Elimination diet for migraine

jthillk

I am starting week three. So far so good. I was having up to four migraines a week. I have only had one since starting and that was not due to any food, but the crazy weather.
I have lost nine pounds so far. My blood pressure is now normal. The day I started it was 179/95-granted I have white coat syndrome and that was at the doctor's office- and now it's 117/75.
I gave up soda two months ago. I feel so much better and love waking up without a migraine.

Torxa

What are your triggers?

My known ones are aged cheese, red wine, and Grand Marnier liquor. There are more but I haven't been able to discover them.

liz0269

I have two friends whose migraines are triggered by peanuts.

jthillk

My triggers are processed meats-hot dogs, sausage, bacon, ham, etc. Onions, asparagus, any kind of seasoning mix (gravy mix, taco mixes, etc) MSG, cheese flavorings, shrimp, cashews. Miracle whip, cream cheese, sour cream, Artificial sweeteners (NutraSweet, etc) Beer, wine, caramel colored soda (Pepsi, etc) red licorice. Some chocolate-mostly notice brownies or hot cocoa.
There are more, these are what I can think of off the top of my head. I do well if I avoid all processed food. It can be done, it's not fun. Not having migraines is worth it though.

Redordeadhead

jthillk wrote: »

I am starting week three. So far so good. I was having up to four migraines a week. I have only had one since starting and that was not due to any food, but the crazy weather.
I have lost nine pounds so far. My blood pressure is now normal. The day I started it was 179/95-granted I have white coat syndrome and that was at the doctor's office- and now it's 117/75.
I gave up soda two months ago. I feel so much better and love waking up without a migraine.

Can you share which elimination diet this is? I get migraines too and would be interested to try it.

RelCanonical

jthillk wrote: »

My triggers are processed meats-hot dogs, sausage, bacon, ham, etc. Onions, asparagus, any kind of seasoning mix (gravy mix, taco mixes, etc) MSG, cheese flavorings, shrimp, cashews. Miracle whip, cream cheese, sour cream, Artificial sweeteners (NutraSweet, etc) Beer, wine, caramel colored soda (Pepsi, etc) red licorice. Some chocolate-mostly notice brownies or hot cocoa.
There are more, these are what I can think of off the top of my head. I do well if I avoid all processed food. It can be done, it's not fun. Not having migraines is worth it though.

I can understand that, my mother has migraines too. She is triggered by lactose (so definitely milk and ice cream, and cheese to a lesser degree) and caffeine, although caffeine not as much once she got through menopause.

Torxa

jthillk wrote: »

My triggers are processed meats-hot dogs, sausage, bacon, ham, etc. Onions, asparagus, any kind of seasoning mix (gravy mix, taco mixes, etc) MSG, cheese flavorings, shrimp, cashews. Miracle whip, cream cheese, sour cream, Artificial sweeteners (NutraSweet, etc) Beer, wine, caramel colored soda (Pepsi, etc) red licorice. Some chocolate-mostly notice brownies or hot cocoa.
There are more, these are what I can think of off the top of my head. I do well if I avoid all processed food. It can be done, it's not fun. Not having migraines is worth it though.

You have an amazing list of triggers, that is such an achievement to figure out all those things!

jdog022

Losing weight (80 pounds) nearly eliminated my migraines. Maybe the positive blood pressure changes as a result of that weight loss was the real reason. Who knows. I still eat all the things I used to eat but at a healthy weight I get 1 per year maybe and not nearly so intense. Was at 1-2 vision impaired walk in front of a bus migraines per month pre weight loss. No meds helped.

hermesandcoco

For me alcohol of any type will do it, or MSG. While foods can be a trigger, don't forget there are so so many other contributing factors too.

Other things that I find are very important:
- good sleep - for me 8h a night, don't vary the times you go to bed or get up by more than 2h - key
- manage stress - key
- regular exercise
- stay well hydrated
- avoid big swings in blood sugar - I get headaches after overdoing it and eating way too much, or forgetting to eat and having blood sugar go too low

Caffeine can also be a trigger - either too much or going into caffeine withdrawal (if you have it regularly and have a tolerance and then go without for awhile (variable 16h-2days) you start to withdraw).

Hormonal changes with your menstrual cycle are unavoidable, but a known trigger. I find the weather bothers me too, but also can't do anything about that!

You mentioned high blood pressure - try getting a blood pressure cuff and tracking it at home. High blood pressure is a known cause of headaches.

If you are still having headaches, go talk to your doctor. There are so many medications available - either for treatment once you feel a headache coming on, or daily preventative medications. It often takes some trial and error to find the one(s) that will work for you.

Danp

4x a week?!?!

I haven't had one for a while but when I do have bouts they tend to sideline me for 2-3 days at a time so 4 a week would have me 100% bedridden permanently.

