Low seritonin is the only reason why people get migraines

Someone that I was talking to said that they take Lexepro for their migraines and that it helped them. They also did biofeedback. They said that it is a proven factor that the only reason why people get migraines is because of low seritonin. So depression and migraines go hand and hand because of the low seritonin in your brain. Migraines are a Neurolgical disorder(which I believe) and I don`t agree with her theory.I believe that low seritonin can be a trigger(like anything else).I`m just wondering if anyone has heard this theory before?

Low Serotonin contributes to migraine attacks but is NOT the only factor. If is was, there would be a serotonin pill that we could all take and be done with these things. As it is, SSRI's only help control migraines but do not cure them and do NOT work for everyone. I cannot take SSRI's as I have very bad allergic reactions to them.

So your friend is partially informed, but only knows one small part of the very big puzzle of why our brains go haywire and give us migraine attacks.

Alli

True, because well adjusted 5 year olds get migraines. I don't see how a well adjusted 5 year old can be depressed unless some serious trama has happened. Even younger kids get them!

I couldn't imagine that, poor kids..

I don't see how anyone - doctor, practitioner, or layperson - can say "this is the only cause of this disease"; if that were the case, migraines would be curable, and we all know they are not.

So far as I know, no disease has just a single cause. I'm trying to think of one, and I can't. It's kind of simplistic to say, "such and such is the ONLY cause of such and such." To me that implies that if we migraineurs would just treat the symptom implied by the single cause, we'd be "cured," and the fact that we aren't "cured" must mean we don't want to be. And we all know that isn't true.

I may be reacting hypersensitively, but that's how I'd react if someone told me that. I'm sure we all wish there were just a single cause, then we could treat it and be done with migraines for good. It isn't that simple.

BTW, the second dr. I saw for my migraines was a pain specialist as well as a nuero, and he put me on Cymbalta, which is an anti-depressant, and acts to raise seritonin. So following the theory that low seritonin is the "only" cause of migraines, my migraines should've disappeared. They didn't; the Cymbalta didn't help at all. So I'd say that for me, I definitely disproved the low seritonin theory.

Low seratonin is a theory of one reason of why migraines are produced. Seratonin can't even be accurately measured.

This person is wrong. There are multiple reasons for migraines.

i have explored that avenue, and even bought seretonin tablets from health food store, but as i am on amitriptyline i was advised by doc not to take them, as Ami helps the seretonin, levels in the brain, (wish i has asked doc first would of saved myself £12.00) apparently Ami stops your body reabsorbing so much of the seretonin,and so it can go to where it needs to, and hence reduces migraines and depression, well thats the theory anyway (thats a really simple basic exploration as i am no doctor),

seretonin can also be found naturally in many foods, turkey and bannanas were two that i remembered.

I can kill that theory just on the fact that I am very NOT depressed. I am a very happy person and always have been, and I get migraines!

I am not depressed either, and have had the anti depressant as prophylactis.
Didnt help me at all
The only thing that depresses me is the pain of migraines

For ALLI, what did you mean about seritonin related to the gut ?

None of the scripts for depression ever helped my M or daily headache. However when I took 5-htp { herbal supp } the severity

of my M dropped to 5-6. I still take 200 mg daily sometimes 300 mg.

I also took cymbalta 6 months with no relief. and some others.

Riley did you get side effects with the 5HTP please?
I am so sensitive to everything with the FMS

I have not had any side effects from 5-htp... it is also marketed as sleep aid or appetite suppresant but neither of those show for me.

I take 20mg of Paxil for OCD. I still get migraines. KABOOM on that theory.

OK.
So why do my migraines worsen if I take anti-depressants that should increase serotin...?

Mine worsens too, on antidepressant. I suppose it's because not everyone 's level of serotonin is low, that's why.

Risa

It shows that migraines are not a simple one cause and effect problem. Change something here and the body adjusts something over there. The trick is to figure out what, how many, and how much to change or adjust.

Easier said than done, as we all know!

Ivy wrote:OK.
So why do my migraines worsen if I take anti-depressants that should increase serotin...?

Good question Ivy. I had the same problems, plus I became a zombie.

Not long ago and I can't remember where., I found a graph showing how seratonin levels alter throughout the day. When seratonin is at it's highest is when my miraines are the biggest nuisance. To this without the benefit of an expert I have a few wacky ideas forming.

1 could it be seratonin that actually causes my migraines? (bearing in mind I get them every day at the same times)

2 We need seratonin to be able to do stuff and my levels are too low so I can't cope when I try to do these things.

3 seratonin is highest when something else is also highest and the seratonin has no influence whatsoever.

Meds that increase seratonin have not worked so far.

We are currently trying the regulation of absorbsion method for a few days to see what happens, the idea being it will give us a clue about how to tackle it.

I know these questions are probably a bit on the crazy side but when you have spent too much time at home in the dark watching House re- runs you really start to question all the things you have been told.

I wish I could remember where I saw that graph it would be possibly really useful, has anyone seen one recently that they can remember where it is?

Di

[quote="dizzyflower"I know these questions are probably a bit on the crazy side but when you have spent too much time at home in the dark watching House re- runs you really start to question all the things you have been told.
[/quote]

I do the same thing, Di. Like you're trying to hypothesize all the things doctors have told you and that you have read and make some logical explanation for why the migraines continue despite all the supposed treatments that are touted to help.

Becky

I do the same thing, Di. Like you're trying to hypothesize all the things doctors have told you and that you have read and make some logical explanation for why the migraines continue despite all the supposed treatments that are touted to help.
Becky

All the things the doctors have told you, which I find contradictory, and so often unhelpful and make me even more confused.

I cant understand some of the things that are said about serotonin. How can they blame low levels of serotonin when in the 1st phase (aura) aparently we have loads of serotonin which the body then dumps into the bloodstream causing levels to plummet which heralds the headache phase. If we took more serotonin, not that it actually would get through to the brain in quantity anyway, it would surely make the aura phase worse?

So is there anything in the past discussed about serotonin regulation? I think it could be useful to us if there is. How would I find this?

Di

have been reading Pennsylvania neurological associates "What is migraine" http://www.pneuro.com/publications/migraine

Have just spent too long on computer researching this (online all this time since last post) have found a lot of articals from www.neurology.org I have looked at the free ones only as it seems to be a subscription research site. The overviews are interesting anyway, not that I understand it all.

Hope this is of use to somebody

Di

theresae wrote:i have explored that avenue, and even bought seretonin tablets from health food store, but as i am on amitriptyline i was advised by doc not to take them, as Ami helps the seretonin, levels in the brain, (wish i has asked doc first would of saved myself £12.00) apparently Ami stops your body reabsorbing so much of the seretonin,and so it can go to where it needs to, and hence reduces migraines and depression, well thats the theory anyway (thats a really simple basic exploration as i am no doctor),

seretonin can also be found naturally in many foods, turkey and bannanas were two that i remembered.

Do you mean L-Tryptophan?