Hi!

I am new to this board. I have experienced migraines for about 14 years. I have a new doctor and today he prescribed Pamelor for my migraines. In the past I have taken Verapmil, Midrin, Maxalt, Imitrex. I am hesitant to start the Pamelor because it is normally used to treat depression. I hate taking medication and am worried about the side effects. I have an 18 month old and a 4 month old. Any opinions on this treatment?

Thanks in advance,

Erin

"worried about the side effects. I have an 18 month old and a 4 month old"

http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/confused.gif Why didn't you discuss this with your doctor? http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/confused.gif

I DID! He did not seem concerned.

I was just curious about other opinions - from other people who get headaches.

I tried pamelor for about a year, for a while it seemed ok, to lessen my frequency and severity of headaches, but then I started getting daily headaches for about a month straight. The only side effect I had was morning drowsiness, I slept so deeply that it was getting hard for me to get up. Eventually since it wasn't seeming to be working and the tired mornings, I stopped taking it. As far as it being for depression I wouldn't worry about that aspect. It isn't anything like prozac or other stronger or more potent depression meds.
What other side effects are you worried about?

I'd say its worth a try since many people have had good results and the you can always stop it if you experience some of the bad side effects.

hi. i'm new to the board also. i'm 29 and have a been a chronic migraine and tension headache sufferer for about six years. i get migraines 20-25 days out of each month, tension headaches daily, and have been on disability for the past year. i've tried so many medications and treatments that i feel like a guinea pig.

my doctors have tried numerous medications on me, none have worked for migraine prevention. one of the drugs that was tried on me about five years ago was pamelor. i didn't have any side effects from the drug that i can recall. pamelor is an anti-depressant, but they use a lower dose for migraines. most of the preventative medications they use for migraines are made for other "illnesses" and they've found that people with migraines who have been on the drugs sometimes see an improvement in their headache frequency or intensity.

so far, i've found that the anti-convulsant and anti-psychotic medications have had the worst side effects.

I took Pamelor/Nortryptaline for about three months. It worked wonderfully, minus the 12lb weight gain. At first you'll feel a little weirded out (or at least I did) but once you're on the same dosage for more than a week it'll be better. After some time though, you should discontinue. It's not all that great for your liver, which is why you'll need to get blood tests done (and which is why I quit). Over time, I found myself moody and irritable, and I was tired of having the munchies all the time. Don't worry that it's an "antidepressant" that doesn't mean you're crazy right?

My husband used the nortriptyline and it worked very well for quite a while for his migraines. His only side effects were a dry mouth and decreased sex drive. I know take it to help out with some peri menopause related problems and do well with it. I would go ahead and give it a try since it is one the drugs that has been around for a pretty long time.