Posted by Snoozy on April 29, 2003, at 14:50:18
In reply to Migraine meds/no depression effects SOS, posted by Anna P. on April 29, 2003, at 10:52:54
Hi again -
I had to rush off before I could finish my previous post. What works best for you may depend on how frequently you get migraines and the severity of them.
There are several drugs commonly used to try to prevent or reduce the frequency of migraine. Beta blockers, such as propranolol or atenolol - which have been known to cause depression. Calcium channel blockers, such as Calan.
Amitriptyline, as Ritch mentioned. Depakote also (I think this is the same category as Zonegran - not sure). Sometimes SSRI's are prescribed to help migraine - this did not work for me.There are also the older treatments for a migraine in progress, such as Cafergot. There are now several over-the-counter drugs that combine ibuprofen and caffeine. And of course, painkillers.
I don't know if you're familiar with this stuff, so I apologize if this is all old news.
The triptans are not painkillers. They work on the chemical process of what happens during migraine. A part of the migraines I get is vomiting - several times an hour for up to 12 hours was common. Many times this was more debilitating than the pain itself. The triptans really work great for that on me - I hardly ever vomit during a migraine now. The pain is also well-controlled.
I just checked my pharmacy's insert for my Imitrex, and it does not have depression or anxiety listed as side efx. This is the briefer insert my pharmacy gives out - not the very lengthy one.
I'm sure your doctor talked to you about this, but you may want to keep a headache diary to see if you can pinpoint any triggers.
I would recommend trying the Maxalt at least once. You want to catch the migraine as soon as you can though, as the drugs work better that way.
I'm assuming you're not as fortunate as I am to have migraines every day :)
I hope this helps, and again I'd be happy to answer any questions about my experience.
poster:Snoozy
thread:223146
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030429/msgs/223193.html