Emgality (galcanezumab-gnlm) is a prescription drug that’s used to help treat and prevent certain types of headaches. Emgality comes as a liquid solution for injection under the skin.

If you have certain types of headaches, your doctor may recommend Emgality for you. Emgality is a prescription drug. It’s used in adults to:

Emgality basics

Emgality contains the active ingredient galcanezumab-gnlm.

Emgality is a biologic medication. A biologic is made from parts of living organisms. It’s available only as a brand-name drug. It isn’t available in a biosimilar form. (Biosimilars are like generic drugs. But unlike generics, which are made for non-biologic drugs, biosimilars are made for biologic drugs.)

Read on to learn about Emgality’s possible side effects, cost, and more.

Emgality is prescribed for these uses in adults:

  • Preventing migraine headaches: With migraine, you usually have severe headaches along with other symptoms. These other symptoms may include nausea and sensitivity to sound or light. Migraine episodes can last for several hours to several days.
  • Treating episodic cluster headaches: With cluster headaches, you have cycles of sudden, painful headaches followed by periods with no headache. With episodic cluster headaches, your headache cycles happen regularly for up to 1 year. Then, your headache-free period lasts for up to 1 year before your headache cycle starts again.

Emgality works by blocking the activity of a protein in your body called calcitonin gene-related peptide. This protein plays a role in both migraine and cluster headaches.

Like most drugs, Emgality may cause mild or serious side effects. The lists below describe some of the more common side effects that Emgality may cause. These lists don’t include all possible side effects.

Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you more about the potential side effects of Emgality. They can also suggest ways to help reduce these effects.

Mild side effects

Here’s a short list of some of the mild side effects that Emgality can cause. To learn about other mild side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist or read Emgality’s prescribing information.

Mild side effects of Emgality can include injection site reactions, such as:

Mild side effects of many drugs may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. But if they become bothersome, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Serious side effects

Serious side effects from Emgality can occur, but they aren’t common. If you have serious side effects from Emgality, call your doctor right away. But if you think you’re having a medical emergency, you should call 911 or your local emergency number.

Serious side effects of Emgality can include allergic reaction, which is explained just below.

Allergic reaction

Some people may have an allergic reaction to Emgality. This can happen right away, or it can happen several days after the drug is taken.

Symptoms of a mild allergic reaction can include:

  • rash
  • itchiness
  • flushing (warmth, swelling, redness, or deepening of skin color)

A more severe allergic reaction is rare but possible. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can include swelling under your skin, typically in your eyelids, lips, hands, or feet. They can also include swelling of your tongue, mouth, or throat, which can cause trouble breathing.

Call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction to Emgality. But if you think you’re having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.

Side effect focus

Learn more about some of the side effects that Emgality may cause.

Painful, red, or itchy skin after injection

You may have pain, itchiness, redness, or deepening of skin color at your injection site after giving yourself a dose of Emgality. This side effect was common in clinical studies of the drug.

What might help

Here are a few suggestions that might help relieve this side effect:

  • Don’t rub or massage the skin around the injection site. Doing so can make your symptoms worse.
  • Apply a cold compress to your skin to help reduce the pain and swelling.
  • Use over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol), to help lessen the pain.
  • Use OTC antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl), or hydrocortisone cream to help relieve the itching.
  • Rotate the sites where you inject the drug. Don’t inject Emgality into the same area of skin for every dose.

Talk with your doctor if you have concerns about any pain, redness, deepening of skin color, or swelling you experience after using Emgality.

Your doctor will recommend the dosage of Emgality that’s right for you. Below are commonly used dosages, but always use the dosage your doctor prescribes.

Form and strengths

Emgality comes as a liquid solution that’s given as an injection under your skin. It comes in a single-dose prefilled pen or a single-dose prefilled syringe.

Emgality prefilled syringes are available in two strengths:

  • 100 milligrams per milliliter of solution (mg/mL)
  • 120 mg/mL

The Emgality prefilled pen only has one strength: 120 mg/mL.

Recommended dosages

Your doctor will recommend the dosage of Emgality that’s right for you. Below are commonly used dosages, but the dosage you receive will be determined by your doctor.

Dosage for preventing migraine headaches

The recommended starting dose of Emgality to help prevent migraine headaches is 240 mg. You or a caregiver will give this dose as two 120-mg injections. After your starting dose, you’ll give yourself one 120-mg dose of Emgality each month.

Dosage for treating episodic cluster headaches

To treat episodic cluster headaches, the recommended dose of Emgality is 300 mg. This is given as three 100-mg injections.

Typically, your first dose is given at the beginning of a cluster headache cycle. Then, you’ll inject 300 mg of Emgality once per month until your cluster cycle ends.

How to use

Emgality comes as a solution inside single-dose prefilled syringes and pens. Your doctor can recommend the form that’s best for you.