SallyH77

Coffee is my main one, even just smelling it can trigger it. I work in an office so I find it a challenge to stay upwind of the coffee drinkers

mbaker566

my migraines are mostly random
but they can be triggered by weed or red wine, stress, overexertion

jthillk

I went to an allergist a few years ago and he put me on the elimination diet. I don't know if there was a name, but a specific list of foods. No dairy, no gluten, no processed anything. The only fruits were apples and pears and meats were chicken and turkey. That time I lost 16 pounds in the 21days. This time around I am mostly cutting out processed foods and all my known triggers. I am on a low dose blood pressure medicine. I do take Topomax (have for years) and Imitrex for migraines. I am hoping to get to the point where I don't have to take as many meds. I am B12 deficient and anemic which has always kind of confused the doctors, the B12 specifically. My chiropractor thinks I have an auto immune disease that prevents me from absorbing nutrients, but not sure.
I am 52 and definitely get a doozy of a migraine before or after my period. I live in the Midwest and the changes in weather will also trigger a migraine. I feel that the only thing I can control is my eating, so that's where I am starting.

ilovenickcave

Hi I’m just searching around for migraine diet ppl and found this old conversation… if anyone is still interested in talking about this kind of elimination diet, I’ve been on one for a little while and I like it so far. I may start a new discussion tomorrow..

Redordeadhead

ilovenickcave wrote: »

Hi I’m just searching around for migraine diet ppl and found this old conversation… if anyone is still interested in talking about this kind of elimination diet, I’ve been on one for a little while and I like it so far. I may start a new discussion tomorrow..

I am also interested

Hollis100

I posted and then realized this is an old conversation brought back to life (edited to take out comments to the OP). Yes, I'm interested in the elimination diet and will keep an eye out for a new discussion.


I had migraines for years, went to the emergency room a couple of times when they wouldn't stop, and even had an MRI and CT-scan to rule out brain tumors. I was also prescribed medicine I didn't take because it carried a risk of heart attack or stroke.

To my great surprise, my biggest trigger turned out to be over the counter headache meds like Advil, Excedrin, Bayer Aspirin, and other brands. I was getting what are called "rebound headaches" (google it for more info).

My body would get used to the med, and when it wore off, I would get another headache, so I would take more meds and got into a vicious cycle of constant severe headaches.

I stopped all over the counter meds, had one giant headache, and then the migraines went away. I now have a headache about once every three or four years, mostly from getting dehydrated or weather changes.

My triggers now: getting dehydrated, sudden caffeine withdrawal, too much sugar (like chocolate during the holidays), and stormy weather. I can avoid most headaches by watching what I do.

Good luck to anybody suffering from migraines.

emmamcgarity

I have dealt with migraines for many years. I charted it about 30 years ago on a paper calendar. I tracked every headache rated by intensity, all food, sleep schedule, medications taken, and menstrual cycle. After 3 months of data it was clear that certain foods triggered migraines for me only at certain times in my cycle. This info really helped me. I still got migraines due to my cycle, but avoiding triggers for me (chocolate) at certain times of the month helped me lessen the intensity. It also helped my neurologist form a treatment plan.

Now that I’m menopausal, I still have a few migraines but rarely yo the intensity in my younger days. And definitely less frequent.

Things that helped me (non medicine).

Relaxation techniques- dark room, slow breathing, focus on relaxing muscles in face on each exhale.
Ice packs- placing and ice pack on the back of my neck helped ease symptoms. If I was at work where an ice pack wasn’t available, I would buy a cold Diet Coke out of the machine and place the cold can on my neck in lieu of an ice pack.
Unsweetened applesauce- one of the books I read indicated that some headaches are triggered by low blood sugar. So if I hadn’t eaten in a while at the onset I would try to eat the applesauce to give my blood sugar a boost. The same book warned against refined sugars being a trigger. It actually recommended orange juice, but I substituted the applesauce because I needed something shelf stable to keep in my desk at work.
Heating pad- for my shoulders. I found that my shoulders would tighten significantly during a migraine. So a heating pad on my back/shoulders would help relax those muscles that contributed to the pain.
Sleep schedule- this can’t be said enough. For me (and my adult daughter) changes in sleep schedule are a major trigger. So I try to not change my bed time or awake time by more than one hour.

Medicine that helped me
Imitrex- this was a game changer for me. After years of only having narcotics available to treat the pain, my doctor asked me if I wanted to try this when it was brand new. It was only available by injection. It was a major quality of life improvement. One shot and twenty minutes later NO PAIN at all. I could do normal things instead of laying in bed feeling miserable.
Zofran- Many of my migraines have a nausea/vomiting component. Years ago phenergan was the only thing that worked for me but meant I would be sleepy and in bed all day. Zofran does not make me sleepy and works quickly for me.