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 .
Fluoxetine for migraine prophylaxis: a double-blind trial.
UNLABELLED Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have recently been used in the treatment of migraine . OBJECTIVE We studied the safety and efficacy of fluoxetine in the prevention of migraine . PATIENTS Between February 1997 and December 1997 , we examined 52 patients ( 33 women ) at the Headache Diagnosis and Therapy Service of the Second University of Naples . Ages ranged from 18 to 65 years , and all patients suffered from migraine without aura according to IHS 1988 criteria . The sample was divided into two groups : group A included 32 patients ( 19 women ; mean age , 36.8 years [ SD 12.4 ] ) who received fluoxetine at a dosage of 20 mg per day ; group B included 20 patients ( 14 women ; mean age , 38.8 years [ SD 15.6 ] ) who received placebo . METHODS Our study was a single-center , r and omized , double-blind , parallel study of fluoxetine for the prophylactic control of migraine and consisted of two phases : 30 days of pharmacological wash out and 6 months of therapy with monthly follow-up . Patients were r and omly assigned to two groups : A , fluoxetine or B , placebo . At the first visit , patients provided a detailed history and underwent neurological evaluation and a Zung test for depression . No pathological values were revealed . In order to monitor symptomatology , all patients received a form for the calculation of the total pain index at monthly follow-up . RESULTS A comparison of the total pain index between basal values ( calculated during the period of wash out ) and monthly follow-up ( calculated monthly during the period of 6 months of the therapy ) showed significant reduction ( P < .05 ) beginning from the third month of treatment in the fluoxetine group and no significant reduction in the placebo group . CONCLUSION Even if preliminary and to be confirmed , these data seem to support the use of fluoxetine in the treatment of migraine
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 .