When the people we care about are depressed we’ll try everything in our power to support them. If you or someone you know has migraine related depression, there are several things you can do to fight this disease and help maintain some control over your life.
Identify your depressive symptoms.
Though doctors frequently see migraine sufferers who are depressed, addressing the combination of depressive symptoms and pain management issues can be challenging. In any case, depression is a serious condition that requires medical attention. Migraine sufferers with the following symptoms may be clinically depressed and should seek help immediately:
• Feelings of sadness, worthlessness or pessimism
• Heightened agitation and restlessness
• Constant movement, pacing or hand-wringing
• Loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyed
• Reduced sex drive
• Extreme fatigue and loss of energy
• Poorer concentration and decision making ability
• Memory loss
• Changes in sleep pattern – either too much or too little sleep
• Unexplained crying
• Physical aches and pains throughout the body for no apparent reason
Recognize the presence of other mental health conditions.
To further complicate matters, several studies have shown that migraines can induce more than just depression. Because a variety of mental conditions are controlled by the same brain mechanisms, the same systems that might put a person with migraines at risk for depression can also put them at greater risk for anxiety, phobias and substance abuse. And, because your depression treatment can affect any other mental health conditions that you are suffering from, it’s important to try to identify any mental health issues with your physician early on.
Establish a health care team.
Because the migraine and depression go hand in hand, it’s very important that you choose both a neurologist and psychiatrist that will work together to fully evaluate your symptoms and treatment options. It is also important that your health care practitioners recognize that migraines should not be treated as just a symptom of depression, but they should be treated as an important condition that occurs with depression. For example, several patients have been known to report that their headache worsens after a depressive episode. Your physician will want to do a thorough physical exam on you to evaluate whether you’re experiencing true migraines. Your physician may also order some lab work and tests to rule out the possibility of some other physiological explanation for your headache and depression.
Tags: Caffeine, migraine attack, Migraine causes, migraine symptoms, migraine triffers, sleep, stress
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