Migraine can definitely cause sadness.
Who would not feel down if you regularly suffer from a headache so bad that it forces you to hide in a dark, quite room until it is over? It is said that migraine sufferers are five times more prone to depression than regular individuals.
Conversely, people who are always depressed are three times more likely to suffer from migraines than those who are not.
For experts, the relationship between migraines and depression can be likened to a chicken or egg situation, no one know for sure which came first.
It is not clear yet if one actually causes the other and if they have a causative relationship, which causes which? Migraine, depression and even insomnia all have something in common and that is that all three are associated with deficiencies in neurotransmitters in the brain.
Experts believe that migraine headaches and depression actually have distinct causes with similar neurobiology though they are related to each other.
Before, many doctors believe that migraine sufferers suffer from depression because of the fact that the condition affects their quality of life.
Now, the connection between the two seems to be biological in nature instead of psychological.
One danger that depressed migraine sufferers should look out for is the possible interaction between depression medication and migraine drugs.
In fact, in 2006 the FDA discovered that mixing triptans, which is used for migraines with the depression drugs SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) or SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), can be dangerous and can lead to a condition known as serotonin syndrome.
When there is too much serotonin in the body, serotonin syndrome occurs.
The symptoms of serotonin syndrome include hallucinations, fats changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate and body temperature and gastrointestinal upset.
Patients who don't have a choice but take depression and migraine drugs together should be monitored closely for serotonin syndrome.
Who would not feel down if you regularly suffer from a headache so bad that it forces you to hide in a dark, quite room until it is over? It is said that migraine sufferers are five times more prone to depression than regular individuals.
Conversely, people who are always depressed are three times more likely to suffer from migraines than those who are not.
For experts, the relationship between migraines and depression can be likened to a chicken or egg situation, no one know for sure which came first.
It is not clear yet if one actually causes the other and if they have a causative relationship, which causes which? Migraine, depression and even insomnia all have something in common and that is that all three are associated with deficiencies in neurotransmitters in the brain.
Experts believe that migraine headaches and depression actually have distinct causes with similar neurobiology though they are related to each other.
Before, many doctors believe that migraine sufferers suffer from depression because of the fact that the condition affects their quality of life.
Now, the connection between the two seems to be biological in nature instead of psychological.
One danger that depressed migraine sufferers should look out for is the possible interaction between depression medication and migraine drugs.
In fact, in 2006 the FDA discovered that mixing triptans, which is used for migraines with the depression drugs SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) or SNRIs (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors), can be dangerous and can lead to a condition known as serotonin syndrome.
When there is too much serotonin in the body, serotonin syndrome occurs.
The symptoms of serotonin syndrome include hallucinations, fats changes in blood pressure, increased heart rate and body temperature and gastrointestinal upset.
Patients who don't have a choice but take depression and migraine drugs together should be monitored closely for serotonin syndrome.