a persistant migraine threw me into a deep depression with suicidal thoughts. I am 70 years old and have had migraine since I was 12. Imitrex was very helpful, but I have developed a heart condition and have been advised not to take it anymore. Tramadol, Vistarl and Effexor all made me feel druged and sick. Any suggestions. This is not psychological...but some physical thing which needs a good medicine. I just finished 6 weeks of radiation for breast cancer. Cancer doctors don't deal with migraine! My neurologist gave me Visteral, which just puts me to sleep.
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1/12/09 1:57pm
Hi nannybarb,
Migraine and depression may be, for some people, a co-morbid disorder. Comorbid conditions can, but not always, occur together, but neither cause the other. We're not sure about about the physiological link between the conditions, but that's not the same as one causing the other. We have an article on Migraine and bi-polare, not quite the same as depression, but it will give you an idea of comorbid conditions and talks about depression a bit.
Migraine Disease and Bipolar Disorder, a Link.
Vistaril is an antihistamne which is sometimes used to help with nausea during a Migraine, but not typically as a Migraine preventive. I think it is time to find a new doctor, although you probably are tired of doing that. The best person to handle Migraine disease, and it is a genetic neurologic condition, is a Migraine specialist. These doctors are the experts, unlike neurologists who just don't have enough time to treat one type of disorder, who devote their entire practice to treating people with Migraines and headache disorders. We have a list of patient recommended specialists you can see HERE.
Good luck
Nancy
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By nannybarb— Last Modified: 12/21/10, First Published: 01/09/09
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Hi -I too am looking for a solution to the depression combo of migraine/depression. But I have a bit of advice that might be helpful to nannybarb, in order to be able to take a migraine med again. I need to be careful with my migraine med, Amerge, as I also have heart disease and it interacts with another med I've recently been taking. AS SOON AS I notice a migraine beginning, I take my Amerge 2.5mg medication. Amerge has few side effects, making it safer. But it is slow acting, and takes almost an hour to resolve a migraine. At some point in that hour, my migraine feels worse, but then begins to subside. I also drink a half cup of coffee, about 60-80mg caffeine, which helps with the migraine in about 10 minutes. Maybe this would work for you? The key is KNOWING a migraine has started in it's infancy!