A friend of mine has been prescribed Amitriptyline which is an old-style anti-depressant to treat migraine. The dose for migraine is apparently lower than that for depression.

Does anyone have any experience of this medication, efficacy, side effects, etc. or any success treating migraine this way?

Well I was prescribed this along with cymbalta for migraine therapy.I only took it for 2 days before I got serotonin syndrome, which was the worst experience of my entire life.I So I didn't really take it long enough.I did get very dry mouth and slept like a log and fealt like I had a hangover.Made me spacey and quiet;;kinda zomby like until the cymbalta kicked in and thats when all hell broke loose.I was also using zomig and emitrex whenever I would get a bad migraine.The last time I had used the zomig was about 5 days before I started the elavil.You have to be very careful when using any antidepressant along with a migraine medication that is a sumatriptan because serotonin syndrome is a risk.So please advise your friend to watch out for that and educate herself on the side effects so she can get help quickly if it happens.I stopped using anything after that and oddly enough I rarely get one anymore.I have suffered with horrendous migraines for about 9 years !! Since I dont ovulate hardly anymore I never get them with my cycles.Hope this helps.

Imitrex works well

Thank you both of you so much, for sharing your experiences. This is so valuable, and I'll be sure to pass all this on. I'm so pleased to hear t nikki that you rarely get them any more - I guess meno has some benefits!

Thanks once again to you both.

Migraines are caused by lack of Estrogen. Mine have disappeared since starting bios. I refused to go on daily meds because of the side effects. Can your friend pin-point what causes them? Food Allergy? Are they in mid-cycle or before period time?

Shebee

Thanks for your reply Shebee

OK time to come clean - the friend I'm talking about is male. I didn't like to specify that initially, this being a menopause forum - but I know there's a wealth of experience between the ladies here and felt sure there'd be some valuable advice.

He did suffer chronic hypertension, but that seems to have been brought under control now with the use of two hypertension medications. That did reduce the frequency of his headaches and made them less severe I understand. There also seems to be a heriditary factor, in that his mother suffers migraines. He had an MRI scan of the head and that didn't show anything unusual. When a migraine occurs, it's invariably upon waking in the morning. His sleep is also frequently disturbed, which is possibly why the GP prescribed this particular medication (as t nikki mentions, it made her sleep like a log - but equally made her feel hungover and spaced out during the short time she took it). Whilst he has suffered disturbed sleep at times of stress in the past before taking any medication, I now learn that disrupted sleep is also one side effect of one of the blood pressure medications he's taking.

He's wary of starting the Amitriptyline because of possible side effects and withdrawal effects if he had to come off it. I just wondered if anyone here had had any positive experiences with it - or a similar low dose anti-depressant for the treatment of migraine (bearing in mind that brand names are different between different countries of course).

It is a good idea to try and pinpoint triggers as you say Sheebee. Whilst there are a few foodstuffs that seem to occasionally trigger one, for the most part they seem to occur around sleep. You mention that you refused to go on daily meds for migraine because of the side effects - is that a problem with migraine medication? (As you can see I know nothing about medication in relation to migraine).

I'm really pleased your headaches have disappeared since starting bios. I read recently that far more women than men suffer migraine for that precise reason - female hormones. In my early life I didn't suffer headaches at all. Then in peri during my forties, I thought I was getting a sinus headache monthly! Of course now I realise it was hormonally induced migraine but whilst horrible, it wasn't so severe that I couldn't force myself to work through it. Now I'm post the headaches are infrequent, but I still get them from time to time. But then I still get hot flushes from time to time, so I guess there's still some estrogen activity going on.

Thanks once again for replying.

I was on Amitriptyline years ago for sleep. At first it does make you feel groggy but you get use to it, at least I did. My problem was when I started the bad, bad symptoms...panic attacks, despair, twilight zoned, etc. I had no idea what was going on. I started taking the Amitriptyline during the day a lot to try to stop all the madness. No one said anything about it was hormonal or meno at that time. I ended up in the hospital and found I had really high levels of the Amitriptyline in my system. They just stopped it cold and said you won't have withdrawal from it. Boy were they wrong. For about 2 weeks it was hell and I ended up in the hospital a couple more times just feeling so sick. No one came up with the withdrawal diagnosis. I put 2 and 2 together and did some research and guess what..people can have withdrawal if they take more than they are suppose to. Your friend should be OK if he takes it as prescribed and tappers off it, not cold turkey, when he wants to stop it. My son also takes it to sleep and doesn't have a problem with it.

