How to Inject Emgality (Plus, 5 Other Tips for Best Results)

GoodRx Health

If you get migraine headaches, you know how painful and debilitating they can be. Thankfully, newer long-acting medications can help prevent them from happening in the first place. One option your prescriber may consider for you is Emgality (galcanezumab). Along with migraine prevention, Emgality is also approved to treat episodic cluster headache.

Emgality is administered as a subcutaneous (under the skin) injection. You can give yourself the injections at home. Your healthcare team will show you how to do this properly. But we'll provide a refresher on the steps for injecting Emgality in a safe and effective way.

1. How to inject Emgality

Emgality comes in a single-dose injection pen or syringe. With both forms, you'll follow these initial instructions before injecting your dose:

• Take your Emgality pen or syringe out of the fridge.

• Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to lower your risk of discomfort from injecting the medication while it's cold. Don't warm it using a microwave or hot water.

• Check the expiration date to make sure the medication is still good to use.

• Make sure the medication inside the pen or syringe isn't discolored and that it's particle-free.

Next, you'll pick your injection site. Avoid areas of skin that are red, bruised, or tender. You can inject Emgality in one of four areas of your body:

• Stomach area: Avoid the area within 2 inches of your belly button.

• Thigh: Pick a spot that's at least 2 inches above your knee and 2 inches below your groin.

• Back of upper arm: Only use this area if someone else is giving you the shot, since it's harder to reach on your own.

• Buttock: This is another area that can be used if someone else is giving you the injection.

How you inject Emgality depends on which form you're using. Your healthcare team will show you how to administer the injection properly. But here are some basic instructions.

Injection pen

For the Emgality injection pen, follow these steps to inject your dose:

• Clean the injection site with an alcohol wipe, allowing your skin to dry fully.

• Take off the base cap. Keep in mind that once you remove the cap, you can't put it back on. Doing so could damage the device.

• Place the clear base flush against your skin, at a 90-degree position.

• Unlock the pen by turning the lock ring to the unlock position.

• Press and hold the injection button. You should hear a loud click. This will tell you that the needle has started injecting your medication into your skin.

• Hold your pen firmly against your skin until you hear a second loud click. This should take about 10 seconds. The second loud click tells you that the injection is complete.

• Remove your pen from your skin. Seeing a little bit of blood at the injection site is normal. Press a cotton ball on the area to clean it, but don't rub your skin.

Each Emgality injection pen contains one dose. Throw the used pen away into a sharps container afterward. If you need to administer another injection, follow these same instructions. But don't inject it into the same spot as the first injection.

Syringe

If you're using the Emgality syringe, follow these steps to inject your dose:

• Clean the injection site with an alcohol wipe, allowing your skin to dry fully.

• Remove the needle cap. As with the prefilled pen, once you remove the needle cap, don't put it back on.

• Gently pinch and hold a fold of skin at your chosen injection site.

• Push the needle into your skin at a 45-degree position.

• Slowly push the plunger all the way in until all the medicine is injected. If the plunger fails to descend fully before your injection is complete, stop using Emgality. Remove the needle from your skin and throw away the syringe. Contact your care team for next steps.

• Remove the needle from your skin. Press a cotton ball or gauze at the injection site to remove any blood you see. Don't rub your injection site.

The Emgality prefilled syringe contains one dose. After injecting the medication, throw the used syringe away into a sharps container. Follow these same instructions if you need to administer another injection. Don't use the exact same injection site again.

2. When you inject Emgality depends on why you're taking it

Emgality is used to prevent migraines and to treat episodic cluster headache. When you inject your Emgality depends on why you're taking it. Be sure to follow your prescriber's instructions.

For migraine prevention, you'll start with a loading dose - two back-to-back injections of 120 mg each (240 mg total). After that, you'll inject one 120 mg dose every month.

Episodic cluster headache is a type of headache that occurs in cluster periods, lasting from weeks to months. So, you'll inject your first Emgality dose at the start of the cluster period - three back-to-back injections of 100 mg each (300 mg total). You'll repeat this same dose monthly after that until the end of the cluster period.

3. Emgality injections last longest when stored in the refrigerator

Emgality should be stored in the refrigerator, between 36°F and 46°F, in its original box. When it's stored in this way, Emgality is good to use until the expiration date noted on the package. You can also keep Emgality out of the refrigerator (up to 86°F) in its original box for up to 7 days. Throw it away if you don't use it within this time frame.

Keep Emgality away from the cooling element in your refrigerator. Don't use the pen or syringe if they appear to have been frozen.

4. Don't use Emgality if it's cloudy or has particles in it

Before injecting Emgality, check your pen or syringe carefully for any signs of damage, discoloration, or particles. The medication should be particle-free and clear, but it could also be a slightly yellow or slightly brown color.

Don't use Emgality if you notice particles in it or if it looks cloudy. These may be signs that the medication is spoiled. Throw your medication away if it looks damaged.

It's OK to use Emgality if you see some air bubbles or a drop of medication at the needle tip when you remove the cap.

5. Throw away used Emgality pens in a proper sharps container

Dispose of your Emgality pens and syringes in a sharps container immediately after use. This is the best way to avoid accidental needle sticks for yourself, other people, and pets in the house.

You can buy FDA-cleared sharps containers at your local pharmacy without a prescription. You can also order them online. If you're looking for a free sharps container, reach out to your local health department. They may be able to help you.

Alternatively, you can use a container found in your house. One example is an empty laundry detergent container or an empty bleach container. Just make sure the container you use has the following features:

• Made of heavy-duty plastic

• Has a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid

• Can be upright and stable during use

• Is leak-resistant

• Has a label warning of hazardous waste

Replace your container once it's almost full. You can find a free drop-off location in your area or use a pickup or mail-back service. But those aren't usually free.

Disposal laws can vary depending on where you live. To learn how to dispose of sharps containers in your state, check the Safe Needle Disposal website or contact them at 1-800-643-1643.

6. There are steps you can take if you miss your Emgality dose

Emgality works best when it's used as directed. But if you miss a dose, there are steps you can take to get back on track.

If you miss an Emgality dose, inject your missed dose as soon as you remember. After that, schedule your next dose a month from that day. But if your last Emgality dose was over a month ago, talk to your care team for next steps.

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