Qulipta Compared to Topamax, Nurtec, & Ubrelvy: Best Migraine Medicine
speciality medications
Migraines can be devastating, debilitating, and near impossible to live with. Definitely impossible to live with happily–and without significant disturbances to a person’s quality of life. As chronic migraine sufferers know, these are far more than “just severe headaches.” Migraines are neurological conditions that can trigger light sensitivity, extreme nausea, pain in several parts of your body, fatigue, and more.
For people with migraines, the difference between being subject to without-warning onset of these symptoms and being able to control their migraines is the difference between a relatively normal life and one dotted with excruciating, disruptive pain.
Fortunately, we do have tools to help migraine sufferers manage their condition. Medications like Qulipta, Topamax, Nurtec, and Ubrelvy can reduce migraine attacks over time, provide relief in the moment, and give people the peace of mind they need to enjoy a better quality of life.
Of course, these medications (while all classified as “migraine meds”) aren’t exactly the same.
If you’re looking for an effective migraine treatment, which of these four meds is the best for you?
Qulipta, Topamax, Nurtec, and Ubrelvy–What’s the Difference?
Selecting a medication specific to your symptoms and health goals is mission critical. What works for someone else, even someone with a relatively similar health profile, may not work for you.
When you talk to your doctor about your migraine symptoms and possible treatments, they’ll run blood tests, talk through your symptoms, consider any other health issues or medications you could be taking, and then recommend a specific medication for you.
While talking to your doctor is your best way forward, knowing your options can help you make a more informed decision. Here, we’ll provide brief information about each of these medications, and then do a quick comparison of side effects, prices, indications, and more.
Qulipta Uses
Qulipta (atogepant) is a medication that doctors prescribe to help preventatively treat episodic migraines in adults. In other words, adults take it on a regular basis, before migraines happen, to reduce the cadence or likelihood of migraines happening in the future.
Qulipta’s classed as a CGRP receptor antagonist. (More on that later.) For now, know that Qulipta should help block the neural pathways that trigger migraines and associated symptoms.
Starting a Qulipta dosing strategy isn’t totally seamless.
Wondering about Qulipta side effects?
Hair loss, for example—or anxiety? Qulipta’s side effect list includes fatigue, constipation, and nausea—along with, in some cases, weight loss.
How Much Does Qulipta Cost?
In the United States, a 30-day supply of Qulipta can retail for as much as $1,200.00.
(That comes out to about $40.00/day, which definitely adds up over time!)
Alternatively, you can buy that same 30-day supply of brand-name Qulipta through NorthWestPharmacy.com for about $680.00—or savings of up to 43%.
Topamax
Topamax (topiramate) is a medication that can help prevent migraines, but that’s not the only thing it can do. Topamax can also help treat epilepsy, a neurological condition that comes with seizures.
This dual functionality does make it uniquely useful for people who suffer from both epilepsy and migraines. This two-punch benefit doesn’t come without a range of potential side effects, though. Patients who take Topamax should be on the lookout for side effects ranging from memory impairment and confusion to tingling in the extremities and weight loss.
How Much Does Topamax Cost?
American patients can expect to pay as much as $250.00 if they purchase 30 tablets, or a 15-day supply, of Topamax through a traditional brick-and-mortar pharmacy in the United States.
If you opt to buy your Topamax through an online and international Canadian pharmacy, on the other hand, you could save as much as 85%. Here, at NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can buy a 30-day supply of Topamax, or 60 caps, for about $70.00. Get the generic from us for far less.
Nurtec
Nurtec (rimegepant) is a medication used for the acute treatment of migraine symptoms.
As opposed to a medication like Qulipta, Nurtec is a responsive medication. If you’re already having a migraine, with or without aura (or symptoms that occur starting before a migraine, like visual disturbances), taking Nurtec can provide rapid relief. In many patients, Nurtec begins to work within an hour of administration.
As you know, having a light at the end of the tunnel is everything. Being able to take a pill and know you’ll feel better within the hour is much, much better than feeling migraine onset symptoms and not knowing how long you’ll be in pain.
Nurtec can cause side effects too, though they’re notably minimal in comparison to most other migraine medications. Nurtec’s side effects include drowsiness and nausea.
How Much Does Nurtec Cost?
American patients may pay as much as $1,100.00 for eight tablets of brand-name Nurtec.
This may seem like a lot (and it is!), but, since you don’t need to take Nurtec every day—just when a migraine is already happening—it’s a little more feasible.
Still, if you don’t want to pay nearly $140.00 every single time you have a migraine, you can potentially save big on Nurtec by purchasing your meds through an online pharmacy.
At NorthWestPharmacy.com, you can buy the same eight tablets of brand-name Nurtec for about $350.00, or up to 68% in savings.
Ubrelvy
Ubrelvy (ubrogepant) is a medication that, like Nurtec, treats migraine symptoms in the moment. It’s very effective at helping stop frustrating symptoms like nausea and sensitivity to light or sound in their tracks—usually, within two hours.
The side effects of Ubrelvy include dry mouth, somnolence, and nausea.
How Much Does Ubrelvy Cost?
American patients can expect to pay around $1,100.00 for a 10-tablet supply of Ubrelvy. Alternatively, you can buy that same amount of brand-name Ubrelvy through our online and international pharmacy website for about $230.00—or up to 79% in savings.
How Does Qulipta Work? An In-Depth Look
After experiencing the mind-numbing pain and frustrating, day-ruining symptoms of a migraine, feeling that pain erased effectively and rapidly can feel like magic.
Magic, not quite; powerful science, yes. Qulipta is classified as a CGRP receptor antagonist.
What does that mean?
CGRP antagonist is a type of drug that targets the calcitonin gene-related peptide pathway.
