[jesusplay]

I have been have depression and bipolar symptoms for 3 years and chronic daily headaches for about 2 years.

Nothing is physically wrong with my brain.

Should I stop taking all these medications?

[jelly-bean]

You need to continue with the medications. They are an important part of controlling the depression symptoms. I am glad your brain is normal but there are different reasons for depression and they might not show up on a scan.

[Crazy Hitch]

It is good that there is nothing physically wrong with your brain!

I am sorry to hear about your headaches.

No, I would absolutely not advise that you stop taking your meds. Do you have any idea which meds you are on that would be bringing on these headaches? I feel like I'm asking a rhetorical question because I would assume that this would / should have been something you and your pdoc would have discussed in detail before.

So if, hypotheticly it wasn't meds, and the brain scan is clear, have you been given any suggestions as to what the origin of these headaches might be?

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by jesusplay

I have been have depression and bipolar symptoms for 3 years and chronic daily headaches for about 2 years.

Nothing is physically wrong with my brain.

Should I stop taking all these medications?

On this board, about 2 years ago, was a bipolar woman whose depression was immensely helped by Lamotrigine, but, at a cost - she had daily headaches. She had to take Topamax to counteract the damage from Lamictal. Topamax prevented the headaches but gave her cognitive side effects. She decided to live with those cognitive side effects because this combo was otherwise very effective for her. I can find that thread if you want.

I take an herbal supplement called Feverfew by Nature's Way and it somewhat helps - the frequency of headaches is less. But I never had daily headaches. That is a debilitating impairment. I do not know if you worked in the past but if you did, you might qualify for disability with daily headaches. Sorry, I have not been reading regularly lately so my questions might be off, but I just wanted to say that daily headaches, in and of themselves, can make an otherwise sane person insane.

I'm confused. You had brain scans while on medication? Wouldn't that skew the findings and be evidence that the medication is helping (at least, for the depression)?

Sorry, I guess I just don't know how those things work.

[Sunnnny]

Originally Posted by licketysplit

I'm confused. You had brain scans while on medication? Wouldn't that skew the findings and be evidence that the medication is helping (at least, for the depression)?

Sorry, I guess I just don't know how those things work.

A CT scan is basically an x-Ray of your brain to show physical abnormalities; while medications change the chemicals within the brain to change brain activity.

Medication affects, nor Mental Illness, will be seen in a CT scan. And in contrast, other Neurological disorders like Migraines and Epilepsy are not seen in CT scans either.

CT scans are generally used to look for brain tumors, brain bleeding, or other head trauma.

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