How Assistance Works
Streamlining our patient’s specialty pharmacy experience with unmatched full-service convenience
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1. Check Your Coverage/Benefits Verification
Our team of expert billers finds the best avenues of coverage that minimize out-of-pocket costs.
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2. Transfer Prescription to AmeriPharma®
We process your prescription by working with your previous pharmacy or prescriber, making the transition quick and easy.
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3. Prior Authorization
Our team of specialists obtains approval from your insurance companies within 24 to 72 hours.
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4. Copay Assistance & Financial Aid
We secure financial aid and decrease copays, out-of-pocket expenses, and high deductibles. To date, AmeriPharma® Specialty Care has secured $55 million in financial assistance for our patients.
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5. Nursing Care Coordination If Needed
AmeriPharma® puts your schedule and home environment first when scheduling and coordinating one of our specialized nurses for your in-home infusions.
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6. Delivery Coordination
Medications are always delivered in strict compliance with the specific requirements for shipping. Next-day and overnight cold-chain deliveries are coordinated around your schedule.
What Is Ingrezza?
Ingrezza (pronounced in-GREH-zah) is an oral prescription medication used in adults to manage certain body movement disorders. Its generic name is valbenazine (pronounced val-BEN-a-zeen). It is available as regular capsules to be swallowed whole and as sprinkle capsules that can be opened and mixed with soft food.
Ingrezza belongs to the drug class of VMAT2 inhibitors (vesicular monoamine transporter-2 inhibitors) that reduce unwanted or uncontrolled movements.
The FDA first approved Ingrezza in 2017 for tardive dyskinesia (TD) in adults, and in 2023, it received approval for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntington’s disease.
Today, this medication is a widely used treatment for people living with movement disorders. This article covers everything you need to know about this drug, including how it works, how to take it, optimal dosage, possible side effects, and important safety information.
Ingrezza Indications (Approved Uses)
Ingrezza is approved to treat two main conditions in adults, which include:
Tardive Dyskinesia (TD)
Tardive dyskinesia is a nervous system disorder that causes involuntary, uncontrolled muscle movements in the face, tongue, or other body parts. These movements can look like lip-smacking, jaw clenching, tongue rolling, grimacing, twitching, or jerking.
TD usually develops after the chronic use of antipsychotic medications.
Chorea From Huntington’s Disease
Similar to tardive dyskinesia, chorea is another movement disorder that causes sudden, irregular, dance-like, or fidgety movements that a person cannot control. These movements are more common in people with Huntington’s disease (a genetic condition that affects nerve cells in the brain).
Ingrezza (valbenazine) controls the frequency and severity of uncontrolled movements in patients with tardive dyskinesia and chorea. However, it does not cure these conditions.
Copay and Financial Assistance
AmeriPharma® Specialty Pharmacy alleviates financial burdens for patients and their families
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Advanced software locates funding sources to match you with top-dollar foundation programs
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One of our copay assistance specialists will assist with the application process
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Automatic updates will be sent to you and your physician on the status of the funding
Mechanism of Action
Generally, your brain uses a chemical messenger called dopamine to control movement. But when an individual uses antipsychotic drugs chronically, it causes abnormal dopamine signaling in the brain.
Excessive dopamine release leads to repetitive, uncontrollable body movements. Ingrezza helps to reduce the excessive dopamine activity and decrease the involuntary movements seen in TD and chorea.
Working Mechanism
Valbenazine, the active molecule in Ingrezza, is a vesicular monoamine transporter-2 (VMAT2) inhibitor that selectively and specifically targets VMAT2, a protein that helps regulate the release of dopamine in the brain.
By blocking the VMAT2 protein, Ingrezza corrects the abnormal dopamine signaling, which results in smoother, more controlled body movements over time.
Ingrezza Side Effects
Mild side effects include:
- Headache
- Tiredness and sleepiness (most commonly seen in TD and chorea)
- Hives (raised itchy red areas) or rash (most commonly seen in people with chorea)
- Insomnia (most commonly seen in people with chorea)
- Problems with balance or coordination
- Dry mouth
- Restlessness
- Constipation
- Blurred vision
- Weight gain
- Nausea or vomiting
Adverse Effects
Though rare, Ingrezza can also cause adverse effects. Some of the serious side effects that have been reported include:
Depression and suicidal thoughts: Mostly seen in patients with Huntington’s disease.
Severe allergic reactions: Allergic reactions include trouble breathing or shortness of breath; swelling of your face, lips, eyelids, tongue, or throat, or other areas of your skin; trouble with swallowing; rash; or hives.
Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS): This is a serious condition that can lead to death. Symptoms include stiff muscles, irregular pulse or blood pressure, increased sweating, high fever, or a very fast or uneven heartbeat.
Heart rhythm problems (QT prolongation): This happens when you take other medicines with Ingrezza. Symptoms may include fast, slow, or uneven heartbeats, lightheadedness, fainting, or shortness of breath.
Parkinson’s-like symptoms: This includes tremors, shaking, stiffness, problems with balance or walking.
Your doctor may change your dose, temporarily stop, or permanently stop treatment with Ingrezza if you develop any of the above adverse effects.
Insurances Accepted
We accept Medicare, multi-state Medicaid, Medi-Cal, Blue Shield, and most private insurances. Call us to find out more about your coverage.
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