.

[00:09:44] Jenny Swisher: That’s defined as two days before the onset of menstruation and continuing through three days after onset. In addition, a much higher percentage of the women in the study responded to migraine painkillers within two hours of taking them. So the researchers concluded that CGRP monoclonal antibodies could represent a safe and effective preventative therapeutic strategy for menstrual migraine.

[00:10:06] Jenny Swisher: So many women suffer from menstrual migraine. So this is an option for you. If you’re listening, just reach out to your neurologist or your doctor and simply ask. I know for me, my first couple of injections of Ingality were completely free. I was able to get a hold of samples, which might be an option for you when you reach out to your doctor as well.

[00:10:24] Jenny Swisher: So as always, my friends, I will link up some really cool articles and videos in the show notes so that you can do some research on this if you are a migraine sufferer. If not, and if you know somebody who is, send this out to them. I’m telling you, nothing is worse than migraine. You can’t focus, you can’t work, you can’t work out.

[00:10:40] Jenny Swisher: Like, there’s so many things that are affected when your brain and your head are hurting. So, I heard it said recently that, Migraines are not just headaches. They are a neurological condition. And as someone who suffers from them myself, and I’m seeing this sort of re enter my story, I can tell you they are no fun.

[00:10:57] Jenny Swisher: And this is an exciting development in the world of science. So share this out if you can. I’m all about telling you what’s working and what’s not working. I’ll keep you updated on my journey as I go through other forms of treatment on my journey.

[00:11:08] Jenny Swisher: So thank you, my friends, as always for tuning in until next time. We’ll talk soon. Bye bye.