Calorie Deficit = Low Blood Sugar = Migraines?

baylie1114

[quote="cwolfman13;38135808"1,000 calorie deficit is really aggressive...at 1200 you were in a 1200 calorie deficit...even more aggressive. Calorie restriction in general is a stress on the body...the more aggressive it is the greater the stress on the body and for most people I know who suffer from these, stress is a huge factor. I'd say probably a combo of a very aggressive calorie deficit and eating too much sugar.[/quote]

Yeah, okay, I'm hearing everybody. What's frustrating is that, on days when I don't have a migraine, I feel fine at 1200. I'm not hungry or weak or tired, so it feels totally manageable. But I get it; my body is rebelling. Now I'm experimenting to figure out what my body can handle without throwing a hissy fit. ;-)

heybales

baylie1114 wrote: »

So, you guys, when you say that your medication "helps" do you mean that it kills the pain completely after it has started? Or stops it from happening at all? Or numbs it enough for you to function? Am I expecting too much to not have pain at all???

If I wake up with one roaring, a full dose may take a couple hours to knock it out - gone.

If it starts coming on and really early sometimes the OTC can stop or minimize it. Sometimes that just drags it on most the day.

Otherwise a half-dose knocks it out.

But - I don't get long ones even if I miss the med's - maybe 4-6 hrs.
And even though all senses are heightened to max and neck may be as tight as anything, I've never gotten to puke stage - can't function normally, but not as bad as many others.
I feel fortunate compared to what I know others deal with and somehow make their way through with.

trisH_7183

baylie1114 wrote: »
So, you guys, when you say that your medication "helps" do you mean that it kills the pain completely after it has started? Or stops it from happening at all? Or numbs it enough for you to function? Am I expecting too much to not have pain at all???"

Mine are hormone related ,first one happened 3 days after a hysterectomy & the hormone therapy made me deathly ill.No hormones for me & migranes were nearly every day. I would be freezing..nothing helped Had aura,couldn't stand light or noise. Went to bed in blacked out room,couldn't sleep......just dozed a bit,feeling sick to stomach.12 hrs later,like clockwork..went into deep sleep for 8 hrs,awoke feeling fine. It took 10 yrs for the Dr to try Maximalt...or some such name. It took an hr to stop the migrane,but left me in a sit & stare state for hours & then to bed.

When the Excedrin med helped...stopping migrane in just over 1/2 hr.......it wasn't/isn't perfect.Leaves me feeling dreary & all in.....but compared to before,has been like a miracle & very thankful for it. Get help & insist on another Dr if need be. Pat

drivennightrunner87

elphie754 wrote: »

Undereating itself can cause headaches. If you truly suspect a blood sugar issue, you need to see your doctor.

Also trembling

GottaBurnEmAll

baylie1114 wrote: »

So, you guys, when you say that your medication "helps" do you mean that it kills the pain completely after it has started? Or stops it from happening at all? Or numbs it enough for you to function? Am I expecting too much to not have pain at all???

I'm used to a low level of constant pain and have a very high pain threshold. If I take my DHE at the first sign of a migraine, I can prevent the worst of the symptoms and keep functioning in dim rooms. Sometimes I need to medicate for a few days in a row, but I'd rather do that than be in misery for a few days in a row.

I can't tell you the last time I vomited with a migraine. I've gotten to be very good at nipping them in the bud. For example, I woke up in the middle of the night the night before last with one brewing and dosed myself so I wouldn't wake up with one out of control on me. Worked like a charm. I needed a second dose later in the day, but it was better being ahead of the headache than trying to play catch up. I usually don't fare as well with the pain level when I'm doing that.

sijomial

baylie1114 wrote: »

GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »

I take Butterbur too, that has been tested clinically. I'm sorry it stopped helping you.

What meds is your doctor trying to get you to take? A lot of pills are rescue medications to take as interventions.

The thing with migraine protocols is they are like a ladder you need to work your way up.

I've run through the whole gamut myself.

I'm at the very top of the ladder now, getting therapeutic botox and using injectable rescue meds along with two daily medications I take for support, but it took a long time of trial, error, and failure to get here. A lot of this was done simply because insurance won't let you jump straight to the end game.

