Joy

Actual Tosymra Patient

A grandma on the go, Joy is an RN turned small business owner and OSHA educator. When she’s not spending free time with her grandkids, Joy surrounds herself with vibrant blooms and buds as an amateur flower arranger. As a multi-generational migraine sufferer, she has experienced migraine pain for more than half of her life.

Individual results may vary.

Joy

Actual Tosymra Patient

 

A grandma on the go, Joy is an RN turned small business owner and OSHA educator. When she’s not spending free time with her grandkids, Joy surrounds herself with vibrant blooms and buds as an amateur flower arranger. As a multi-generational migraine sufferer, she has experienced migraine pain for more than half of her life.

 

Individual results may vary.
For Joy, like for so many others, the symptoms that accompany the pain are just as devastating as the migraine itself. “I don’t have any appetite, I don’t feel good, my head hurts, sometimes I get a little dizziness with it,” she said. “I have had many days where I have to work with a migraine, and it is really hard because it hurts! And when you are experiencing nausea and photosensitivity and go into a bright office, or some situation — you just have to keep going.”
When a migraine hits, finding a pain relief option that meets her needs has always been a struggle.
I get very sensitive to light, sound, `{`and`}` sometimes a really strong smell will bother me. But it’s mostly auditory and visual sensitivity that bother me the most—and nausea.

The strategy of lasting relief

I noticed a big difference really. Not only did I get fast relief from Tosymra, but for me it lasted!! That was my biggest ‘Oh my gosh! It is better for me’ moment.
Throughout her life, Joy has tried more than her fair share of medications to relieve her migraine pain. But when her neurologist introduced her to Tosymra, things changed.“I use about every strategy that is out there, but when it comes to getting a migraine and managing it, that is a different story.”
Joy uses a combination of preventive and acute treatment medications for her migraines.
She’s used other medications in the past. However, “Tosymra is the only [migraine medication] that I keep with me,” Joy said. She keeps Tosymra on hand for those times when a migraine sneaks up. “It gives me much better pain relief.”
When it comes to dealing with her migraines, a support system is also key for Joy. “I have a lot of support around me. My husband, my kids, and my grandkids.”
When she experiences a migraine, it can be hard to lose out on time with her family. “It is difficult being left out, absolutely! It’s difficult not being able to be around my grandkids, or just not feeling well enough to do other activities that I enjoy.”
Her family helps her cope with the symptoms often associated with her migraines—and some members can relate and share experiences.

Generations of migraine

“My daughter also gets migraines. My grandmother used to get them really bad. She lived on a farm in Ohio, and she would have to just go shut herself in a room and she would talk about her ‘black days,’” Joy said.
“And I just think ‘oh my gosh, I have so much to work with to manage my migraines. That is why Tosymra is so much nicer. Because I get fast relief, and for me it lasts.”
With so much more available to her than even when she was first diagnosed, Joy feels good about the resource she’s found in Tosymra.
“When you have migraines, it’s one of those things where you just think that it is never going to end. Because of Tosymra, I can function better. I am able to get relief that lasts so that my day is better.”
Because of Tosymra, I feel optimistic.

More patient stories

Melissa

New York-based events and TV producer, nonprofit co-founder, mother of three, and wife Melissa Gerstein spent a lot of time pushing through before discovering Tosymra.

Susan

Susan is a busy woman on the go. She doesn’t have time to miss out on time with her family because of migraine pain.

Melissa

New York-based events and TV producer, nonprofit co-founder, mother of three, and wife Melissa Gerstein spent a lot of time pushing through before discovering Tosymra.

Susan

Susan is a busy woman on the go. She doesn’t have time to miss out on time with her family because of migraine pain.

Tosymra is a prescription medicine used to treat acute migraine with or without aura in adults.

Tosymra is not used to treat other types of headaches such as hemiplegic (that make you unable to move on one side of your body) or basilar (rare form of migraine with aura) migraines. Tosymra is not used to treat cluster headaches.

Tosymra is not used to prevent or decrease the number of migraines you have. It is not known if Tosymra is safe and effective in children under 18 years of age.

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Do not take Tosymra® if you have hemiplegic migraines or basilar migraines or to treat cluster headache.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Tosymra can cause serious side effects, including heart attack and other heart problems, which may lead to death. Stop use and get emergency medical help if you have any signs of heart attack:

  • discomfort in the center of your chest that lasts for more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back
  • severe tightness, pain, pressure, or heaviness in your chest, throat, neck, or jaw
  • pain or discomfort in your arms, back, neck, jaw or stomach
  • shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort
  • breaking out in a cold sweat
  • nausea or vomiting
  • feeling lightheaded

Tosymra is not for people with risk factors for heart disease (high blood pressure or cholesterol, smoking, overweight, diabetes, family history of heart disease) unless a heart exam shows no problem.

Do not use Tosymra if you have:

  • history of heart problems
  • narrowing of blood vessels to your legs, arms, stomach, or kidney (peripheral vascular disease)
  • uncontrolled high blood pressure
  • hemiplegic or basilar migraines. If you are not sure if you have these, ask your provider.
  • had a stroke, transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), or problems with blood circulation
  • severe liver problems
  • taken any of the following medicines in the last 24 hours: almotriptan, eletriptan, frovatriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, ergotamines, or dihydroergotamine. Ask your provider for a list of these medicines if you are not sure.
  • are taking certain antidepressants, known as monoamine oxidase (MAO)-A inhibitors or it has been 2 weeks or less since you stopped taking a MAO-A inhibitor. Ask your provider for a list of these medicines if you are not sure.
  • an allergy to sumatriptan or any of the components of Zembrace or Tosymra

Tell your provider about all of your medical conditions and medicines you take, including vitamins and supplements.

Tosymra can cause dizziness, weakness, or drowsiness. If so, do not drive a car, use machinery, or do anything where you need to be alert.

Tosymra may cause serious side effects including:

  • changes in color or sensation in your fingers and toes
  • sudden or severe stomach pain, stomach pain after meals, weight loss, nausea or vomiting, constipation or diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, fever
  • cramping and pain in your legs or hips; feeling of heaviness or tightness in your leg muscles; burning or aching pain in your feet or toes while resting; numbness, tingling, or weakness in your legs; cold feeling or color changes in one or both legs or feet
  • increased blood pressure including a sudden severe increase even if you have no history of high blood pressure
  • medication overuse headaches from using migraine medicine for 10 or more days each month. If your headaches get worse, call your provider.
  • serotonin syndrome, a rare but serious problem that can happen in people using Zembrace or Tosymra, especially when used with anti-depressant medicines called SSRIs or SNRIs. Call your provider right away if you have: mental changes such as seeing things that are not there (hallucinations), agitation, or coma; fast heartbeat; changes in blood pressure; high body temperature; tight muscles; or trouble walking.
  • hives (itchy bumps); swelling of your tongue, mouth, or throat
  • seizures even in people who have never had seizures before

The most common side effects of Tosymra include: tingling dizziness; feeling warm or hot, burning feeling, feeling of heaviness, feeling of pressure, flushing, feeling of tightness, numbness, application site (nasal) reactions, abnormal taste, and throat irritation.

Tell your provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of Tosymra. For more information, ask your provider.

This is the most important information to know about Tosymra but is not comprehensive. For more information, talk to your provider and read the Patient Information and Instructions for Use. You can also visit https://www.tonixpharma.com or call 1-888-869-7633.

You are encouraged to report adverse effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.