Fellow migraine sufferers...

lrenae501
lrenae501 Posts: 5 Member
edited November 28 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm just curious about any one else's experience with their migraines and diet changes.
I've been logging my food for about 2 weeks, and the first week I had 3 migraines - the worst attack I've had in a loooong time.
I'm wondering if it could be the cut back in my sugar intake? Or just the change in diet over all?
Just curious about other people's experiences...

(I'm not sensitive to gulten - cutting it out of my diet did nothing to help my migraines. I just add that because people hear migraine and diet together they suggest it. Didn't work for me, tho I know it's helped other people).

Replies

  • NinjaChinchillaNZ
    NinjaChinchillaNZ Posts: 56 Member
    Everyone has different triggers. I didn't notice any change in frequency of migraines changing my diet, I just avoid foods that I know can trigger them. It took me a while to figure out what they were. If you've changed your diet drastically it could just be the shock to the system. If you ate a lot of sugar before and have suddenly cut it significantly that can certainly have an effect. 2 weeks isn't long so you may find if you stick with it they will clear once your body gets used to the change.
  • mrsmknitta
    mrsmknitta Posts: 13 Member
    I agree that everyone has different triggers. For me, if I binge on sugar I will get one.
  • GrumpyHeadmistress
    GrumpyHeadmistress Posts: 666 Member
    I have chronic severe migraines (so have had a migraine every day for 5 years) and mine are unconnected to diet. I've tried cutting out everything but to no avail. I'd echo the others and say "give it time to find its own balance".
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    I suffer from migraines, I tried all sorts of elimination diets. It turns out my body is churning out antibodies for my blood vessels (antiphospholipid antibodies). Go figure. Would never have known if I hadn't had a ton of blood work done last year. It did rather explain why no dietary changes really affected them.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    I have chronic (but not usually daily) migraines that aren't always so terrible anymore with my medicines, and I've never had food triggers. I do definitely get them with big blood sugar drops or if I've had too few calories in a day.

    Mine did act up more when starting cutting calories. It took me a couple of weeks of cutting back calories very reasonably before they settled down, and I know I wasn't really having too few calories because my deficit wasn't aggressive at all. So that would be just the change in calories, imho.

    If you've cut out or significantly back on caffeine, remember withdrawal can give a hellacious, long headache, too. Always wean off of caffeine if that's relevant.
  • tomteboda
    tomteboda Posts: 2,171 Member
    If you've cut out or significantly back on caffeine, remember withdrawal can give a hellacious, long headache, too. Always wean off of caffeine if that's relevant.

    Oh man. Yes. This. I was a heavy caffeine drinker from my early teen years until I was 29. I cut out caffeine cold turkey that year. The three day headache was nearly incapacitating. As a lifelong sufferer of terrible migraines, that headache stands out as one of the absolute worst. I'm never going through that again.
  • gtm5
    gtm5 Posts: 27 Member
    For years when I would eat 'healthy' I would make sure to eat nuts and that would trigger my migraines. I did an elimination diet that led to my finding out it was the nuts and in the last few months I have only used my rescue meds twice. I used to need them 2-3 times a week. I mention the nuts because many people do not consider them when looking for migraine triggers and the elimination diet because it was most helpful. Good luck!
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