Doc just has me on rescue triptans. They have never helped a bit, even when I take them at the first the aura flickering. As someone else said, the only thing that has even touched them is Excedrin Migraine, and really it only helps with the hangover phase a little.

It's encouraging to know that there are people in the world who have gotten them under control though, and that it's not something I'll just have to live with forever. When they only come around once every few months, I can kinda brush them off. But definitely not once a week! Ughh....

I was lucky with a good GP and we worked through a few options before I found a way to get some control over my migraines.

Imigran (triptan) was totally ineffective.
Beta blockers pretty ineffective and disliked the side effects when exercising.

Ended up with a combination of Pizotifen as a daily preventative which reduced the frequency. (Side effect can be increased appetite.) Migril (quite an old fashioned drug) for the treatment when they occurred (ergotamine plus anti-nausea).

OTC meds that worked to a degree if taken early enough were pink Migraleve (paracetamol, codeine, buclizine). These days for very mild attacks ibuprofen lysine (not standard ibuprofen) helps.

Trouble with Migril was a small weekly limit on number of tablets which I frequently reached.
On occasion I did a fairly brutal method of pushing cardio through the pain barrier to force blood flow to regulate normally. But that's taking an already painful situation to another nasty, but shorter duration, level - really only suitable for people who have a screw loose and/or are desperate to break an intolerable cycle.

trigden1991

I get headaches when I reduce carbohydrates past a certain point. This goes after a day or 2 usually.
If you think your blood sugar levels are not correct, seek help from a doctor.

PoundChaser2

I get migraines because im hypo I still don't get why. Either way migraines suck.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

I get a really severe migraine once every 15-20 years like clockwork. no idea why. for me I take something over the counter,put some vicks vaporub on my forehead with a warm cloth(be careful not to get in your eyes) and I lay down in a dark room where its quiet. seems to help every time. but thats me so it may not work for everyone.I tend to get headaches often though but thankfully they arent migraines. I get a really bad one before TOM and after I do extensive cardio.

baylie1114

sijomial wrote: »

baylie1114 wrote: »

On occasion I did a fairly brutal method of pushing cardio through the pain barrier to force blood flow to regulate normally. But that's taking an already painful situation to another nasty, but shorter duration, level - really only suitable for people who have a screw loose and/or are desperate to break an intolerable cycle.

Dear god, that makes me want to cry just thinking about. haha!

robininfl

baylie1114 wrote: »

So, you guys, when you say that your medication "helps" do you mean that it kills the pain completely after it has started? Or stops it from happening at all? Or numbs it enough for you to function? Am I expecting too much to not have pain at all???

For me personally - Imitrex (the triptan shot) completely unwinds the migraine. No nausea, no pain, no drowsiness, no oversensitivity, it is not a painkiller, it is a migraine-killer. When it works, it works completely and it does not feel like being drugged, the migraine is just gone. Freaking miraculous. It has a very unpleasant "rush" at the start that is difficult to get used to, but at this point I associate it with relief.

robininfl

Oh - and for a pleasant non drug remedy - sex can work if you do it before the pain starts, O changes the blood flow somehow and can nip it in the bud.

Dried cherries sometimes work (they have natural asprin) and are about the least unpleasant thing to vomit if they don't work.

I tried a lot of things when I didn't have any access to healthcare. Sex was the most reliable natural remedy (nowhere near as reliable as the drugs) if timed correctly.

kookaymonster

I think everyone has different triggers for their migraines. What worked for me was keeping a small log of when I had them and trying to pinpoint what was causing them. When I started dieting, I noticed that I almost always had a terrible migraine if I skipped a meal or went a little too long without eating or drinking. Even though I would end up eating the recommended daily calories, once the migraine started, it would pretty much debilitate me until the next morning.

My doctor just recommend pain medication or a shot which I try to steer away from as much as possible. Preventing the migraine with well balanced meal and eating/drinking regularly worked for me!

phonerobot

Increase protein. Eat a protein to every carb group of foods. In other words, if you eat a muffin, have an egg or a protein on the side. This stabilizes BS and prevents the carb crash which yields more carb cravings. I learned this from being a 2x gestational diabetic. It helps to also increase caloric consumption to accommodate the protein, especially if your trying to maintain weight.