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Questions about TED or TEPEZZA?
Call a Nurse Advocate at: 1-833-483-7399
TEPEZZA is a prescription medicine used to treat Thyroid Eye Disease or TED, no matter if you’ve had TED for months or years. TEPEZZA may cause infusion reactions. Tell your doctor right away if you have high blood pressure, fast heartbeat, redness of the face or feeling hot, difficulty breathing, headache, or muscle pain.
Please stay tuned for additional Important Safety Information later in this video.
Karen: I was very scared at the beginning. I was very intimidated by needles, but I knew that this was the course of action that I had to take to help me get better.
I’ll be honest with you. My first encounter with the infusion center, I was very nervous when I initially got there. For me, it wasn’t such a bad experience and then, three weeks later, I went back for the second and it was the same thing.
At that point in time, you’re there for a couple of hours so you’re starting to talk to the people there. They become your family there. They would make me very comfortable. I didn’t even think of it as, “Oh my gosh, I’m sitting here getting an infusion. This is terrible.” I thought, “Hey, you know this isn’t bad.” They started testing my eyes and they were showing improvement.
Ask your doctor about TEPEZZA.
TEPEZZA is a prescription medicine used to treat Thyroid Eye Disease or (TED), no matter if you’ve had TED for months or years.
TEPEZZA may cause infusion reactions. Tell your doctor right away if you have high blood pressure, fast heartbeat, redness of the face or feeling hot, difficulty breathing, headache, or muscle pain.
Please stay tuned for additional Important Safety Information later in this video.
So, I went to my doctor, and he told me about TEPEZZA.
And he told me that it was an infusion, that it was going to be eight infusions over 24 weeks, so once every three weeks.
He explained that it’s about a two-hour infusion the first time, and the next, subsequent infusions would be about an hour.
I’m a nurse, I do infusions all the time. So, I didn’t really think it was a big deal, but it was a little scary that I was going to put something new into my body.
And I was hopeful that it was going to work. So, I was elated when I got the call that I was going to be able to get TEPEZZA.
The nurse started up the infusion and I was sitting in an infusion chair,
Very private. It was start an IV, get the infusion going and I was comfortable and
I didn’t schedule myself for work that night, and I didn’t schedule myself for work the night after
I was thinking, ok I don’t know how this is going to go, I don’t know if I’m going to have any side effects, let’s see how this works. So,
After my second infusion, there was a little improvement
With each subsequent infusion. I just found that my eyes—they weren’t as proptotic as they were when I first started.
I could feel less pressure from behind my eyes. They felt lighter. And it just felt better and better.
It’s a hard diagnosis to have. It’s hard to live with. And to not have the heaviness—
The bulging eyes. If I could sum up the entire infusion process in one word or phrase, I think I would say, “Illuminating, it was very illuminating.”
There are many kinds of medicines that are infused to treat a variety of conditions. And infused medicines may be more common than you think; in fact, some antibiotics are infused. Infusions are also used to treat autoimmune conditions like psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and others. Learn more about how infusions work.
Infusion reactions can happen during or within 24 hours after your infusion of TEPEZZA. If you have a reaction while receiving TEPEZZA, your doctor or nurse will slow or stop your infusion and treat your reaction. If you have a severe infusion reaction, your doctor may stop your treatment completely.
TEPEZZA may worsen inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, even if you don’t have a diagnosis of IBD before starting TEPEZZA treatment. Tell your doctor right away if you have worsening IBD symptoms, which may include diarrhea with stomach pain or cramps, blood in your stools, sudden urgency to have a bowel movement, or feeling like you need to have a bowel movement even when there’s little or no stool to pass.
TEPEZZA may cause an increase in your blood sugar. Before starting treatment with TEPEZZA, tell your doctor if you are currently being treated for diabetes, know your blood sugar is high, or have been diagnosed with diabetes. It is important for you to take your treatments and follow an appropriate diet for glucose control as prescribed by your doctor.
TEPEZZA may cause severe hearing problems including hearing loss, which in some cases may be permanent. Tell your doctor if you have any signs or symptoms of hearing problems or changes in hearing.
The most common side effects of TEPEZZA include muscle cramps or spasms, nausea, hair loss, diarrhea, feeling tired, high blood sugar, hearing problems, taste changes, headache, dry skin, ear discomfort, weight loss, nail problems, and changes in menstruation.
This is not a complete list of all possible side effects. Tell your doctor or treatment team about any side effect you may have.
TEPEZZA is a prescription medicine used to treat Thyroid Eye Disease (TED), no matter if you’ve had TED for months or years.
Infusion reactions can happen during or within 24 hours after your infusion of TEPEZZA. If you have a reaction while receiving TEPEZZA, your doctor or nurse will slow or stop your infusion and treat your reaction. If you have a severe infusion reaction, your doctor may stop your treatment completely.
