LEARN MORE
SIGN UP FOR UPDATES
TALK TO A HOME
DIALYSIS EXPERT
Which Treatment Is Right For You?
Which type of home treatment is right for you may depend on your daily schedule, travel preferences, work commitments, and lifestyle, but both offer distinct benefits, including:
The flexibility to schedule treatments around your personal and professional schedule
Fewer dietary restrictions
Fewer medications
Fewer trips to the dialysis center
The ability to administer your treatment without assistance
The ability to maintain the social and work life you love
While Totten uses PD, deciding the type of home treatment that is right for you may depend on your daily schedule, travel preferences, work commitments, your doctor’s recommendations, and lifestyle. Both offer distinct benefits, including:
Sponsored by
By StoryStudio on August 17, 2022 2:34 PM
Sponsored story
Up to five out of ten people living with Graves’ disease may develop a separate, progressive autoimmune condition called Thyroid Eye Disease (TED). Many living with Graves’ disease are unaware of their risk for TED, like Neeyaz Z., a 31-year-old nutritionist and women’s health advocate, who’s been living with Graves’ and TED since she was a teenager.
Neeyaz was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in late 2009. She assumed that her eye symptoms, like mild pain and dry, itchy eyes, were a part of her Graves’ disease and would get better over time. Three years ago, despite having her Graves’ disease under control, her eye symptoms worsened dramatically, and one eye started noticeably protruding.
USE
TEPEZZA is a prescription medicine used to treat Thyroid Eye Disease.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
What is the most important information I should know about TEPEZZA?
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.
Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have any of these symptoms during or after your
treatment with TEPEZZA:
High blood pressure
Fast heartbeat
Redness of the face/Feeling hot
Difficulty breathing
Headache
Muscle pain
If you have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, TEPEZZA may make your IBD symptoms worse. Symptoms of worsening IBD may include: an increased number of loose stools with stomach pain or cramps, and blood in your stools. After each TEPEZZA infusion, tell your doctor right away if you have worsening IBD symptoms.
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.
Before receiving TEPEZZA, tell your doctor if you:
Have inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis).
Are currently being treated for diabetes, have been diagnosed with diabetes, or know your blood sugar is high.
Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. TEPEZZA may harm your unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you become pregnant or suspect you are pregnant during treatment with TEPEZZA.
Women who are able to become pregnant should use an effective form of birth control (contraception) prior to starting treatment, during treatment and for at least 6 months after the final dose of TEPEZZA.
Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if TEPEZZA passes into your breast milk. Talk to your doctor about the best ways to feed your baby during treatment with TEPEZZA.
Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over the counter medicines, vitamins, dietary and herbal supplements. Know the medicines you take. Keep a list of them to show your doctor and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.
What are the possible side effects of TEPEZZA?
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 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.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA.
Visit www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please visit TEPEZZA.com for more information.
© 2022 Horizon Therapeutics plc P-TEP-US-00600 8/22
More about treating TED
“It’s more important than ever for me to tell my story to possibly help someone else who might not know their eye symptoms are separate but related to Graves’ disease,” shared Neeyaz. “I had so much pain behind my eyes and wore sunglasses whenever I could so no one could see what I looked like. I couldn’t even sleep unless I was upright. Finally, after years of unanswered questions, I found Dr. Raymond Douglas, a specialist, and he diagnosed me with TED. I was grateful to finally have found a doctor who specializes in TED and who could help answer my questions about the disease, explain the options for treatment, and talk about the lifestyle changes I could make to better deal with TED symptoms.”
“When Neeyaz came into my office, she let me know that her eye symptoms were affecting all aspects of her daily life, making her look and feel less like herself,” said Raymond Douglas, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Orbital and Thyroid Eye Disease Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA and a board-certified oculoplastic surgeon with a Ph.D. in inflammatory diseases. “After an examination, I told Neeyaz about TEPEZZA (teprotumumab- trbw), the first and only FDA-approved treatment for TED. I was hopeful that it would be the answer to getting her health back on track, improving her symptoms and appearance while helping prevent eye symptoms and potentially long-term damage.”
TEPEZZA (teprotumumab- trbw) is an intravenous (IV) medicine, which means that it is delivered through a needle that is placed in the patient’s arm. It is the only medicine that treats TED at the source of the disease, working to reduce inflammation behind the eye and provide symptom relief. TEPEZZA has been shown to reduce eye bulging and improve double vision and pain for people with TED, helping them look and feel more like themselves again. Treatment with TEPEZZA consists of eight infusions, one every three weeks. A full course of treatment lasts around five months.
Neeyaz started TEPEZZA soon after her conversation with Dr. Douglas, noticing steady improvements in her symptoms with each treatment. Her eye pain and discomfort lessened. Today, she feels more like herself, recognizing the person she sees in the mirror, and no longer hides behind sunglasses.
“Neeyaz’s vision and physical appearance improved with TEPEZZA, and I’ve seen similar outcomes with other patients living with TED, even those who have struggled with their eye symptoms for decades,” said Douglas. “Living with TED can be debilitating both physically and emotionally. Those looking for a TED Eye Specialist should be seeking an oculoplastic surgeon or a neuro-ophthalmologist who can help conduct a baseline eye exam and determine the best treatment route.”
TED is an autoimmune condition, which means symptoms may flare or get worse over time.
In a clinical study for TEPEZZA:
More than eight out of ten people taking TEPEZZA saw reduced eye bulging
Seven out of ten saw improvements in double vision, with more than half reporting it completely went away.
Not all doctors have experience treating TED, and it is best managed by a care team including both an endocrinologist and a TED Eye Specialist.
Endocrinologists manage your thyroid condition, like Graves’ disease or Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, and work with your TED Eye Specialist on a treatment plan for TED.
TED Eye Specialists, typically oculoplastic surgeons or a neuro-ophthalmologists, perform eye exams, evaluate how your TED changes over time, and manage your TED treatment while working with your endocrinologist to co-manage your care.
Neeyaz, throughout her TEPEZZA treatment
about TED
about tepezza
Like with any medication, it’s important to understand the potential side effects of TEPEZZA. Those most commonly reported are muscle cramps or spasms, nausea, hair loss, diarrhea, feeling tired, high blood sugar, hearing problems, taste changes, headache, dry skin, and changes in menstruation.
“I worked with Dr. Douglas to manage a couple of very minor side effects I experienced, but for me, it was well worth the symptom relief TEPEZZA provided. My eye symptoms no longer get in my way. I was able to take a trip abroad this summer and not worry about any eye pain or discomfort. It’s the best feeling to have my health back on track and to feel more in control of my day-to-day,” said Neeyaz. “I want that for others. For people to not only know that TED exists, but also that there’s a treatment option out there that may help them.”
Neeyaz wants others going through similar experiences to know they are not alone.
“If you’re struggling with TED, know that there are eye specialists out there who can help you,” said Neeyaz. “Don’t be afraid to get a second opinion, learn to trust yourself and find a doctor who will listen. The more research you do, the more you can advocate for yourself and get the help you need.”
If you or a loved one is struggling with TED, ask a doctor about TEPEZZA. Visit TEPEZZA.com to learn more and find a TED Eye Specialist near you.
learn more
One Woman’s Health Journey
with Graves’ Disease and Thyroid
Eye Disease (TED)