Ant idepressants increasing migraines?

Hi all,
I have taken Amitriptyline for years(10mg) with no problems prescibed by my neuro, my psych Dr took me off of them and put me on Zoloft for anxiety/depression. After about a week of taking them I have had more migraines and headaches then ever in the 25 years of getting migraines.

I told my psych dr this and now he wants me to switch to 20mg paxil. I havent started them yet because im afraid its going to start the constant headaches again.

Anyone else have this happen? Please let me hear your experiences.

Thanks Ray

I have been prescribed many antidepressants for migraines and none of them made any difference except for Wellbutrin, which made them much worse. Years later I found out that's because Wellbutrin is dyed with red #40 which gives me terrible migraines.

Anyways, I have had my migraines made much worse by some medications; I think "headache" is a pretty standard side effect for almost anything. Just because the one made your migraines worse doesn't mean a different one will.

It may be the withdrawal of the Amitriptaline from your system, and not the new med. Did you do a taper off, or was it cold turkey?

Hi, Ray,
I was just wondering why the psych has taken you off Amitryptilyne if it was obviously working for your migraine. Could he not keep you on it and perhaps just try to add something else if he needed to. Just a thought. Could you ask him/her to do try to do that?

I took many of those without helping daily M. Why drop the Amitipilyne ? I have a combo of three that has me at one M a month. Glad I did not drop any when I started a new one.. Clonidine 3 x day , beta blocker 2 x day, calcium channel blocker 2 x day. Vitamin D also. Hope you find some relief soon.

Hello,
yes, I weaned off of the ami for a month then no meds at all for a month.Then I started the zoloft. The ami was working for my migraines but was doing nothing for my anxiety. I ended up in the ER twice because I thought I was having a heart attack and it was anxiety.

So I started seeing a psychiatrist to control them.He said that amitriptyline is very dangerous in higher dosages and is not a good med for treating anxiety. So now I have been getting the worst headaches I have ever had in all my migraine years.

I am also not looking forward to my next neuro appt. I hate telling one dr that another dr took me off of the meds you prescibed me.
So, do I tell the psychiatrist to pound salt or my neuro? At least the psychiatrist prescibed me valium for the anxiety attacks that deff help.

My neuro would NEVER prescribe those for me.Hell, last time I was at the neuro, his nurse told me in 10 years that she worked for him she only saw him prescibe vicodin 1 time.He is anti pain pill and chill pill.. I dont want to loose my chill pills!!

I dont know what to do. Ray

It sounds frustrating. Would it be possible to try and have the specialists find a pill that works both for your anxiety and your migraines? Some anti depressants do have migraine helping possibilities - like the amitriptyline - but could they recommend something newer/safer in larger doses? I'm no expert, but I've heard that Effexor can work in some for Migraine, but it does depend on how it works for you. and unfortunately trial and error seems to be the way it works when finding a preventative.
If Ami worked so well for you, maybe ask if they can find an anti depressant that can be taken with the small dose of Ami and not be a contra indication?

Hope that helps,

Curls.

Ray, I'm a bit new to this, so sorry if my advice was overly simplistic. You sound stuck between two specialists...
You need doctors that will listen to what you need..which can be hard to find these days. I hope someone else has some clever advice for you and I'll follow this thread to hear how it works out.

Hi Ray, I am so sorry that you find yourself bewteen two doctors offering conflicting treatemnts. I know the feeling from my own exeprinence (seeing different specialists for different conditions).

I am concerned that your psychiatrist is prescibing valium for you which is extremely difficult to get off as it is addicitve, whilst at the same time cutting you off from amitryiptyline which worked so well for your M. Some docotors can be quite irresponsible in a way they prescribe, I wonder if he is one of them. He is ceratinly taking an easy ways out (for himself, but not for you).

Is it possible for you to change your psychitrist and find someone who is more tuned in to your needs and who would try to find something else for your anxiety, whilst keeping you on amitryptiline.

It is not easy to be asserrtive in such circumstances but sometimes you must make it more clear to the doctor what you need and at the moment you really need a doctor s who will underrstand about your migraines and about your anxiety and to treat both. Do not be afriid to ask, it is your right as a patient to get a proper treatement properly.

It is also possible to get other preventatives but I cannot see why you should not be able to continue with something (ami) that worsk so well for you. Perhaps you need to change that doctor instead of changing your preventative that works.