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Does Excessive Use Of Serotonin Cause Headaches?

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Posted on Tue, 29 Sep 2015
Question: Can too much serotonin cause headaches?
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Answered by Dr. Olsi Taka (22 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Yes.

Detailed Answer:
Hello! Thank you for choosing HealthcareMagic for your health related questions.

Serotonin is one of the several neurotransmitters in the brain. Changes in the levels of one of these neurotransmitters can lead to disruption of their delicate interconnected balance in the brain. As such, alteration of its levels can lead to headache, whether it is low or high levels.

Actually that is proven by the fact that a widely used group of drugs the SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) which increase serotonin levels can have headache as a side effect in over 20% of patients.

So the answer to your question is yes, too high serotonin levels (although there is no test for that) can cause headache.

I hope to have been of help.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Olsi Taka

Neurologist

Practicing since :2004

Answered : 3672 Questions

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Does Excessive Use Of Serotonin Cause Headaches?

Brief Answer: Yes. Detailed Answer: Hello! Thank you for choosing HealthcareMagic for your health related questions. Serotonin is one of the several neurotransmitters in the brain. Changes in the levels of one of these neurotransmitters can lead to disruption of their delicate interconnected balance in the brain. As such, alteration of its levels can lead to headache, whether it is low or high levels. Actually that is proven by the fact that a widely used group of drugs the SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) which increase serotonin levels can have headache as a side effect in over 20% of patients. So the answer to your question is yes, too high serotonin levels (although there is no test for that) can cause headache. I hope to have been of help.