Migraines and Seretonin Connection

Posted by Jennifer Gerics Oct 3, 2006

I was just thinking about the relationship between the onset of a migraine and the tendency to crave sweets, including chocolate, while this is happening. I know that chocolate is supposed to increase seretonin levels in the brain. This chemical reaction results in a person feeling happier, more energetic, and basically in a better mood. Perhaps this is why women often crave chocolate when they are premenstrual, when moodiness and sluggishness can set in. SO....it would make sense that people crave chocolate when they are getting migraines because the headaches occur when seretonin levels drop. The chocolate is actually a kind of remedy, unbeknownst to the suffer, to relieve the headache.

Second observation: certain antidpressants, which raise seretonin levels in the brain (remember the moodiness and sluggishness?), are often used in low doses to prevent headaches. It all now makes sense! It seems like depression and headaches are somehow linked to the lack of seretonin, and antidepressants and chocolate both can raise the levels of seretonin in the brain. I knew chocolate was like medicine!

Stay tuned for more information on medical treatments (including antidepressants) for migraines. Check out this migraine info: Migraine Signs and Symptoms and Migraines: Causes and Triggers.