Khloé Kardashian Migraine Interview

I was honored to have the opportunity to interview Khloé Kardashian! I was nervous but excited to talk to her about her life with migraine. To give you some background, I’m a huge reality show fan. I prefer talking reality TV over politics any day, and Keeping Up With the Kardashians is a show I have followed since the beginning. I choose to watch reality TV while I’m battling migraine in my cold dark room.

Over the years, reality TV has given me an enormous amount of distraction while I lay in bed for hours or days, struggling to manage my migraine disease. I love reality TV, and I must admit that Khloé is one of my favorites. The more I know about Khloé’s migraine story, the more our migraine lives align. Everyone’s migraine story is very different, and I encourage you to tell your story and learn from others.

Migraine Interview

As I prepared for my interview, I was excited and filled with emotions. Emotions trigger me. I was in Florida the evening before the interview, and a tropical storm passed. Weather is also a huge trigger for me, and I awoke teetering on the migraine edge.

Scared to wake the migraine beast inside me, I rested all day. As someone living with migraine, I have learned the importance of saving my energy for big moments and planning for priorities. So, I spent the entire day resting, preparing, and saving every bit of health for my call with Khloé.

What does Khloé Kardashian take for Migraine?

After watching Keeping Up With the Kardashians (KUWTK) for so many years, I have seen Khloé talk about migraine many times. She has probably been on camera with a migraine attack more often than any of us know. I remember one episode she was discussing living with migraine with her family and how they felt helpless. I remember thinking, “I wish she’d tell her story more! While lying in bed, I need more advocates and funding. We need more celebrities to bring this dark disease to the spotlight.” Then, suddenly, she found success with Nurtec™ ODT (rimegepant) 75 mg and decided to tell her story.

I asked Khloé about her experience with migraine and Nurtec ODT in our interview. After experiencing years of migraine with symptoms like nausea, visual images, and blind spots in her left eye, Khloé received a sample of Nurtec ODT from her neurologist. Within 15 minutes, she starts to find relief and, within an hour, is back to her normal life. She spoke with her doctor before taking Nurtec ODT as individual results may vary and learned that the most common side effect was nausea, which she didn’t experience. She didn’t experience brain fog or a lingering headache either.

How does Khloé Treat her Migraine?

In the past, Khloé has tried homeopathic treatments, other prescriptions, and over-the-counter medications to treat her migraine. Khloé uses the Nurtec ODT quick-dissolving tablet as an acute treatment (it is not approved for preventive treatment). She said she feels less stressed with an oncoming migraine attack knowing she has a medication that will stop it and not derail her day. As with all medications and therapies, everyone’s results and experiences are not the same.

I also take Nurtec ODT and do not have the same results. I also find the medication fast-acting and effective with my experience. My physician informed me that the most common side effect was nausea and not to take Nurtec ODT if I was allergic to any of the ingredients. No migraine is the same and no person reacts the same; we are all different. Always talk to a doctor about what treatment could be right for you. Full safety information can be found here.

Khloé Kardashian Migraine Story

Khloé’s migraine journey and My Migraine Life are remarkably similar. Khloé and I are around the same age and grew up in a time when migraine was thought of as just a headache. At the time, created no medication specifically for migraine. We discussed the years of trial and error with medications and alternative therapies with varying results. As adolescents, growing up in a world that doubted the severity of our disease is a common theme.

Khloé told me about a poignant moment she recalls with her father, the late Robert Kardashian. At the time, he was going through chemotherapy for cancer. He started experiencing migraine attacks and explained to Khloé that he never understood it until he lived. It was a moment of acceptance and validation for her. While we agree that we would not wish migraine disease on anyone, we both have experienced doubt from others and then belief once they experience a migraine attack.

If you have experienced a migraine attack, you understand that it’s much more than words can express. In fact, at one point in the interview, she said, “I don’t know how to describe it,” and I knew exactly what she meant. I’ve been there and know exactly what she was talking about, and I also find it difficult to put it into words. Being doubted for a neurological issue is unfair, and not being believed adds to the stress and stigma of an already impossible struggle.

Understanding Migraine

I was so happy to hear that she had this moment with her father. In my experience, having the ones closest to you misunderstand your health is really hard. To this day, I feel judged as someone living with migraine because of the confusing nature that it presents to others. Khloé’s dad did not understand until he experienced what she lived with and saw how she was able to unknowingly hide what was inside. After her story, my initial reaction was how important it was for her to be heard and understood, especially by the ones she loves and relies on the most. My second thought was how long this has been going on.