You’ll inject Emgality under your skin. But before you administer a dose, your doctor or healthcare professional will show you how to do so.

Emgality should be injected under the skin in one of the following locations:

  • your abdomen
  • your thigh
  • the back of your upper arm
  • your buttocks

After your first dose, you can give yourself injections of Emgality at home. Or, you might have a caregiver or family member give you the injections instead.

Questions about taking Emgality

Below are a few questions that are commonly asked about using Emgality.

  • What if I miss a dose of Emgality? If you miss a dose of Emgality, inject your missed dose as soon as you remember. Your next dose should be taken 1 month from the date you took the missed dose. For example, if you took your missed dose on the 5th of the month, you should reschedule your upcoming doses to the 5th of each month. Because Emgality is typically taken once per month, your future doses should be rescheduled for that same date. If you have questions about a missed dose, talk with your doctor.
  • Will I need to use Emgality long term? As long as Emgality keeps working for you, your doctor will likely recommend that you continue taking it long term.
  • Should I take Emgality with food? You can use Emgality with or without food.
  • How long does Emgality take to work? It may take several weeks for you to notice your condition improving.

Overdose

Do not use more Emgality than your doctor prescribes. Using more than this can lead to serious side effects.

What to do in case you take too much Emgality

Call your doctor if you think you’ve taken too much Emgality. You can also call 800-222-1222 to reach America’s Poison Centers, or you can use its online resource. But if you have severe symptoms, immediately call 911 (or your local emergency number) or go to the nearest emergency room.

If you’re considering taking Emgality, it’s important to talk with your doctor about your overall health and any medical conditions you may have. You should also consider the following before taking Emgality.

Interactions

Using a drug with certain medications, vaccines, foods, and other things can affect how the drug works. These effects are called interactions.

Emgality is not known to interact with other medications, herbs, supplements, foods, or alcohol. The manufacturer of Emgality did not list any interactions in the drug’s prescribing information.

Before starting Emgality treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also, tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you take. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Other warnings

Emgality can sometimes cause harmful effects in people who have certain conditions. This is known as a drug-condition interaction. Other factors may also affect whether Emgality is a good treatment option for you.

Talk with your doctor about your health history before you take Emgality. Be sure to tell them if any of the following factors apply to you:

Find answers to some commonly asked questions about Emgality.

Both Emgality and Aimovig are injections used to help prevent migraine headaches in adults. Emgality can also be prescribed to treat episodic cluster headaches. But Aimovig isn’t used for this purpose.

Emgality and Aimovig each contain a different active drug. Emgality contains galcanezumab, while Aimovig contains erenumab.

If you have questions about which drug might be better for your condition, talk with your doctor. You can also check out this Emgality vs. Aimovig comparison article.

How does Emgality work?

Emgality works by blocking the action of a protein in your body called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). CGRP can play a role in causing migraine and cluster headaches.

By stopping CGRP from working, Emgality helps prevent migraine headaches and treat cluster headaches.

If you’d like to know more about how Emgality works, talk with your doctor.

Will Emgality cure my migraine headaches?

No, Emgality won’t cure your migraine headaches. There isn’t a cure for migraine at this time. But Emgality can help prevent migraine for as long as you keep taking it.

If you have questions about using Emgality long term, talk with your doctor.

Whether you have health insurance or not, cost may be a factor when you’re considering Emgality. What you’ll pay for Emgality may depend on several things, such as your treatment plan and the pharmacy you use.

Here are a few things to consider regarding cost:

  • Cost information and savings coupons: You can visit Optum Perks to get price estimates of what you’d pay for Emgality when using coupons from the site. See the coupon options below. (Note: Optum Perks coupons cannot be used with any insurance copays or benefits.)
  • Savings program: If you have questions about how to pay for your prescription, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. You may also qualify for savings with an Emgality Savings Card. With the Emgality Savings Card and an eligible insurance plan, you could pay as little as $0 per month.

Learn more about saving on your prescriptions.

Q:

Can I use Emgality to treat migraine symptoms after they’ve already started?

Anonymous

A:

Emgality isn’t meant to treat migraine symptoms once they’ve already started. Instead, Emgality is approved for preventing migraine headaches from happening.

Emgality works by blocking the action of a protein called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). CGRP can play a role in causing migraine headaches. By stopping CGRP from working, Emgality helps prevent migraine headaches. But the drug isn’t likely to relieve symptoms once you already have a migraine headache.

For more information about treating the symptoms of migraine headaches once they start, talk with your doctor. They’ll be able to suggest the best treatment based on your overall health. They may recommend over-the-counter medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or naproxen (Aleve). They may also suggest some non-medication treatments, such as applying an ice pack or staying in a quiet room until your symptoms improve.

You can also refer to this article for ways to handle migraine symptoms that have already started.

The Healthline Pharmacist TeamAnswers represent the opinions of our medical experts. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.

Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.

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