Alison Yates is a multi-hyphenate creative living in Los Angeles. A comedienne and actor, producer, writer, photographer, social media manager, website designer, and skincare consultant (phew!), she performs sketch and comedy regularly with Second City and the Groundlings, and has a production company called The People Zoo. She’s been featured on several TV shows, including Jane the Virgin and Mom. She’s lived with migraines since she was 6 years old, and depression and anxiety since she was 15; she very clearly sees the direct link between her migraines and her mental health symptoms.

Listen in as Alison shares…

- when she had her first migraine (aged 6), and that she sees a genetic link in her family

- that she also has digestive issues associated with her migraines and emotional wellbeing, and as such is always aware of the location of the nearest bathroom

- that her digestive issues are currently undiagnosed (have been diagnosed as IBS in the past), but she manages her symptoms with dietary restrictions

- how her migraines come on and manifest

- treatments she’s tried to manage her migraine symptoms: pharmaceuticals (including Imitrex, Cymbalta, and Aimovig), marijuana and CBD, sleep, chiropractic, massage, physical therapy, acupuncture, Botox, daith piercing, yoga, meditation, and dietary changes

- that many migraine medications also have an antidepressant effect

- that women are more prone to migraines than men

- that her entire life is designed around her migraines

- that there is a cause and effect for every migraine, and her migraines are easily triggered by bright lights and spinal re-alignment (especially Alexander Technique and chiropractic)

- that she sees a direct link between her migraines and depression/anxiety

- that she overdosed on her migraine meds when she was 18

- that she struggled to access Aimovig (monthly migraine medication) for 5 months, and finally got it

- that she’s gone through at least 15 medical practitioners and medical practices in an effort to control her symptoms

- that she experiences numbness after her aura – very similarly to stroke patients; sometimes she can’t distinguish whether she’s having a stroke or a migraine

- that she’s at a higher risk for stroke because of her migraines

- that she has learned to be her own health advocate

- that she makes occasional visits to the ER for morphine if her pain is off the charts

- that her migraines have wrecked her financial life and spiraled her into debt – between specialists, insurance costs, and surgeries

- the guilt she feels when canceling plans when she has a migraine coming on, and the gender divide on guilt and responsibility toward others

- that remote work has been essential to her earning capacity because she can’t work 9-5

- that she’s created her own community of migraine survivors through social media

- that, while social media can be helpful in terms of building community, it can also be incredibly alienating

- that it’s much easier to talk publicly about her migraines than it is for her to address her anxiety and depression

- that migraines have given her some agoraphobia and social anxiety

- that she was told early on by friends that her “feelings were too big”, so she retreated into herself and her comedy is drawn from an accordingly deadpan style

- that acting has been a productive outlet for her depression

- the prevalence of mental illness in the entertainment industry

- that trying to “be better” is exasperating

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020: Depression, Anxiety, Digestive Issues, & Chronic Migraines with Alison Yate 55:59 Share

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020: Depression, Anxiety, Digestive Issues, & Chronic Migraines with Alison Yate