Paxil & Headaches

I've been on Paxil for about six weeks now, usually 10 mg. in morning. Main purpose to help with anxiety. Tried a few days on 20 mg. but that makes me too twitchy.

I've been feeling more cheerful and resilient, seems to be linked to Paxil along with my own work. I appreciate that feeling a lot.

The tremors on 10 mg. are lessened, more subtle, but still present, not sure if this side effect is a worthy trade off for the cheerfulness yet.

I have migraine headaches, they always follow the same pattern, light side of my head. But last night, an entirely new headache developed, right side, much more vascular throbbing and pulsing.

I'll certainly get help if this headache gets more painful or if other symptoms emerge.

This might be just another migraine that would happen anyway, Paxil or not. This might be directly Paxil related. Anyone out there have any experiences to share concerning Paxil and headaches?

Thanks muchly.

Cheerful but in pain Sarah

I have experienced chronic migraines for many years. They have taken much joy and opportunity from me and my children.

In my opinion I don't think it's the Paxil..rather...other dynamics are at play here, possibly.
Hormone levels, ect.

Best thing is to ask your Doctor.

When I get a migraine...I lay down with a bag of ice and do rythmic breathing. Have you tried anything like this with any success?

Keep us posted!!

Ice and relaxation does help me cope, earplugs, lights off, Amerge taken as needed. I also take Propranolol daily as a preventative, to cut migraines down to 3 -4 hopefully a month.

Hormonal shifts/perimenopause could be a trigger. Paxil could be, recent stress could be. I am also reading up on Medication Overuse Headaches, I would not have thought that I was overdoing any med, but apparently more than 2 times use in a week can backfire for some of us and cause headaches.

Migraine meds giving us migraines.

Will definitely check with doc if anything worsens, she has talked over a lot of this with me and likes that I am able to keep track of my symptoms and experiment, trial and error, find what works within reason.

when I was on paxil 10 mg I also had headaches. they came if I was late in taking the medication or missed a dose. My doctor told me being that low a dosage I have no paxil on reserve so to speak in my body to carry me over until I take the next pill, I was basically going into withdrawal if I was late or missed a dose. the solution for me was making sure I took that pill at EXACTLY the same time every day. When it was time to up the dosage I too had trouble with the higher level. my doctor solved that problem by leaving me at 10 mg paxil and adding welbutrin SR too. I had no problems after that.

There weren't many AD's that didn't cause migraines for me. I never even had a headache in my life before being put on Antidepressants...then wham. This was about 10 years ago. When the med was changed, the migraine would lessen.....then another AD would do the same thing. I have to admit....I probably added to it with the numerous OD's I did.....because the migraines started being constand. Thinking that I probably messed up the chemical balance in my brain.

They got so bad, I was sent to a neurologist....he tried all the normal treatments & some different procedures......the migraines continued to worsen.....so they started looking farther. The MRI showed up some problems in my neck.....like if I had ever had a whiplash.....only thing I could think of was when I was thrown over the head of a horse I was taking lessons on while in college.....35 years before. They did the neck fusion & decided to put me on fentynal for the pain. The amount of fentynal only helped a little & they were hoping as my neck healed....the pain would reside.......it didn't......only got worse......I then went to a pain specialist who did even more procedures...& the migraines got worse. To the point where all I could do was lay in a dark, quiet room with no smell. I ended up in the ER every few days for a demoral shot.....which only worked as long as the shot worked & wham....it was back.....wow....8 hours of relief.....not enough. They found another form of fentynal that initially worked.....until the drug company changed the formulation. I was back to where I was....except the pain specialist suggested my trying a second fentynal patch if I had any extras.....I did & I tried.....it worked like a miracle.....but when I went back to the pain specialist.....he denied ever saying that & refused to acknowledge that it worked & refused to continue treating me. It took some searching.....found one pain specialist that wanted to go with the detox.....insisting that is would work.....& refused to say what would happen if it didn't work......she sent me to another pain specialist.....who required another MRI....which showed up leisons in the brain which he said was due to my migraines......which other Dr denied that I even had. This pain specialist was willing to sit down & talk.....told me that the dose was extremely high that I was on but he was willing to try it.....hoping that there would me no need to increase the dose. He told me that his goal was to increase my quality of life......which wouldn't take much if the pain was controlled at all.....well that was 2 years ago.....haven't had a migraine since & no breakthrough pain......I have become the example of the person able to use narcotics with a complete increase in life quality (I am now riding my horses 7 days a week.....& NO PAIN). He says he has all the documentation if the DEA would ever question him.

He is a wonderful person that was willing to go against the norms with values to protect his patients rather than worring about what might be done to him by the extablishment.

Yes, Paxil was just one of the culprits in my life of migraines.

I am sympathising with you but luckily for me it isn't with a sympathy headache. Take care
Debbie

Thanks everyone for responding! Since I haven't been on Paxil very long and the headaches do seem directly related, different than my usual migraines, I am going to probably try withdrawal, see if that eventually helps.

Fortunately this trial of Paxil was an experiment but not vital, I am stable emotionally and mentally pretty much anyway, just was looking to see if Paxil would help further take the edge of anxiety. I do have other coping methods to rely on.

In my research also found noted that Paxil has been seen to interact with the migraine meds I was already on.

Debbie, thank you so much for sharing your story, inspiring to hear of someone who finally found a good pain specialist willing to listen and work as a team with patients.

Sarah

Hmm...Sarah, I'm on 40 mg of Paxil daily and have no headaches, but I have never been bothered by headaches.
Since you are prone to migraines, I guess it could be the Paxil. Be careful with weaning yourself off the medication, however. Any time I've tried to wean myself off the meds, extreme anxiety ensues.
Seeker

Thanks for the reminder, I am being cautious, folks know what I am doing and I'll get help at the slightest sign of odd symptoms. Fortunately I don't have anything scheduled for the next few days other than rest and relaxation.