Migraines and Depression: Can Treating One Help the Other?

One of the worst aspects of migraines is that they can strike at any time. Whether you're heading to the beach with your family, taking an important test, or trying to get through a shift at work, a migraine is a sure way to derail your plans. If you experience debilitating migraine headaches, you are certainly not alone. Migraines are among the most common health conditions, and affect around 1 out of 7 adults, according to Migraine Trust.

Migraines and Depression: Is There a Link? 

One highly researched aspect of migraine is its relationship to depression. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, roughly 40 percent of people with anxiety and depression also experience migraines. This suggests that if depression is effectively treated, migraines may also subside or become less frequent.

The causal relationship between these conditions is not entirely clear, but it may be due to a shared genetic cause, environmental exposure, neurochemical activity within the brain, or a combination of these factors. According to Psychiatry Advisor, imaging studies have demonstrated that the same structures in the brain, specifically the structures responsible for mood, motivation, and affect, are affected in both depression and migraine.

Aggravating Factors

Migraines and depression in combination can cause a variety of negative effects. For people who have several debilitating migraines each month, not knowing when they will suddenly have to take a day off from work or be unable to participate in a family event can cause sadness, anxiety, and a feeling of lack of control.

A well-known migraine prevention strategy is to follow a routine of good migraine hygiene every day. Going to bed at the same time each day, taking medications at set intervals, and managing stress are all components of good migraine hygiene. If you have depression, however, you might not feel motivated to get up and cook a healthy breakfast for yourself regularly, or you might forget to take your medications or suffer from a bout of insomnia, which could trigger migraines.

We know that treating depression is important for migraine sufferers. Antidepressants and talk therapy are usually the first line of treatment for depression. That said, they don't work for everyone. In fact, roughly one-third of people with depression don't find relief even after trying two medications. If you fall into this category, consider Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) therapy. TMS uses gentle magnetic pulses to activate specific brain regions involved in mood and emotion regulation

Headaches (not migraines) can be a side effect of the TMS therapy, which can make people with frequent migraines worry about getting TMS. An experienced TMS provider can change the sequence and treatment plan to prevent TMS from causing undue pain or discomfort. If your migraines cause you to frequently miss school or work, it can also seem like TMS therapy isn’t an option because it requires coming into the office five days a week for six to nine weeks. Rest assured that it’s fine if you need to skip a day or two of TMS treatment here or there to accommodate your migraine days. We’ll work with you.

Danielle, a patient at Greenbrook TMS, shared details about her treatment experience and the responsiveness of Greenbrook staff in adapting her sequence to prevent migraines: "For my first session at Greenbrook TMS, I wasn't nervous. . . . The only thing I was taken aback by is that I have chronic migraines and the intensity of the pulses was a little too high. The staff immediately noticed I flinched, so the doctor and techs went down on the intensity, and we went more slowly building up, so it wasn't scary. Within two or three sessions, I was relaxed during the whole procedure, no problem at all. I felt like, I'm doing this and it's going to get better."

If you are one of the millions of Americans who experience depression and migraines, consider scheduling a no-cost consultation to learn whether TMS might be right for you.