New York Headache Center

Migraine headaches in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder tend to be more frequent and disabling, according to a study in soldiers led by Dr. Jay Erickson.  Soldiers with PTSD had almost twice as many headaches as soldiers without PTSD and were more likely to have chronic migraines (headaches on more than 15 days a month).  Treatment with preventive medications was slightly less effective in the PTSD group.  Botox injections were not tried in these patients.  It is a well established fact that patients with a history of abuse are more likely to have chronic pain, including headaches.  This is an important part of history since inclusion of psychotherapy may improve treatment outcomes in these patients and, at least in theory, using antidepressants rather than other classes of preventive drugs may be more appropriate.

Both overweight and underweight people are more likely to have migraine headaches, according to a recent study published in journal Cephalalgia.  Being overweight has been shown to increase the risk of chronic migraines in a previous large study, but the discovery of the link between being too thin and migraines is new.  These findings do not mean that regaining normal weight will lead to improvement in headaches, but only that there is an association.  This is not to say that we do not encourage our overweight patients to lose weight.  The best way to achieve this is not only by dieting, but also by engaging in frequent aerobic exercise, which has been found to be associated with fewer migraine headaches.