# Prozac for Headaches?



## Maedchen (Jun 3, 2000)

Question - Has anyone heard of using Prozac to help headaches? Short history - I having been suffering from tension/vascular headaches continually for about a year now. They are like really bad sinus headaches, but are not sinus related (been checked out). I have had the occasional tension/migraine in years past (one time event, not to happen again for many months up to a year). I have a family history of tension/migraine headaches on both sides of my family, so you can imagine I was not too surprised when these finally kicked in. This added on to the IBS (C/D), depression, and anxiety. (At least I was prepared for the possibility of the headaches







)I have been on propranolol (Inderal) to try to keep the headaches and the anxiety in check. It seems to work most of the time, but I still suffer from the pressure and foggy head of the headache. In other words -- I still have a headache. Recently, I saw my doctor to see if trying (yet) another allergy medicine would help alleviate some of the symptoms (sometimes does). He suggested that since it does not seem that the current meds are working, that we should try Prozac







_with_ Elavil at night to help me sleep (totally different topic, not a huge issue from my point of view). Since I had a _really, really_ bad reaction to Paxil, I am very skeptical of any serotonin related medicine. The last thing I need is for something to set off the anxiety and/or the D. He suggested the Prozac based on my history of depression and anxiety as well as it's apparent effectiveness with pain. He knows how I feel about trying new meds like this, so he told me to go off and think about it. If I want to try it, then let him know.I don't know what to do. My gut







is telling me not to change the status quo. I'm doing "okay" anxiety and headache wise -- just can't always think clearly, you know what I mean? I read here and other places on the web about side effects, withdrawal symptoms, other issues with these meds. Combine that with my own experience with Paxil <shudder>, no wonder I would react badly to this suggestion.But on the other hand, maybe this will work better for me. I just am unclear if it worth the risk of triggering more anxiety. (I know, this is a decision I need to make myself)Such a rambling post







--- in case you have forgotten, the orginal question was whether or not you had heard anything, good or bad, about using Prozac in treating headaches.


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## honichou (Jun 30, 2002)

I have some bad news for you. I have had a tension headache for 18 years. When I say have had, I mean morning, noon, and night, never goes away, etc.I'm not a physician, but I have read a lot over the years. I have IBS-C, and I also have a kind of epilepsy, so my case is different than yours. But there is a high correlation between people with IBS and headaches and mood disorders. This would seem to make sense to me as serotonin receptors are all over the body. Having said that, I have been on Prozac for 11 years (among other things), and it hasn't helped my headache at all. Of all the the things I've tried over the past 10 years, the thing that helped both the headache and the IBS was trazodone; but trazodone had some side effects that I couldn't tolerate. The tricyclics (imipramine, desipramine, amytryptiline - and I've tried a lot of them) have done nothing for the headache.Inderal is very constipating, if that happens to be your problem.You might try to find a good acupuncturist, one who can aggressively treat headaches. In my experience, you stand a better chance with something like that than with Prozac. Of course, everyone is different, and I hope that you find something that helps.Steven


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## Maedchen (Jun 3, 2000)

Thanks for responding!







I had never heard of using Prozac for headaches before and hoped someone here on the BB could offer some advice.I'm sorry to hear that you are a fellow sufferer. Like I said in my post above, these types of headaches seem to run on both sides of my family line (mainly my mom's). I'm IBS - C/D, so meds that have C as a side effect don't bother me as much as those with D (like the SSRIs). I am currently not on the "full prescribed dosage" for Inderal because it did make me to C. Working with my doctor, I cut it back to wear it didn't make me so C, but still helped with the headaches and anxiety.I just want to find something to make them go away!







Them and the IBS and the anxiety and the...


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