Going gluten-free for migraines?

bpotts44

Its worth a shot and a little self experimentation won't cost you much. No sugar, no grains really isn't that hard to follow.

kotarea

I have had intense migraines such as yours since I was 2, :frown: doctors had my mom cutting and adding things from my diet my whole childhood, no MSG, add MSG, no caffeine, add caffeine, no sugar, add sugar, no gluten, add gluten, etc... :noway: nothing ever really helped. But now I must be doing something right, I have not had a migraine in over a year (just my daily pesky headaches) I cut out meat, however I am a pescatarian, I stick to lots of fruit and vegetables and stay away from candy and junk food. As long as I eat healthy the migraines stay away which is good given that I am trying to get to a healthier weight but like I stated previously I do continue to deal with daily headaches, some days worse than others some days better, but everyday always there.

Dragonwolf

I changed to a ketogenic diet for health reasons, but I haven't gotten a migraine since :-) I used to get them once a month, the day before my period started. Awful migraines - in tears, vision blacking out, strong desire to put an ice pick through my eyesocket. It might have been something else about keto, but I'm definitely gluten free now. I do not have celiac or any wheat/gluten allergies.

The state of Ketosis is widely known among neurologists to have protective effects on the brain. In fact, the Keto diet was originally designed to reduce the number of seizures in epileptic patients, and has been effectively used for nearly a century now.

I haven't heard much about gluten free for migraines, but Ketogenic diets (low carb, high fat, moderate protein) has shown promise on pretty much every neurological front, including migraines and cluster headaches. As a migraine/cluster headache sufferer, I can attest to power of this kind of diet, even without going into deep ketosis (on the order of less than 50g of net carbs a day; I see results at just about anything less than 100g of carbs a day).

About two years ago, I started following a paleo dietary framework (Primal Blueprint, specifically), for reasons other than my migraines/headaches, and dropped my carbs down to under 100g (total) and eliminated all grains except for the occasional white rice and in-season ear of corn. As a result, I went from taking 800mg of Ibuprofen pretty much daily to taking none at all within a month of switching.

For various reasons (not the least of which being emotional and stress related), some sugary and starchy foods have worked their way back in, and as a result, I've started finding some specific triggers, including my ever-beloved mashed potatoes (at least during a cluster period) and excess sugar in general. So, I'm working on kicking that stuff back out and getting back to getting my carbs from non-starchy vegetables and some fruit.

Going gluten free for migraines and other issues will only help if you have a gluten intolerance.

To find out if you have a gluten intolerance go see a doctor.

In order for testing to give a correct diagnoses you want to keep eating gluten.

Gluten intolerance is only diagnosable through an elimination diet, there are currently no tests for it. Therefore, if you have migraines and eliminate gluten, and your migraines go away, it would stand to reason that you are gluten intolerant, and it's not really possible to wait for a GI diagnosis before cutting out gluten.

That said, it is generally advised to keep eating gluten and get the Celiac test done to rule that out, mainly because doctors won't do a biopsy until they get a positive blood test (the villi take quite some time to heal, if they ever do, but the markers leave the blood relatively quickly).

Boycrazymommy

I have been a life long sufferer as well, I was diagnosed with celiac almost 2 years ago, and at first my headaches got worse and more intense. Some one told me to add more healthy fat like avacado and coconut oil and take magnesuem (spelling). And that has helped. I still do get occasional migranes but it's only a few times a year instead of a few times a month. I still get pretty bad headaches but not like I used to. Good luck, going GF is tough at first.

_Zardoz_

I'm in the midst of reading "The Migraine Miracle" by Josh Turknett. So far, it's describing my life since late childhood... plagued by unpredictable and debilitating migraines and having narrowed down few triggers. I've missed concerts, days of work, spent vacations throwing up, and slept on my bathroom floor during my college graduation party all because of migraines. :sick:

The book suggests eliminating a number of things from your diet. Some like added sugars won't be that hard... But going gluten free? I'm a comfort food eater. I love bread. I love pasta. I love pasta with a side of bread.

But I'm willing to do almost anything to get rid of these migraines and take control of my life.

My question: Have any of you switched to a gluten-free diet for your migraines? And did it work? :huh:

I have never heard or read any evidence as Gluten as a cause of Migraines. As a sufferer myself if it was I'd happily eliminate it I think you'll just make yourself more miserable for no real reason just my opinion.. Sometimes I'm afraid there is no obvious cause for them

daliyanin

I did. I also have been a migraine sufferer since childhood, also debilitating. In my adolescent years I would get them frequently, 3 a month or more. But as I got older they lessened to about once or twice a month. I went to a wellness doctor to try and see if there was something I could change, without taking prescriptions, to get rid of my migraines. She suggested going Gluten Free for other medical reasons, but said it may help my migraines as well.

