Sugar & Headaches

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hippiechel
hippiechel Posts: 170 Member
in Food and Nutrition
recently, sometimes when i eat something that has a bunch of sugar, i almost instantly get a headache (maybe 5 minutes after i finish eating it). i don't know if this is the sugar causing the headache or something else entirely that makes this connection coincidental.

examples of things i ate which were followed by a headache
- shamrock shake from mcdonald's
- half a slice of cheesecake
- 1/2 cup of cottage cheese with pineapple

things to note about me
1. sometimes i binge eat (usually sugar related). i can finish a huge bag of willy wonka's marble pieces in 1 sitting, no problem.
2. i have been trying to cut down on my sugar intake but i haven't been taking note as much the past 2-3 weeks.

umm yeah that's about it, not sure if i should provide any other information. just curious if anyone has experienced the same problem. or have any idea if my headaches are indeed caused by sugar or something else. it does not happen all the time when i consume something sugary, but i think in the past two days it has been more significant.

Replies

  • khrys1
    khrys1 Posts: 444 Member
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    I've had the opposite problem- that when I've consistenly eaten a lot of sugar and then stop, it's almost like I get withdrawl symptoms- don't feel so good and get headaches. Maybe you're having the problem that you're not used to the sugar and your body is telling you to stop! (Bummer, cause it tastes so good! ;o)
  • TiniTurtle
    TiniTurtle Posts: 595 Member
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    i had one of those AMAZING shamrock shakes & it gave me a headache too :o( sooooo yummy, though soooo bad for us!
  • neelia
    neelia Posts: 750 Member
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    Is it real sugar or sugar substitue? I get MAJOR headaches from products that contain aspartame
  • hippiechel
    hippiechel Posts: 170 Member
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    Is it real sugar or sugar substitue? I get MAJOR headaches from products that contain aspartame

    real sugar. i refrain from using artificial sugar substitutes.. i use stevia in my teas but that's about it.

    @jnlynch - i know! so good yet so bad. or so bad yet so good. depends how you look at it. but i didn't like the cherry that they put inside.
  • redefiningmyself
    redefiningmyself Posts: 476 Member
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    I get migraines from dairy - all the choices you listed also have dairy, so maybe its not the sugar?
    What my doctor recommended to me was to write down everything I eat and what time I get headaches, the intensity etc. Then start eliminating things from your diet that are suspect. Add them back in one item per week to identify the triggers.

    I hope that helps.

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