Dealing With Headaches

Although the FDA is struggling for survival admidst the yawns of Washington, it is still lively enough to put out some press releases. And this time, HealthCanada agrees with the warning and is circulating the news in Canada. This latest warning is about anti-convulsants or epliepsy drugs. Since many migrainuers are perscribed anti-convulsants to help them manage their pain, that is why I’m posting the warning here.

Call Your Doctor If Your Have Suicidal Thoughts

The FDA’s warning for anti-convulsants is pretty much the same as it’s warnings for anti-depressants: they can make make you feel like killing yourself. This doesn’t mean you ophysically feel worse, but you feel hopeless, a lot more so than before you began the meds.

The FDA began looking into the reports that anti-convulsants markedly increased suicidal feelings back in 2005. After 200 studies of 11 anti-seizure drugs, they have come to the conclusion that these drugs can mess with your head.

If you are just about to start a course of antipressants or anti-seizure medication for migraines (or for anything else), then you need to let someone know you are taking them. This could be a friend or relative who calls you or someone living with you. Worse comes to worse, your doctor’s receptionist might call to check up on you. Ask them and they might be able to call you.

When you get really suicidal fast, you might not realize that it’s becaise of the medication. The feelings can be so overwhelming that you think that feeling suicidal is natural and therefore should be acted on. This is why you need the input of another set of eyes and ears to see how you are doing.

The Drug List

Although the FDA warning applies to all anti-convulsant drugs in general, the FDA studies focused on these eleven drugs:

Carbamazepine (marketed as Carbatrol, Equetro, Tegretol, Tegretol XR)
Felbamate (marketed as Felbatol)
Gabapentin (marketed as Neurontin)
Lamotrigine (marketed as Lamictal)
Levetiracetam (marketed as Keppra)
Oxcarbazepine (marketed as Trileptal)
Pregabalin (marketed as Lyrica)
Tiagabine (marketed as Gabitril)
Topiramate (marketed as Topamax)
Valproate (marketed as Depakote, Depakote ER, Depakene, Depacon)
Zonisamide (marketed as Zonegran)

Suicidal Signs

Unfortunately, they don;t come in literal neon color, but sudden peculiar actions by those you know well can act just like a neon sign that they are planning on ending it all. These include:

• Sudden loss of interest in everything they used to love
• Too much sleep or insomnia when they used to sleep OK
• Giving away most of their posessions
• Talking about death or dying a LOT more than usual
• Isolation from even the closest members of friends and family

Just like with anti-depressants, not everyone will be bothered by anti-convusants for migraines. Some people can take it without getting suicidal and without getting migraines.

Hope this helps.