I am now about 5 weeks into this attack and am trying to understand if taking medications like zoloft for so many years may have played a factor of CH.

Does high levels of serotonin cause CH?

My reading says that this question is far from being settled.

The SSRIs have been tried to treat CH with almost no success, which may give some clue to your question.

Since the prevailing theory has CH being triggered by the hypothalamus (even if the full mechanisms are not yet understood), I'd assume that your SSRI link is a non-causal association. (The old saw: correlation is not causation.)

I asked my neurologist on Monday if there was a connection between depression and CH, and he said there was not. I then asked specifically about serotonin and he shook his head again.

thanks for the response, i am still waiting for the insurance to approve the request to see a specialist.

Good. You should definitely see a neurologist as opposed to a general MD. They're the ones with the specialized knowledge. As my (new general) doctor said when he referred me for my recent (1st time in 4 years) CH cycle, "I don't want to turn you into a drug addict." No indeed!

We have had too many reports here of neurologists who were not skilled in treating headache. Please consider:

1. Search the OUCH site (button on left) for a list of recommended M.D.s.

2. Yellow Pages phone book: look for "Headache Clinics" in the M.D. section and look under "neurologist" where some docs will list speciality areas of practice.

3.  Call your hospital/medical center. They often have an office to assist in finding a physician. You may have to ask for the social worker/patient advocate.

4. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE  On-line screen to find a physician.

5. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE Look for "Physician Finder" search box.  Call 1-800-643-5552; they will send a list of M.D.s for your state.I suggest using this source for several reasons: first, we have read several messages from people who, even seeing neurologists, are unhappy with the quality of care and ATTITUDES they have encountered; second, the clinical director of the Jefferson (Philadelphia) Headache Clinic said, in late 1999, that upwards of 40%+ of U.S. doctors have poor training in treating headache and/or hold attitudes about headache ("hysterical female disorder") which block them from sympathetic and effective work with the patient; third, it's necessary to find a doctor who has experience, skill, and a set of attitudes which give hope of success. This is the best method I know of to find such a physician.

Balanchine wrote on Jul 17^th, 2008 at 10:30am:

I asked my neurologist on Monday if there was a connection between depression and CH, and he said there was not.

But what if you asked if there was a correlation between CH and Depression? Symantics, I know, but there is a correlation in that order.
I ALWAYS get drepressed when I go into cycle. Why do you think these HA are sometimes referred to as "Suicide HA's"? People don't consider suicide unless they are depressed.
TomM

Tom, yes, thanks for pointing that out - my answer above was incomplete. He did go on to say that these devilish things may bring about a depressed state. My initial question was to try to elicit his opinion about any chemical cozyness between what goes on when we're depressed and when we suffer from CHs, and that appears - at least, as Bob says, insofar as current research has it - to be no direct link.

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Balanchine wrote on Jul 17^th, 2008 at 11:53am:

Tom, yes, thanks for pointing that out - my answer above was incomplete. He did go on to say that these devilish things may bring about a depressed state. My initial question was to try to elicit his opinion about any chemical cozyness between what goes on when we're depressed and when we suffer from CHs, and that appears - at least, as Bob says, insofar as current research has it - to be no direct link.

Hey Balanchine. I now see your point. funny how research does not show correlations that sometmes seem so intuitive.


wrote on Jul 17^th, 2008 at 12:15pm:

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Good information, TheBBZ. I printed it out. Thank you.

TomM

i have been wondering this myself. having been on an SSRI of one type or another x 7 years, i find it interesting that triptans work on serotonergic receptors as serotonin agonists. i also read on here a while back, about a theory that CH's are induced by a serotonin "storm". it has left me shaking my head, thinking that it was a LACK of serotonin that is my problem causing depression, yet ironically, possibly an excess of it triggering the CH's.
i would think the link would be more likely if my CH's didn't come every year in June, since i am on an ssri year round.
my next question, along these lines, would be if a traumatic/depresing event could be the INITIAL trigger for CH's.
any ideas?

kika wrote on Jul 18^th, 2008 at 12:23am:

my next question, along these lines, would be if a traumatic/depresing event could be the INITIAL trigger for CH's. any ideas?

For me it was birth, Kika.

actually snorted with laughter when i read that!

Then my work here is done.

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Some more for ya.
Let me know when ya get it figured out. :-?
thebb

Depression.. obviously.. if i was constantly htting your toe every day with a hammer i am sure it would not make you a happy chappy and ch is way worse than any hammer ive experienced,, in fact the only upside to ch i can say is,, it increased my tolerence to pain

Sandomigran 0.5mg is usually prescribed for migraines or cluster headaches. When you get migraines your serotonin levels drop and you get depressed and have sleeping problems

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