I’m not a doctor but didn’t think you could take anti depressants and triptans together as this can cause seratonin syndrome , please check interactions on your meds. Hope you feel better soon

Just curious, there are at least 7 ( or 8) different Triptans... some short acting and some long acting. Also what dose are you taking? With Imitrix, I can only take 100mg ( normally they start at 50mg)

I was like you I though I had tried it all and then I started to really learn something,.just curious... have you listened to the "Heads Up" Podcast? They are headace Specialist that have a number of great Podcast about Headaces. They recently had one on Triptans. Learning from them has changed my life.

Here are a few other ideas: Ice on the back of your neck as soon as you feel it.

Have you used a Neurmodulator?

What about roll on Peppermint? Or hot mint tea? Feverfew?

What type of Magnesium are you using? I just changed to glycinate and it helped a lot.

Do you have back or neck pain? This is often where the migraines start at.

Just curious...

One last resource, have you gone to migraine summitt, online?

Hope some of these help you.

Take care..

Hi, I take SUMATRIPTAN when needed (a total life saver apart from v rare occasions) & been on SERTRALINE since July 2018 (not sleeping, tearful about everything, tight chest etc - 50 year old perimenopausal!).... No problems whatsoever, so it may be a case of which antidepressants with which triptans, as others have said. Good luck x

Ps thinking back, my migraines seemed to get v slightly worse in first 2 weeks of taking, but I remember speaking to pharmacist & he said it was v unlikely & probably a coincidence, it's certainly been fine for a v long time since 👍

Anecdotally I was on Fluoxcetine and nasal zolmitripan for years and no trouble, but obviously everyone is different. However I still would have thought it would be more likely your hormones are causing the problem as hormonal migraines are particularly resistant to triptans, where as Anti-depressants are commonly prescribed as migraine preventatives and therefore are commonly prescribed together with triptans.

After both my children when my periods returned after stopping breastfeeding my migraines went into overdrive, nothing touched them. Botox didn't work either and like you I'm a chronic migraineur so I was the end of the road treatment wise (and thus very upset when the CGRP drugs were turned down by NICE ) there was nothing anyone could do, my mother-in-law had to come and live with us for a while to help with the children. The same thing happened to my mother with her menopause and didn't stop until she was put on HRT.

There are so many drugs out there that are prescribed for epilepsy that are also prescribed as anti-depressants and migraine preventatives. They probably make up the most common combination of treatment for migraine so I'm not surprised the doctors are dismissive of your worries as they will have a lot of data on the drugs working well together. However this does not mean that your unique body doesn't do something uncommon to them!

I was prescribed sertaline a year ago and my GP refused to prescribe any triptans due to the risk of seratonin shock syndrome i.e. too much seratonin can potentially be life threatening. However many years ago I was prescribed a different type of SSRI anti depressant. The leaflet warned not to take with triptans. When I queried this with my GP he said it would be fine. So I think opinions may vary on whether it is OK or not. Probably best to check with your pharamcist or GP.

I’ve been a migraineur since my early teens, am now 45 and my migraines are defo connected to my hormones as well as other triggers, for the past two years I’ve taken sertraline for anxiety and been using sumatriptan for at least 20 years and it all seems to work ok. I know the dr said I couldn’t take citalopram with Sumatriptan, which I had taken previously as it flagged up as a no in his little book. I am definitely in a peri menopausal phase in my life and the migraines are getting more frequent but the sumatriptan help keep the pain at bay. I use the injections, maybe try another antidepressant? I hope you feel better soon

Hi sozzy42,

Doctors prescribe Antidepressant along with Triptans quite often as the chances of serotonin syndrome is rare. Rare does not mean it never happens, and in your case if Fluoxetine (SSRI) and Zolmitriptan are causing issues doctors should be sympathetic and try different medicines.

However, if your headache has increased (intensity and frequency) taking these two medicines does not necessarily mean it is due to Serotonin syndrome.