Growing up with a Migraine

I first heard about the Kardashians and their father in middle school. It’s one of those memories that we all have during big media events. As I thought back to that time, I seemed so young, and I was! But then, Khloé told me she started having migraine attacks in middle school, and it struck me. We both lived our migraine lives way back then and still had a lifetime to grow and change as our migraine did the same. We are in different states and practically different worlds, but we relate so much. Now here we are talking about being moms and still living with and managing migraine as adults.

Although I was extremely happy talking to Khloé, it also saddened me. We related over side effects of treatments that made us foggy, alternative therapies that didn’t work, and years of struggle. It felt good to discuss Nurtec ODT, a medication that has been successful for both of us and potentially many more. Having an option for a medication specifically for migraine gives me hope that the next generation will not spend their entire lives looking for relief and understanding from people around them. We still have an enormous need for funding, research, and awareness, but we have taken giant leaps since those days as middle schoolers.

Being a Mom with Migraine

Khloé and my migraine story continued to align when she told me her motivation to help the migraine community stems from her daughter. I started my blog when my son and her daughter were of similar ages. As a stay-at-home mom, I was isolated, overworked, overtired, and in migraine mode most of those years. During COVID-19, Khloé has also been isolated because of increased migraine attacks, spurring her desire to advocate for migraine. Without her daughter, she explained, she doesn’t know how she would get through quarantine. I feel the same. Without focusing on my children during this insane time of COVID-19, my purpose and direction would be vastly different.

But, being forced to be home does not guarantee quality time. Due to migraine, Khloé feels mom guilt. Another huge migraine topic crosses over to many women. The guilt of missing out, the guilt of not being able to play, and the guilt of not being healthy are something we both deal with. Khloé talks about things she’s passionate about, including health and wellness, which are her focus. The love for those tiny humans is fuel to fight for a better migraine world. A better world altogether!

Mind, Body, and Soul

Khloé’s migraine story could easily have gotten her down over the years. I feel the same way about My Migraine Life. Living in pain, being misunderstood, and not having adequate help is hard! Another common thread I found between Khloé and myself is that we both focus on positivity. Khloé believes that the way you talk to yourself helps determine your results. We both see stress as a huge trigger and mentally dealing with the pain takes a lot. Understanding migraine disease, speaking out about it and having options for treatment can lessen stress. Migraine disease has brought me on a rollercoaster of emotions, up and down. But surrounding myself with positive people and thoughts has helped lift me out of those lows.

Anxiety, depression, and mental health are important when managing migraine. A connection may help with emotions surrounding living in isolation and pain. By connecting to others who understand, I feel less alone. Sharing my story and listening to others makes me feel validated. During COVID-19, more telemedicine visits are available and can find help in many ways. I feel better by speaking with a doctor, friend, family member or migraine warrior online. I encourage everyone to find their support virtually as well as in person. We all need support.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Khloé’s migraine interview has been one of my migraine advocacy highlights of 2020. As Khloé said, “If there’s anything we can agree on, it’s that this year has been crazy!” Our interview was crazy for me in a great way! I got to speak with someone who has graced my television set for many years. By telling her migraine story, I could enter her life, if only for a moment. Our migraine lives have merged and there are many more ways to keep the conversation going. We are all vastly different but can be brought together through our stories.

THANK YOU to Khloé for the interview. One day I’m talking to my tv, and the next day we are joining forces to make this a more migraine-friendly world. I hope you continue to speak about migraine and break down the stigma.

Important Safety Information:

Do not take Nurtec ODT if you are allergic to Nurtec ODT (rimegepant) or any of its ingredients.

Before you take Nurtec ODT, tell your healthcare provider (HCP) about all your medical conditions, including if you:

• have liver problems,
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant,
• have kidney problems,
• breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Tell your HCP about all your medicines, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Nortec ODT may cause serious side effects, including allergic reactions, trouble breathing and rash. This can happen days after you take Nurtec ODT. Call your HCP or get emergency help immediately if you have swelling of the face, mouth, tongue, or throat or trouble breathing. This occurred in less than 1% of patients treated with Nurtec ODT.

The most common side effect of Nurtec ODT was nausea (2% of patients). This is not the only possible side effect of Nurtec ODT. Tell your HCP if you have any side effects. You are encouraged to report the side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088 or report side effects to Biohaven at 1-833-4Nurtec.

WHAT IS A NURSE’S ODT?

Nortec ODT (rimegepant) orally disintegrating tablets is a prescription medicine for the acute treatment of migraine attacks with or without aura in adults. Nortec ODT is not used as a preventive treatment for migraine. It is not known if Nurtec ODT is safe and effective in children.

Please visit the profile page for full Prescribing Information and Patient Information.

US-RIMODT-2000793 12/11/2020