How do antidepressents help prevent migraines i have taken efexor in the past for other reasons and i found it very difficult to come off of but very effective, my doctor recommands that i should start taking it again i would like to know how effective it would be and how long i will have to take them for, and what kind od side effects there would be... my migraines are out of control lately there are lasting up to 4 to 5 days, i can't live like this any longer, migraines are taking over my life..
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4/13/09 11:51pm
Hi Ro,
I'm sorry to hear that your Migraines are so frequent right now. Dr. Krusz and Teri Robert from our Ask the Clinician section have answered this question. I am directing you to it HERE.
A few things to keep in mind is that side effects are potential, meaning they may not happen to everyone all the time. Some medications can take up to three months before we start seeing a reduction in our Migraine frequency and/or severity. So if we have to be patient when it comes to starting new medications.
I do want to let you know about a condition called Status Migrainous. This may occur if we have Migraine pain lasting longer than 72 hours without a four-hour, pain-free break while awake. This condition needs prompt medical attention because it puts us at an increase risk for stroke. We have more information on this in the article:
Status Migrainous - The Basics.
Good luck
Nancy
4/16/09 9:24am
Hi Ro,
I take Effexor as a preventative for Migraines. I was in the same condition as you when I first started taking it with two migraines a week each lasting 3 to 6 days. By the time I had been taking it for 4 weeks my migraines almost stopped completely. I had one or two in a years time.
After that amount of time the migraines went bonkers again and I had to go on a beta blocker too so that I now take two preventatives. The two medicines cause them to be less painful and not as long so I can deal with it better but they aren't totally gone. Now that might just be me. The doctor called my migraines intractable migraines meaning difficult to treat. I cannot take the triptans to abort a migraine so I just deal with it. Also I am 61 and am one of those whose migraines became worse after menopause.
As far as side effects from the Effexor as stated any medicine can cause side effects. I happen to be one that had my blood pressure increase and would get high spikes of blood pressure. That is a very rare side effect and the beta blocker keeps it well under control. I don't want to go off of it because I feel it helps in other ways too and as you stated it is hard to go off of. As a migraine preventative you may not have to take such a large dose as for other conditions. If you decide to try it talk to your doctor about dosage because I only take 75mg a day. I didn't want to increase it because of the blood pressure. 75 or 150mg is the usual dosage for migraine prevention but it could go up even higher if you need it.
Hope that helps and good luck. 
Carol
4/16/09 12:05pm
Paxil certainly helps with my migraines. They are MUCH less severe. Sometimes I only need to take ibuprophen in stead of Frova.
4/16/09 4:48pm
I have tried Lexapro and Cymbalta and still take the lower dose of Cymbalta. I will say the Lexapro made me sleep all the time. Cymbalta 60mg did help more but made me tired and both Lexapro and 60mg C. knocked the fun out of sex. Now I'm on Cymbalta 30mg but it doesn't work as well. I've also added some other stuff, but the results are mixed. This has all been going on since the fall.
So I think giving something a trial is well worth it. You won't know unless you try. That's how I've approached my meds and my alternative medicine trials and the herbal/vitamin supplements too.
Good luck!
Diane
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By Ro— Last Modified: 11/01/10, First Published: 04/13/09
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