Two studies compared SSRIs or SNRIs versus amitriptyline and found no evidence for a difference in terms of migraine frequency ( st and ardised mean difference ( SMD ) 0.04 , 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) -0.72 to 0.80 ; I(2 ) = 72 % ) , or other secondary outcomes such as migraine intensity and duration .SSRIs  or SNRIs were generally more tolerable than tricyclics .
Since the last version of this review , the new included studies have not added high quality evidence to support the use of SSRIs or venlafaxine as preventive drugs for migraine .
There is no evidence to consider SSRIs or venlafaxine as more effective than placebo or amitriptyline in reducing migraine frequency , intensity , and duration over two to three months of treatment .
Our conclusion is that the use of SSRIs and SNRIs for migraine prophylaxis is not supported by evidence
BACKGROUND This is an up date d version of the original Cochrane review published in 2005 on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) for preventing  migraine and tension-type headache .
Another up date d review is under development to cover tension-type headache .
Migraine is a common disorder .
The chronic forms are associated with disability and have a high economic impact .
In view of discoveries about the role of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in pain mechanisms , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors ( SNRIs ) have been evaluated for the prevention of migraine .
OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy and tolerability of SSRIs and SNRIs compared to placebo and other active interventions in the prevention of episodic and chronic migraine in adults .
Femoxetine in the prophylaxis of migraine ‐ A randomised comparison with placebo
The prophylactic effect in migraine of femoxetine , a 5‐HT‐uptake inhibitor , was compared to that of placebo in a double‐blind group‐comparative study . A total of 59 patients , referred to the department from general practitioners , was stratified according to age , sex , duration , and frequency of attacks and then allocated at r and om to treatment with either femoxetine or placebo . Each patient was treated for 12 weeks with 200 mg in the first week and 300 in the remaining weeks . Ten patients on femoxetine and four patients on placebo failed to complete the study
Two studies compared SSRIs or SNRIs versus amitriptyline and found no evidence for a difference in terms of migraine frequency ( st and ardised mean difference ( SMD ) 0.04 , 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) -0.72 to 0.80 ; I(2 ) = 72 % ) , or other secondary outcomes such as migraine intensity and duration .SSRIs  or SNRIs were generally more tolerable than tricyclics .
Since the last version of this review , the new included studies have not added high quality evidence to support the use of SSRIs or venlafaxine as preventive drugs for migraine .
There is no evidence to consider SSRIs or venlafaxine as more effective than placebo or amitriptyline in reducing migraine frequency , intensity , and duration over two to three months of treatment .
Our conclusion is that the use of SSRIs and SNRIs for migraine prophylaxis is not supported by evidence
BACKGROUND This is an up date d version of the original Cochrane review published in 2005 on selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) for preventing  migraine and tension-type headache .
Another up date d review is under development to cover tension-type headache .
Migraine is a common disorder .
The chronic forms are associated with disability and have a high economic impact .
In view of discoveries about the role of serotonin and other neurotransmitters in pain mechanisms , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( SSRIs ) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors ( SNRIs ) have been evaluated for the prevention of migraine .
OBJECTIVES To determine the efficacy and tolerability of SSRIs and SNRIs compared to placebo and other active interventions in the prevention of episodic and chronic migraine in adults .