night terrors / addictions

Hi again... I am glad to say today has been pain free - so far - without ANY pain pills! Maybe it won't be as bad as I thought. I have been on and off sooooo many drugs - both prescribed by Dr.s and self-prescribed. They have been mainly for the depression/anxiety... I am 28 years old. I have struggled with depression since I was a child. One thing I have noticed on this group is the common link between migraines and depression.

I'm wondering if anyone here had night terrors as a small child. I had them from age 1 - 8 every night. I have always wondered if they could be related. It's always been all in my head- lol.

To Leigh Ann: As far as the narcotics go - it started as pain killers like T3s and demerol for the headaches, but I found they "helped" to temporarily reduce the depression also - that's when it got to be a problem, I had a source on the street for morphine and dilaudid... it got out of control and I ended up on methadone for 2 years. The worst part now is that I can't take that stuff when I really have this physical pain, even though I know it works. I just don't trust myself with a prescription (neither does my doctor). I was brought up with the idea that when you are sick or when you hurt, even mentally, you take pills. (Not that I blame my folks - they were just trying to help ease my pain) I was on meds for the migraines when I was 7 years old.

I wish somedays I could be pure. The only time I was clear of meds was during pregnancy. Right now I am weaning off xanax - slowly. and I was just put on seroquel for the crazies I feel pretty doped up, but the anxiety is a bit better.

Until later ~Mel~

Hi Mel~~

Yes, there is a common link with migraine and depression here. Many times doctors find that anti-depressants have the dual-effect of keeping migraines at bay. Depression is caused by a chemical that does or does not release properly in the brain. It's nothing to feel embarassed or ashamed of. Sometimes counseling goes along with medication, especially when depression has lasted a long time.

Night terrors are also something that has been studied at length. It's been thought to be caused by a mis-firing somewhere in the brain. To a young child, it can be a most horrifying experience. To the parents, it's also extremely difficult, as they cannot understand why this is happening to their child. Parents tend to feel responsible when something is not right with their child and they are not able to fix it. Your parents probably felt relief that they could medicate you when you had migraines.

One way that you might be able to come to terms with what you experienced is to see what you can find about night terrors, either online, the library, or perhaps a medical library. Sometimes, the more information you have, the easier it is to come to terms with what puzzles you.

That's one of the reasons this migraine forum is so helpful.

Getting off of street drugs, and staying clear of additive narcotics is not an easy thing. It is a great accomplishment. I hope that you are proud of yourself. You deserve to be.

Good luck on your continuing work to ease off the other medications.

~~Pegasis