Emgality (galcanezumab-gnlm) is a prescription drug that’s used to treat migraine and cluster headache. This drug is not known to interact with alcohol, other medications, or supplements.

Emgality is used in adults to:

  • help prevent migraine episodes
  • treat episodes of cluster headache

Emgality contains the active ingredient galcanezumab. (An active ingredient is what makes a drug work.) It comes as a liquid inside prefilled single-dose injection pens and prefilled single-dose syringes. You’ll take the medication by injection under your skin.

An interaction can occur because one substance causes another substance to have a different effect than expected. Interactions can also occur if you have certain health conditions.

Keep reading to learn about Emgality’s possible interactions. And for more information about Emgality, including details about its uses, see this article.

Find answers to some frequently asked questions about Emgality and possible interactions.

Can you take Emgality and sumatriptan together?

Yes, it’s usually considered safe to take Emgality and sumatriptan (Imitrex, others) together.

Emgality is prescribed to help prevent migraine episodes and to treat cluster headache episodes in adults. Sumatriptan is prescribed to treat migraine and cluster headache episodes in adults.

These drugs work in different ways to treat these types of headache. It’s not uncommon for doctors to prescribe them together.

If you have questions about taking Emgality with sumatriptan, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Can you take ibuprofen with Emgality?

Yes, it should be safe to take ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) with Emgality. There is no known interaction between these drugs.

Emgality is used to help prevent migraine episodes and to treat cluster headache episodes in adults. Ibuprofen is a pain reliever that can be used to help relieve migraine headache and cluster headache.

It’s not uncommon for doctors to prescribe these drugs together.

If you have other questions about taking Emgality and ibuprofen together, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Certain health conditions or other factors could raise your risk of harm if you take Emgality. In such cases, your doctor may not prescribe Emgality for you. These are known as contraindications.

However, there are not many people who should not take Emgality. Allergic reaction is Emgality’s only contraindication.

If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Emgality or any of its ingredients, your doctor likely won’t prescribe Emgality for you. This is because taking the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better options for you.

Emgality has not been reported to interact with other drugs. However, that doesn’t mean that interactions can’t happen. For example, new drugs may be approved in the future that could interact with Emgality.

Before you start using Emgality, tell your doctor and pharmacist about any prescription, over-the-counter, or other drugs you take. Sharing this information with them may help prevent possible interactions. (To learn whether Emgality interacts with herbs or vitamins and supplements, see the “Are there other interactions with Emgality?” section below.)

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

Emgality isn’t known to interact with alcohol. But drinking alcohol can trigger episodes of migraine or cluster headache in some people. If you know that alcohol can trigger your headaches, you’ll likely want to avoid it while using Emgality.

If you have questions about consuming alcohol while using Emgality, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.

Emgality may have other interactions. They could occur with supplements, foods, vaccines, or even lab tests. See below for details. Note that the information below does not include all other possible interactions with Emgality.

Does Emgality interact with supplements?

Before you start using Emgality, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about any herbs or vitamins and supplements you take. Sharing this information with them may help you avoid possible interactions.

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

Emgality and herbs

There are currently no reports of Emgality interacting with herbs. But this doesn’t mean that interactions with herbs won’t be recognized in the future.

For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while using Emgality.

Emgality and vitamins

There are currently no reports of Emgality interacting with vitamins. But this doesn’t mean that vitamin interactions won’t be recognized in the future.

For this reason, it’s still important to check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any of these products while using Emgality.

Does Emgality interact with food?

There are currently no reports of Emgality interacting with food. If you have questions about eating certain foods during your treatment with Emgality, talk with your doctor.

Does Emgality interact with vaccines?

There are currently no reports of Emgality interacting with vaccines. If you have questions about getting certain vaccines during your Emgality treatment, talk with your doctor.

Does Emgality interact with lab tests?

There are currently no reports of Emgality interacting with lab tests. If you have questions about having certain lab tests during your treatment with Emgality, talk with the healthcare professional ordering the test.

Does Emgality interact with cannabis or CBD?

There are currently no reports of Emgality interacting with cannabis (commonly called marijuana) or cannabis products such as cannabidiol (CBD). But as with any drug or supplement, talk with your doctor before using cannabis with Emgality.

Note: Cannabis is illegal at a federal level but is legal in many states to varying degrees.

Certain medical conditions or other health factors may raise the risk of interactions with Emgality. Before using Emgality, talk with your doctor about your health history. They’ll determine whether Emgality is right for you.

Health conditions or other factors that might interact with Emgality include:

Pregnancy: It’s not known whether Emgality is safe to use during pregnancy. If you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk with your doctor before using Emgality.

If you do use Emgality while pregnant, consider enrolling in the drug’s pregnancy registry. This registry collects details about pregnancy issues reported with Emgality. To learn more, call 833-464-4724 or talk with your doctor.

Breastfeeding: It’s not known whether it’s safe to use Emgality while breastfeeding. If you’re breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed, talk with your doctor about your options.

Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Emgality or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Emgality. This is because using the drug could cause another allergic reaction. You can ask your doctor about other treatments that may be better choices for you.

Taking certain steps can help you avoid interactions with Emgality. Before starting treatment, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. Things to discuss with them include:

  • Whether you drink alcohol or use cannabis.
  • Other medications you take, as well as any vitamins, supplements, and herbs. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you fill out a medication list.
  • What to do if you start taking a new drug during your Emgality treatment.

It’s also important to understand Emgality’s label and other paperwork that may come with the drug. Colored stickers that describe interactions may be on the label. And the paperwork (sometimes called the patient package insert or medication guide) may have other details about interactions. (If you did not get paperwork with Emgality, ask your pharmacist to print a copy for you.)

If you have trouble reading or understanding this information, your doctor or pharmacist can help.

Using Emgality exactly as prescribed can also help prevent interactions.

If you still have questions about Emgality and its possible interactions, talk with your doctor.

Questions you may want to ask your doctor include:

  • Can Emgality affect neurological conditions such as epilepsy?
  • Could Emgality interact with recreational or illegal drugs?
  • Should I stop taking other migraine preventive medications when using Emgality?

To learn more about Emgality, see these articles:

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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.