Many migraineurs become depressed during the migraine but are fine the rest of the time. The mind-body connection is a very powerful thing, and often treating with both medications and therapy is very effective. I have seen severe migraine headaches that were resistant to medication go completely away with hypnotherapy, for example, although this is not the rule. There is a very slight increase in the risk of stroke in migraineurs in general versus the general population. There are some specific, unusual subtypes of migraine that do carry an increased risk of stroke.
Many researchers feel that migraine stroke has been grossly overestimated.
People with migraine get older, have risk factors for stroke or a family history of stroke. Some of them will have strokes when older, but not necessarily because of the migraines. So new diagnostic criteria are being developed so that we can be more specific about this and determine which strokes really are due to migraine so that we can quote accurate statistics as to the risk of migrainous stroke. Magnesium can also be helpful for some migraine patients. I often use riboflavin in pregnant women who cannot take medications.