Posted by yxibow on November 6, 2006, at 15:51:33
In reply to Re: Any meds for migraines safe on while on SSRI?, posted by Phillipa on November 6, 2006, at 10:01:43
> Ibuphopeb is all I ever use . As I was told I couldn't use Imitrex back when I got a lot of headaches. So how does a headache interfer with serotonin? Love Phillipa
Is that a joke word for ibuprofen ? :) Otherwise that sounds like a southwest Native American tea.
Triptans and ergot derivatives are not appropriate for "a lot of headaches." Its annoying, but tension headaches don't have the same transmitter firing as what migraine sufferers have, nor are they accompanied by auras and other visual phenomenon.
Now "cluster headaches" are different, and are more rare and treated with oxygen, Imitrex, ergots, and lidocaine, among other things.
Imitrex (sumatriptan) and its cousin half a dozen or other triptans work as agonists of 5HT1x receptors. This is in conflict with SSRIs which also form reuptake inhibitance at those receptors as well as other 5HT locales.
The combination of the two can cause Serotonin Syndrome if the doctor(s) do not adjust the dosage of the two agents. It may mean forgoing a portion of the SSRIs if the migraines are intolerable and can't be managed by other non medication therapy, or tolerating the headaches and using NSAID/caffeine combinations and sticking with the full amount of SSRIs being used.
I had a very mild episode with Robaxin and whatever else I take for my problems -- it was made before P450 interaction testing and I was flushed and the like until we reduced it below th e threshold of medications. But that's nothing like a true clinical episode of Serotonin Syndrome which includes high fever, delirium, and a chain reaction of other really bad things, to put it mildly.
poster:yxibow
thread:700825
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061104/msgs/700963.html