This pathway is a critical part of the way that human bodies build migraine headaches. Qulipta finds the CGRP receptors—the “on” switches for this pathway—and blocks them. That way, when the building blocks that usually turn this pathway on arrive, the pathway doesn’t trigger, and migraines are halted before they even start forming.
When used as a preventative treatment, Qulipta is quite effective at reducing the number of days in which adults experience migraines. Typically, it starts reducing migraine frequency within the first month of treatment.
Comparison: Qulipta vs Topamax
Let’s start comparing these migraine medications directly against each other.
First things first: Qulipta vs Topamax. If you’re experiencing migraine symptoms, which of these are best for you?
Mechanism of Action
While Qulipta works to shut down the migraine-building CGRP pathway, Topamax is something called a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor and anticonvulsant.
Remember, Topamax works to treat both migraines and epilepsy. By inhibiting a substance called “carbonic anhydrase” and employing anticonvulsant action, Topamax can stabilize neuronal membranes. By doing this, it can manage and stabilize the brain pathways that can generate migraines and seizures.
Side Effects and Considerations
While Qulipta’s side effects cause GI issues like constipation and nausea, Topamax tends to cause cognitive side effects, like issues concentrating and memory impairment.
Usage and Dosage
Qulipta is prescribed in a once-per-day dose. It’s a convenient option if you’re seeking consistent migraine prevention.
Topamax is usually taken twice daily. Doctors will tend to start patients on a smaller dose and then gradually increase it over time to minimize the cognitive side effects.
Qulipta vs Nurtec: Which Is More Effective for Migraine Prevention?
The main difference between Qulipta and Nurtec is the type of migraines they treat, and how quickly they start working after medicine administration.
Targeted Migraine Types
Qulipta is designed to prevent the occurrence of episodic migraines over time. Usually, this medication is intended to help patients who are experiencing migraine attacks less than 15 days per month.
Nurtec is primarily used to treat migraines that are already happening, but it can also be used to treat ongoing episodic migraines. It is, therefore, a versatile treatment that may be able to give some patients both ongoing preventative benefits and immediate relief.
Side Effects and Patient Feedback
Anecdotally, both Qulipta and Nurtec are very effective in achieving their primary aims. Qulipta reduces the frequency of migraine days and provides manageable GI side effects; Nurtec rapidly alleviates existing pain in exchange for fatigue. If you’re looking for a dual-function medication, though, Nurtec is likely going to be the better fit.
Analyzing Qulipta vs Ubrelvy
What about Qulipta vs Ubrelvy—a medication that, like Nurtec, is mainly for in-the-moment treatment?
Active Ingredients and Their Impacts
Ubrelvy and Qulipta both target the migraine-building CGRP pathway. The way that they interact with this pathway lends them to different angles in migraine relief, though.
Ubrelvy is used to treat migraines immediately; to interact with and modulate that pathway after it’s already been triggered. This way, it can tone down inflammation and offer relief from pain in an attack that’s currently happening.
Qulipta needs to be taken preventatively to ensure that the CGRP pathway doesn’t get activated in the first place.
But Wait—Which Migraine Med is Best for You?
Figuring out which migraine medication is the best fit for your symptoms, health goals, the medications you may already be taking, and your budget will help you experience relief in the safest, most efficient way possible.
Your doctor will help you assess your possibilities. It’s a good idea to go to that appointment with some idea of the following questions your doctor could ask.
- Are you in need of something that will help you when you’re currently experiencing a migraine? . Ubrelvy or Nurtec could be your best bet
- Prefer something you can take regularly to prevent future episodic migraines? Qulipta or Topamax could help.
- How frequent are your migraines? If you experience fewer than 15 migraine days per month, Qulipta’s a good option. If your migraines happen more frequently, you might want to ask your doctor about Topamax, which can help with frequent migraines.
- Are you only in need of a treatment for migraines, or are you looking for something that could help with seizures, too? Topamax offers dual action to help people treat both epilepsy and migraine attacks.
- Need something that works very, very quickly? Nurtec may provide migraine sufferers relief within an hour of administration.
- Worried about side effects? Each of these medications comes with some, so you’ll need to identify which sound more manageable to you. Qulipta comes with GI issues, Topamax can come with cognitive issues, and both Nurtec and Ubrelvy are associated with nausea and drowsiness.
- When do you want to take your medication? All of these medications are orally administered, but some you take once or twice daily, and others you’ll only take when an active migraine is happening.
Ultimately, you’re going to need more than just one decision tree to make the right choice for yourself and your body. After you initially talk to your doctor about migraine medication, they’ll weigh your goals, your full health profile, and your aversion to specific symptoms before recommending something to start with.
Then, you’ll need to work with your doctor over the subsequent weeks (and even months!) to make sure that the medication is working well for you.
This might seem like a lot to deal with, but it’s the best way to get accurate information about your migraine medication strategy—which will come in handy when you next feel an attack coming on. Knowing that the medicine you have available will really work will be a godsend in those moments!
Compared Qulipta vs Topamax, Nurtec, and Ubrelvy? Now, Let’s Get You the Meds You Need
When you’re in need of migraine medication, you need a seamless, simple-to-acquire solution.
You don’t need to jump through myriad hoops or get stuck figuring out how you’re going to buy Qulipta when it costs over $1,000.00 monthly!
That’s where NorthWestPharmacy.com can help. After your doctor has written you a valid, updated prescription for the migraine medication you need, browse the online aisles in our international and online Canadian drugs store. Find your prescribed brand-name medication in minutes, and then check out easily through our secure, safe online buying experience. Before you know it, your meds will arrive directly at your front door.
Already have an idea of what you want? Check out our informative medication pages for online Canadian drugs, or chat with our friendly, experienced patient care representatives for more information.
The team at NorthWestPharmacy.com looks forward to supporting you and your health journey.
