You already know the value of acting early. You have been told to take your triptans at the first sign. The problem is that the first sign demands a judgment call — is this genuinely an attack, is it serious enough to medicate, should you hold off and see. The decision carries weight on both ends: systemic side effects and overuse risk on one side, a full blown cascade on the other. You cannot come out of that calculation cleanly because the tool itself comes with a price.
A topical with no systemic side effects and no overuse risk reshapes that calculation completely. Apply Vepili at the earliest signal — the first tightness at the base of the skull, the first moment light feels slightly wrong, the first prodromal shift your body has come to recognize. If it turns out to be nothing, nothing is lost. If it is an attack, you have stepped in at the only moment that truly counts: before the trigeminal signal has had the chance to spread.
You do not need to wait. You do not need to weigh your options. You do not need confirmation. The lack of side effects eliminates the decision altogether. Apply it, carry on with your day. Half the time, for people who use it consistently, the attack never fully takes hold.