Patients’ Experiences During the Long Journey Before Initiating Migraine Prevention with a Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide (CGRP) Monoclonal Antibody (mAb)

Introduction

Migraine is under-diagnosed and under-treated. Many people with migraine do not seek medical care, and those who do may initially receive a different diagnosis and/or be dissatisfied with provided care on their journey before treatment with a CGRP-mAb (calcitonin-gene-related-peptide monoclonal antibody).

Methods

This is a cross-sectional, self-reported, online survey of subjects in Lilly’s Emgality^® Patient Support Program in 2022. Questionnaires collected insights into subjects’ prior experiences with migraine and interactions with healthcare professionals before receiving CGRP-mAbs.

Results

Of the 250 participants with episodic and 250 with chronic migraine, 90% were female and white with a mean age of 26.2 years (± 11.9) at diagnosis and 40.6 (± 12.0) years at survey enrollment. Many participants (71%) suspected they had migraine before diagnosis, with 31% reluctant to seek help. Of these, approximately one-third were unaware of treatment, did not think that a physician could do anything more for migraine, would not take them seriously, or were reluctant due to a previous unhelpful experience. Participants mainly received information from friends/family (47%) or the internet (28%). Participants initially sought treatment due to an increase in migraine frequency (77%), attacks interfering with work or school (75%), or increased pain intensity (74%). Subjects saw a mean of 4.1 (± 4.3) healthcare providers before migraine diagnosis, and 20% of participants previously received a different diagnosis. Participants reported migraine causes included stress/anxiety/depression (42%), hormonal changes (30%), nutrition (20%), and weather (16%). Acute treatment of migraine included prescription (82%) and over-the-counter (50%) medications, changes in nutrition (62%), adjusting fluid intake (56%), and relaxation techniques (55%). Preventive medications included anticonvulsants (61%), antidepressants (44%), blood pressure-lowering medications (43%), and botulinum toxin A injections (17%). Most discontinuations were due to lack of efficacy or side effects.

Conclusion

People with migraine describe reluctance in seeking health care, and misunderstandings seem common especially in the beginning of their migraine journey.

Graphical abstract available for this article.

Graphical Abstract