Posted by Lonely on September 18, 2004, at 19:07:06
In reply to Re: Migraines in general - a survey, posted by florence on September 18, 2004, at 18:39:39
If you're post menopausal and uterus has been removed you could be on low dose estradiol (preferably ethinyl estradiol) all the time.
You've had some complex issues here with the thyroid disease being thrown in. I had a failing thryroid a couple years ago but through a thyroid releasing hormone challenge test (hard to find someone to run it because it's different than the standard tSH test),it was identified before I entered full blown hypothyroidism. And hypothyroidism DOES cause DEPRESSION. My endocrinologist/reproductive medicine specialist of 27+ years has told me that most depression in women (I believe he meant post menopausal) is caused by a lack of estrogen so that tends to add up in your case. Also, estrogen tends to make blood vessels more elastic so that might be a factor too.
You might try seeing a reproductive medicine & endocrinology specialist. It doesn't matter that you're not trying to have a baby (I wasn't, either). The fact is, that hormone screw-ups have a major impact on the psyche and the body. The brain is part of the body! Gynecology, by the way, is a surgical specialty and doesn't work well for hormone issues. And it's also a fact that anti-depressants are just crutches, useful and life saving crutches for many people, but they do not cure the true underlying disease. Probably because in part no one fully understands the underyling disease.
Best of luck to you.
_______________________________________________________________> I suffered with menstrual migraines for over 20 years. They lasted days and days-the intensity lessened toward the end of my period. I found Provera and other symthetic progesterone made them WORSE. My headache specialist was up on the "latest" treatments: I was one of the first persons in the country to take Prozac. It helped for about a year. Then I tried, Zoloft, Vivactil, etc. There was supposedly a serotonin connection with migraines. Nothing worked. I tried at least 40 different medicines. I waited 2 years for Imitrex to be put on the market. It did nothing.
> I wish I had known that migraines are complex medical conditions for which there is no cure. I am angry that I was never given fiorinal for the pain-my sister has taken it for at least 20 years. (But she lives in a different city so I couldn't see her dr.) I finally did my own research becuz I couldn't understand why menstrual migraines were the most difficult to treat: after all, I knew EXACTLY when they were going to occur.
> I ended up seeing a top gyno who put me on Lupron and these shots stopped my period. FINALLY some relief! Yet, I think the Lupron triggered my Hashimoto's disease and/or depression.
> I don't get migraines now since I spontaneously went into menopause after stopping the Lupron.
> My migraines seemed to come about when my estrogen levels fell. Now, I am so fatigued and depressed: My estrogen level is virtually non-existant so if I try to take some estrogen to help with depression or energy, I am afraid of getting the migraines again.
> Has anyone tried bioidentical hormones?
poster:Lonely
thread:373733
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20040729/msgs/392408.html