By now, most people in the migraine community have heard of, if not tried, the CGRPs – a new approach in the prevention and treatment of migraine. After a bit of a drought in the development of effective medications for this prevalent condition, many migraineurs were lined up and chomping at the bit to see what all the hubbub was about. And there was quite a lot of buzz about this new treatment. The positive results from the trials were rumored to be significant and potentially life-changing.

A recurring question about CGRPs

It’s now been two years since the three variations of the CGRPs were introduced (Aimovig, Ajovy, and Emgality) and beyond the troubling stumbling block related to its high expense, one major question seems to keep reemerging: “Why does this treatment work so well for some and not others?”

CGRPs don’t work for everyone

Why not me? With hopes raised high by the success stories of others, many of our community members expressed disappointment after trying one of the CGRPs to no avail. Such a normal response to be let down after hearing about the dramatic improvement of others when you don’t achieve a similar outcome.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. However, we have learned that not all CGRPs operate in the same way. So, if one of the three CGRPs is ineffective, it doesn’t necessarily mean that another will not work.

One size does not fit all with migraine

Of course, there’s also the potential outcome that none of the CGRP treatments will work for you. Or that, rather than stopping your attacks dramatically and entirely, this treatment may improve your condition just slightly. Migraine works so differently in all of us so that what is an effective strategy for one person can be completely ineffective for another.

A multipronged approach to migraine treatment

For most migraineurs, there is no such thing as a simple cure or easy fix. Rather, the most effective strategy is a multipronged one, involving multiple approaches which include various medications and countless life alterations (diet, sleep, and exercise) that, coupled together with time, effort, energy, and lots of patience, will result in a gradual improvement in this complex neurological condition that is migraine.

https://migraine.com/living-migraine/some-cgrps-work-others-dont

I wish the CGRPs had been the magic cure for me – I trialed Aimovig and Emgality before my insurance made me choose between CGRP or Botox. The CGRP migraine abortive Ubrevly has been quite helpful during attacks – about as reliable as triptans. But none of the preventative monthly injections worked. 😒