Whoopi Goldberg is best known for being in an elite group of entertainers who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award. The EGOT winner is also a longtime co-host of The View. However, what many may not know is that the iconic actress has been suffering from excruciating migraines for the last 40 years. And she’s not alone.
Nearly 40 million Americans are living with migraines, which often causes many to sacrifice family time, work, and social activities. To cope with the agony, Goldberg would lie on the floor or under a table in complete darkness. At other times, she would push through the pain, like many women.
The Sister Act star says it wasn’t until recently that she found relief in a new FDA-approved acute treatment called Nurtec ODT. Now, the 65-year-old entertainer is partnering with Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, the maker of the drug, as a spokesperson. Although Nurtec is not a cure for migraines, Goldberg says the results after taking the medicine have been miraculous.
“I gotta tell you, my relief was really, really fast,” Goldberg told BLACK ENTERPRISE
. “Don’t take my word for it. Try it. Talk to your doctor,” she added.The Color Purple star says she was first introduced to the drug by Khloe Kardashian during her appearance on The View.
“I sat down with Khloe Kardashian on the show that I do, and she was there for Nurtec ODT. And I said to her, ‘Come on, now, I have my migraines. Does this really work?’ And she was like, ‘Listen, this is a game-changer,’” recalls Goldberg.
Taking her advice, the talk show host spoke to her doctor about Nurtec and received a prescription, which has since changed her life. Rather than being subjected to debilitating migraines, Goldberg says she now feels in charge of her life and is no longer afraid of a migraine attack.
“I don’t worry now when I see a migraine trying to make its way over to me because I have the ODT,” she says.
Although the most common side effect of the medicine is nausea, the Ghost star says the relief Nurtec brings is well worth the risk.
“I’m here to tell you that the only thing you have to lose with Nurtec ODT is the migraine,” she says. “So, if you’re somebody who’s suffering…talk to your doctor and get them to help you get to the next step so that you can try this.”
Watch Whoopi Goldberg’s full interview about Nurtec ODT and the COVID-19 pandemic below.