I'm so sorry you suffered all that - you're right, it doesn't seem to be widely acknowledged that the panic attacks and other effects around this life stage are prompted by hormones. I even had a GP tell me quite categorically once that anxiety was NOT a symptom of menopause - yet my worst time with anxiety and depression followed quitting HRT cold turkey! I really sympathise with what you've been through and having been misinformed by medical professionals who you rely on about the withdrawal effects of a drug. I was told by my GP to stop HRT cold turkey and all hell broke loose, I went from functioning to non functioning in the space of about three weeks. Luckily I found a hormone doctor and am completely well now (and also post).

My husband who's a doctor in a surgical specialty (he knows little about hormones) now says that he believes the GP was negligent to advise abruptly cutting a substance that the body was dependent on when the body had no means of beginning to produce its own hormones to make up the sudden shortfall (as would have happened pre menopause).

However to revert to the subject(!) thank you so much for sharing your experience and your valuable advice . Has your son been using Amitriptyline long may I ask? Does he find that he's alert as usual during the days? How long did you and he find the initial effects of grogginess lasted?

I was put on Amitriptyline way back when I was about 27, now 42 so it was awhile ago. My experience was not good, maybe why I am now afraid of AD's. I started it on a Fri. by Sat. I was just spaced out, like drugged. Sun, we had a fall festival to go to with friends and by this time I was still spaced, but now my heart was racing and beating like it would pop out of my chest, it was regular, but very fast all day, at this point I was concerned, but didn't have to much of the anxiety factor yet so I just proceeded to try and go about my business, by Mon. I felt like I was being poked everywhere with pins and needles and was so out of it that I couldn't drive and my job required me to do so and my eyes looked glazed over....so I finally call the Dr. and they say to stop in right away....it did not agree with me at all, as you say the dose is smaller for migraines, but I have heard this is pretty strong AD. HUGS Mikki

Awww thanks Mikki for your experience (hugs) - what a horrible time you had with it. It really does help to know these things. Did you feel relatively OK again soon after stopping taking it?

My son has been on it for about 4 years. Its hard to say with my son how he feels during the day because he is on other things for a bad back. For me, after the initial getting use to it time, I had no problem in fact I felt more rested and I worked 12 hour days. Its probably different for everyone and I don't remember how long it took to get use to it but I would guess 6 weeks or so. I have to say the dry mouth never goes away but I don't remember it being too bad.

Thanks for all that info surreallife.

i just wanted to chime in my experience..i have been on amitriptyline for yrs..maybe 12-15 yrs. low dose 25 mg for depression in the beginning..but later i stayed on it to help my insomnia...i never had any bad experience on it..it took a couple of weeks to get adjusted to it--but it was a very helpful antidepressant for me....i occasionally would go off of it with no extreme side effects..slight headache and more insomnia...in the last yr..the insomnia was returning more often --so my dr feeling that i was in need of a change...prescribed nortriptiline which is newer and very similiar....i never had any side effects--stopped taking one and started the other one the same day...don't be afraid of this drug...it is quite harmless according to my doctor..he said it wouldnt hurt you to stay on it indefinetly..which i would have done if the insomnia hadn't returned..i could have upped my dosage..but he felt my body may have become immune to it...just my two cents...hope this helps your friend!

You made some really interesting points. My sons, daughter, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great grandmother ( I did not get to meet her) all suffered from migraines, too. They do seem to run in families.

I started keeping a food log for my sons and found that they had food triggers and they are both sensitive to certain chemicals. My sister get migraines from certain types of air fresheners. The other women and my daughter's migraines were hormonal. Women are easier to treat than men.

The Tuliv Migraine study shows that migraines are a condition resulting from the inherited genetic makeup of the DNA in a person. making them predisposed to the migraine syndrome.