I have been Gluten Free since December 26 of last year. I have noticed a difference in many aspects of my life, one of them being my migraines. I have had 2 since I started this diet, so it sure beats the 6-10 I would normally have had. During this time I also realized I was really stressed, and started meditating and doing yoga. I believe a combination of all of these things has helped me.

Best of Luck!

fittocycle

I noticed a difference as well. Most of my migraines only involved the aura, although I would also get a headache from time to time as well.

After going gluten free, my migraine auras became further and further apart. It's been a year and almost three months since my last aura. I've been gluten free for two years and six months.

If you do try a gluten free diet, research it carefully. Gluten is hidden in a number of foods (such as some soy sauce), not just the obvious foods such as bread. If you read the labels, you might find it in your favorite granola bar or cereal. You really do need to be diligent about it to see if it will help your headaches.

I hope you get some relief soon. Migraines are no fun at all! Take care!

Dragonwolf

I noticed a difference as well. Most of my migraines only involved the aura, although I would also get a headache from time to time as well.

After going gluten free, my migraine auras became further and further apart. It's been a year and almost three months since my last aura. I've been gluten free for two years and six months.

If you do try a gluten free diet, research it carefully. Gluten is hidden in a number of foods (such as some soy sauce), not just the obvious foods such as bread. If you read the labels, you might find it in your favorite granola bar or cereal. You really do need to be diligent about it to see if it will help your headaches.

I hope you get some relief soon. Migraines are no fun at all! Take care!

"Soy" sauce is actually partially a misnomer, as it's usually includes fermented wheat.

Also, regarding granola -- most granola is made with oats, which aren't considered a gluten grain themselves, but are very often cross-contaminated by gluten grains. So make sure you get certified gluten free oats.

Don't just look for the grains themselves. A lot of foods use derivatives of gluten, which includes glutamic acid (and its cousins -- monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract; note - glutamic acid is a common protein found in a lot of foods, even naturally occurring, but generally, food additives get it from fermenting gluten-containing grains; so unless you know the source of the glutamic acid, it's best to avoid it), maltodextrin, malt, seitan, modified food starch, "flavorings," and "seasonings."

An easy way to remember what grains should be avoided -- BROW (barley, rye, oats, wheat). It should be noted, though, that all grains contain some amount of gluten in them, so those that have gone gluten-free and still getting migraines might want to try completely grain-free (personally, I just find it easier to shop the perimeter and avoid boxed foods in general).

Here's a more thorough list of gluten-containing foods:
http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/copingwiththediet/a/Gluten-On-Food-Labels.htm

cpettigrew

I have suffered from migraines my whole life (33). I have tried everything under the sun. GF never stopped them. "Sugar-free" never stopped them. It reduced the frequency in my late teens and early twenties, and I was not on prescription medications. Now, I am in my thirties, eating better than I ever have, am over all healthier than I have ever been, and I am on 3 separate medications for migraines, 2 of them taken daily, and under doctor supervision because their frequency and intensity has increased in the last 3 years.

rebalee8

Going gluten-free is only going to stop your migraines if gluten is a trigger for them. Gluten intolerance as nothing to do with it - as a couple of the posters with celiac disease and migraines whose migraines haven't stopped have shown.

And the only way to determine that is to do the elimination diet where you eliminate all potential trigger foods - http://www.healthcentral.com/migraine/triggers-29502-5.html - for about two weeks, then introduce them back in about a week apart. Generally, if a food is a trigger, a migraine will happen within about 48 hours. If you add them all back in with no migraines, you're unlikely to have food triggers (Hi! Welcome to my world), which makes controlling harder and more likely to be medication-based (something like topirimate or some other preventative if you have regular migranes).

Regarding gluten itself though - you're more likely to be triggered by yeast than gluten, which can be confusing since most yeast products are wheat-based and therefore have gluten as well. So cutting out gluten could make it seem like it's the trigger, when it's actually the yeast.

kelseyhere

Usually when people eliminate gluten from their diet they can reduce headaches not because of the gluten, but because they are eating less sugar. Almost everything you think of with gluten is also highly-processed, and has added sugar. Sugar spikes and crashes cause headaches. Eating less gluten products means eating less sugar, which means fewer spikes, which means fewer headaches.