Diagnosis and treatment of migraine in the patient with depression

Migraine headache is an enormous health care burden resulting in billions of dollars in workforce revenue lost and millions of lost workdays per year. Migraine headaches and depression are common comorbidities and require expertise in treatment and prevention.

The aim of this article is to update the nurse practitioner (NP) on best clinical practices for managing the patient with migraine and previously diagnosed depression. This will include an overview of the pathophysiology of migraine, as well as criteria for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and patient teaching.

Migraine and depression are commonly linked and require expertise in treatment to achieve the best patient outcomes.

Patients with migraine are more likely to have depression than the general population. Both conditions require optimal treatment and patient education to reduce overall disease burden. A better understanding of the relationship between depression and migraine will enable the NP to better manage patients with migraine and comorbid depression.