Also, Fluoxetine itself can cause Serotonin syndrome, but it is very rare. Fluoxetine is thought to be a better Antidepressant than other alternatives - but for migraine prophylaxis, no one can be sure as it becomes complex to measure efficacy.

Tricyclic antidepressants such as Amitriptyline is more common for doctors to use along with Triptans - you may request it. However Amitriptyline also (it is believed) increases level of serotonin but some scientists believe it increases norepinephrine more than serotonin although it has been contested.

Bottom line is - you can stop Fluoxetine gradually (by decreasing doses) - such as taking half of the tablets and/or quarter - and see if this consistently makes any difference.

We all are different, so trial and error needs to be followed, but almost all the doctors want to finish everything in 2 minutes rather than 20 minutes while treating patients - they don't have time !!

/ Troy

I was on a low dose of venlafaxine XR (SNRI antidepressant/antianxiety) and also as a migraine preventative (according to a few headache center sites). Might get 2 birds with one stone?

I’m actually starting again to see if it helps again.

I remember fluoxetine gave me a bad headache that felt somewhat different, every time I’ve tried to use it (which is several times over the years). You can even look up “Prozac headache”. It subsided in about 2 weeks. Came back with each increase in dose but went away again within 2 weeks.

Using a triptan with an antidepressant does have the risk of serotonin syndrome but so do many many other medicines.

If your neuro thinks it’s safe, I’d give it a try but just be aware of what the signs of SS are so you can get help if it happens.

The “warning” has to pop up on the computers and books, because even if rare, these days it is a CYA medicine world (cover your a$$).

I hope you feel better soon.

Hello Sozzy. Yes, you need to tell your doctor exactly what you have told us and ask why he/she thinks that the combination of medic prescribed to you is ok. Ask what are the arguments for and against. Doctors are obliged to answer your concerns.

From experience as a migraineur of almost 40 years, any medication of any kind has always been a trigger for my migraines, as catching a virus is another trigger (yes, I get a very bad migraine and then 1 or 2 days later my throat starts hurting and the migraine disappears within hours!).

I switched to another tricyclic a few weeks ago. Great for the first 3 days and then the mother of all migraines hit me. It took 4 days to go. I went back to the previous medic. The doctor is adamant that it wasn't the new medic. Yeah, right!

Just a quick last word on how medic works differently on different people. The same medic actually works differently on different days. Example: I took a Naratriptan last week. I felt the effect within 5 minutes, worked well, all good. I took Naratriptan this morning, didn't have any effect (for a migraine that was much less severe) but wait... it started working 5 hours later, yes, 5 whole hours. I know that it was the triptan as the migraine disappeared within minutes.

You take care and let us know how things go.

go on manufacturers website and look for symptoms, if not there report them to manufacture

Hi Sozzy42 I have suffered with Migraine since I was 12. They went away for a long time. But came back about 12 years ago. And have gotten progressively worse. I have Rheumatoid Disease and have been on Zoloft to help deal with that for quite some time. I started taking Triptans about a year ago. And do not believe I have suffered any ill effects.

2 weeks ago I started taking one of the new

Migraine injections. I am using Ajovy. There are two others on the market. I have had 1 migraine in 2 weeks. I swear it has changed

my life. I highly encourage anyone suffering with migraine to explore these medications with their physician. I wish I would not have waited so long. Good luck!

I'm unsure if there are contraindications between taking Triptans and antidepressants. I'm a chronic migraineur too. If you are having problems with your sleep though, taking antidepressants aren't recommended as they fracture and lighten sleep. If sleeps a problem, then taking Pregabalin is much more helpful as it deepens sleep. If you are taking a triptan 10 days a month, I would suggest you talk to your doctor about trying a migraine preventative. As at some point your triptan may not work so well. Nasal sprays are faster acting and if this particular one seems to work for you, then I suggest you keep taking it, whatever a dr says. Everybody who has migraine is different and what works for one, doesn't work for another.

Good luck.

Amy