HRT & Migraines??

[cryan91]

This is my fourth day taking both estradiol and spiro and everyday following the first up until right now I've been getting headaches. I'm sure it has to do with me starting hrt. Is this a common side effect? and if so, does it usually go away after a week or so as your body gets used to it?

[VeryGnawty]

I think migraines happen even in born females if they have high estrogen levels.  However, I have not reviewed the scientific literature on this subject.  Maybe someone else will reply who knows more about migraines.

[Epigania]

Dehydration, maybe?   

[VeryGnawty]

Dehydration, maybe?

Dehydration can create pains throughout the entire body, including the brain/head.

[tekla]

I think migraines happen even in born females if they have high estrogen levels.  However, I have not reviewed the scientific literature on this subject.

You know, if the second sentence is true, why did you bother to write the first?  But they are more common (3X more according to the scientific literature) in women than in men.  But, as long as they are happening in men, then I'm doubting its all about the estrogen.

[VeryGnawty]

You know, if the second sentence is true, why did you bother to write the first?

1)  Hearsay.  I've heard women talking about HRT and headaches.

2)  If I only wrote about things which I have done indepth scientific research on, then I wouldn't be talking about much, would I?  You seem to make a lot of verbose posts, Tekla.  I'm interested in how much time you have spent perusing scientific journals.  If it is more than me, I would be very surprised.

[tekla]

I have a PhD from one of the major science/engineering universities in the world in the history of science and technology, and worked for the DOE (full time) at a Department of Energy National Laboratory where my job was reading scientific journals and marking articles that might be of interest to the director.  Which was fun, because it was attached to a university and he only had a masters so I called him by his first name and he had to call me 'doctor' - though I would have switched that for the difference in pay.

[VeryGnawty]

I have a PhD from one of the major science/engineering universities in the world in the history of science and technology, and worked for the DOE (full time) at a Department of Energy National Laboratory where my job was reading scientific journals and marking articles that might be of interest to the director.

In that case, you have read more scientific articles than me.  However, we are getting terribly off topic.  I suggest we find something useful to post about the subject at hand.

[tekla]

Fine, migraine headaches are a debilitating problem that can pretty much ruin your life, though the medical lit seems to point to genetic causes, they seem more common in women than men, and tend to occur in women when estrogen levels drop, as opposed to increasing.

Regardless, see a doctor, and do it now.  The internet ain't going to help this problem.

[ClaireA]

I'd guess (just a guess) that it is the spiro causing dehydration, which in turn is triggering the migraines.

I've been unfortunate enough to suffer from terrible migraines most of my life, and what I've found is that the number one trigger (at least for me) is stress. Periods of months where I was undergoing more than usual stress lead to like 3-4 migraines a week, and then I could go months without one when I wasn't stressed.

But, as far as the spiro goes, every time I have started it before (like 5 times until I finally got committed to HRT), I'd get migraines for about a week.

But, this is not medical advice, and I am not a doctor - don't take it as such.