Lyle Henry did research and showed that headaches can be traced to the hormones secreted by the body during times of stress. Also, he found that hormones cause migraine attacks to occur during the early morning hours, (4 AM or so,) and is also those involved in late afternoon attacks. Over 90% of all migraines occurring in men, women, and children are caused by hormone fluctuations.

One thing with your friend, there is a definite migraine pattern This is a good thing. This can help you find the root cause of them.




High blood pressure also triggers headaches. Certain drugs have a side effect of causing migraines and headaches.
I wonder if he might have sleep apnea? Migraine diagnosis is difficult, to say the least.



The Triptans, such as Imitrex, shrink these dilated blood vessels; they will help stop a migraine, but they do not prevent migraines. An old tried and true med is Midrin. I used it sometimes. It stopped the pain, but I still had all of the other migraine symptoms. If I felt a migraine coming on, I used a mild Tran.. to abort it. (sometimes)

Topamax, a daily med can cause all sorts of problems, including blindness, weight loss (yea!), Other serious risks include decreased sweating, increased body temperature, kidney stones, sleepiness, dizziness, confusion, difficulty concentrating, and increased eye pressure glaucoma, acidosis, heart problems, & etc.

This is why I refused it. The headaches were less risky. LOL!


Also, Topamax works to prevent only 2 out of every 5 headaches. This is rarely mentioned to the patient. LOL!

With your friend, He MUST KEEP A FOOD LOG. This is a real hassle, but could provide valuable information. I am (was?) highly allergic to lemons! I love lemons. Even a lemon cough drop would send me into a migraine within minutes. Usually food that you are allergic to....are the foods that we crave. With the added Estrogen, I can now tolerate small amounts of lemon, but I don't push it. He needs to rule out food allergies. It could be something that he is eating the night before or even fabric softener????

There are some natural things like Coenzyme Q10 supplements. This is a preventive medicine that is increasingly popular. Coenzyme Q10 is made by the body to help tissues and muscles function. Scientific studies vary on how well this actually works to prevent migraines. Fever few is another good herb.

I would first take a look at food triggers, then go from there. I have no experience with ADs, but they might work because they reduce stress. I could sometimes stop a migraine with a mild tranq. Alcohol can sometimes stop a migraine, but who want a drink in the morning? LOL! YUK!


Just thinking....their must be a root cause ....,
Shebee

I can't tell you how glad that I am that the migraines have stopped.

it didn't take long for things to go back to normal...maybe a couple of days, but then again I didn't have much in my system. HUGS Mikki

I was given this drug in january as was suffering from what my dr called cluster headache for a few months.It was a low dose and yes i am glad to say it worked but after 5 weeks i began to feel very paranoid about everything and read the leaflet that said this is one of the symptoms,so i decided that i would stop the anitriptyline.i still get the odd headache but am trying to just use your usual headache pills or migraine relief pills.

some say they suit others say they dont,only the patient can answer that i guess

good luck


twiggy

Hi again everyone. Sorry I haven’t revisited this thread but I unaccountably went down with an anal fissure (nothing to do with menopause – so far as I know!), which has been extremely painful and has made sitting at the computer near to impossible. I seem to be getting a measure of recovery now however (hopefully) so wanted to come back and thank everyone for their input.

guiltangel – thank you so much for sharing your experience. That’s very helpful to hear that you had a positive experience of the drug over quite a long period and to hear also of your doctor’s reassurances. My friend is still dithering over whether to start this drug.

Shebee – wow! Your post is so informative. Thank you for taking the time to impart so much information, that’s extremely valuable. Whilst I was aware that food triggers can be a factor, I had no idea that things like fabric softener could prompt one. It sounds as though you’ve investigated the causes and treatments of migraine very thoroughly (understandably) and I appreciate the trouble you’ve gone to in passing on what you’ve learnt. Thanks once again.

Mikki – I’m glad to hear you recovered rapidly after stopping taking it (hugs)

Twiggy - your post raises the important aspect of side effects. I wonder how prevalent they are for this drug. Again, thank you for giving your experience, it’s so valuable to hear of how people have been affected. You’re right I’m sure, that only the individual patient can discover whether this drug will work successfully for them or not.

Ladies thank you all so much for your input. I’m going to give my friend the link to this thread so he can read everything first hand. Love to all of you and best wishes for whatever this life stage is bringing your way.