Migraine Tips

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KaraForeman
KaraForeman Posts: 19
in Food and Nutrition
I suffer from frequent migrains.. around 2-4 a month and I dont know if this happens to anyone else, but when I have one my body is so hungry ! I could eat anything in sight. I crave things with sugar like pop and chocolate and also carbs. I also find when I eat these things it helps with the intensity of the migraine.

Does anyone have similar experiences or any suggestions on what to eat during my attacks so I dont fall off the wagon?
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Replies

  • Losingitin2011
    Losingitin2011 Posts: 572 Member
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    Fruit is my go-to food for when I really want sweets during a migraine. I'd say throw together a fruit smoothie and add some greek yogurt and stevia (or your sweetener of choice). It'll give you that sweet flavor with less calories.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,119 Member
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    You can eat? My stomach won't keep anything down. Have you been medically diagnosed, or are you making an assumption that it is a migraine?

    Migraine is accompanied by severe nausea. You may be having monthly cycle headaches, not migraines. They are often accompanied by food cravings.
  • pa_jorg
    pa_jorg Posts: 4,404 Member
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    I crave bagels, breads and crackers when I have a migraine because they're heavy. I find that if I let my stomach feel empty, then I'll get nauseas.
  • Losingitin2011
    Losingitin2011 Posts: 572 Member
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    You can eat? My stomach won't keep anything down. Have you been medically diagnosed, or are you making an assumption that it is a migraine?

    Migraine is accompanied by severe nausea. You may be having monthly cycle headaches, not migraines. They are often accompanied by food cravings.

    Not always true. I have been diagnosed, and I don't get nausea. Ever. I also rarely get auras. Everyone is different.
  • KaraForeman
    KaraForeman Posts: 19
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    yep i have had them since i was little. i have been diagnosed and have a prescription for relpax, which i find helps the headache but doesnt take the food cravings away.

    a often get the auras without the migraine, ive read lots of books about it and understand why it happens. there is also advice to exercise when you have them to get blood circulating more.. but who can do that!??!?
  • KaraForeman
    KaraForeman Posts: 19
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    I crave bagels, breads and crackers when I have a migraine because they're heavy. I find that if I let my stomach feel empty, then I'll get nauseas.

    yes me too ! i always want something fast and heavy. i make kraft dinner or pizza pockets or fast food. im so desperate for it that ill eat anything before thinking. i was impressed today, i stared at mcdonalds for a few minutes and then decided against it, it was super hard!
  • Losingitin2011
    Losingitin2011 Posts: 572 Member
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    I crave bagels, breads and crackers when I have a migraine because they're heavy. I find that if I let my stomach feel empty, then I'll get nauseas.

    yes me too ! i always want something fast and heavy. i make kraft dinner or pizza pockets or fast food. im so desperate for it that ill eat anything before thinking. i was impressed today, i stared at mcdonalds for a few minutes and then decided against it, it was super hard!

    Good Job! That is a big step towards changing your habits! Protein and fiber help to make you feel full, so anything high in both would be a good start.
  • KaraForeman
    KaraForeman Posts: 19
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    You can eat? My stomach won't keep anything down. Have you been medically diagnosed, or are you making an assumption that it is a migraine?

    Migraine is accompanied by severe nausea. You may be having monthly cycle headaches, not migraines. They are often accompanied by food cravings.

    Not always true. I have been diagnosed, and I don't get nausea. Ever. I also rarely get auras. Everyone is different.

    yep i have had them since i was little. i have been diagnosed and have a prescription for relpax, which i find helps the headache but doesnt take the food cravings away.

    a often get the auras without the migraine, ive read lots of books about it and understand why it happens. there is also advice to exercise when you have them to get blood circulating more.. but who can do that!??!?
  • rosieef
    rosieef Posts: 57 Member
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    My mum and sister both get horrific migraines - I am lucky I don't, I have seen for my whole life how horrendous and debilitating a "true" migraine is! Both of them get very hungry, especially for sugars, in the day after the migraine. I guess it's a body repair thing, both of them don't let it throw off their gym/jog routine and just factor the extra calories into the rest of the week.
  • PlanetVelma
    PlanetVelma Posts: 1,231 Member
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    I can't even think about food when i have a migraine, all i want is a dark room, ice water and silence! LOL
  • KaraForeman
    KaraForeman Posts: 19
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    My mum and sister both get horrific migraines - I am lucky I don't, I have seen for my whole life how horrendous and debilitating a "true" migraine is! Both of them get very hungry, especially for sugars, in the day after the migraine. I guess it's a body repair thing, both of them don't let it throw off their gym/jog routine and just factor the extra calories into the rest of the week.

    yeah i think each individual suffers differently. Ive read a lot of literature about them and there are so many kinds and so many reactions. I'll do the same and just factor the bad day into the rest of the week and keep going. I wont let 1 migraine make me give up and eat bad all week.
  • KaraForeman
    KaraForeman Posts: 19
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    I can't even think about food when i have a migraine, all i want is a dark room, ice water and silence! LOL

    haha everyone is so different. i could sleep in a bed of rolls and chocolate .. its not noise that bothers me when i have them , its light and my muscles get very very sore like im tensing for hours at a time. the next day i feel like ive done a total body workout from the migraine. theyre definetly not fun!
  • craftylatvian
    craftylatvian Posts: 599 Member
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    I used to get migraines all the time and it was a hormonal issue. Now I am on Depo, hence no TOM and my migraines have decreased significantly. I get what I call sinus migraines now, bad pressure and pain in my forehead that turns into a migraine.

    After revocering, I always want some sort of junk food. Sometimes its McD's chicken nuggets, or a Whopper, lately its a Jimmy John's BLT.

    I only take Excedrin Migraine for them now, and I think my body shuts down from the pain because I lay down and 5 hours later it feels like I have not slept even though I have. I also stay in the same position when I lie down, unlike when I normally sleep.
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
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    I don't get auras and rarely get nausea *or* munchies! I'm super sensitive to light and sound, though, and have been known to beg people to throw me in a dark, quiet closet for a day or two when I have a migraine.

    One thing my neurologist told me (which I never knew before) is that migraines aren't just headaches - they really do affect the whole body, which is why people *do* get munchies, or feel nauseous, or have muscle fatigue/soreness (I get that too.)

    Relpax and the drugs in that family (Imitrex, etc) don't work for me. What usually does is Naproxen and a heavy dose of caffeine - it might not kick it completely but it takes the edge off and makes it bearable.
  • LeeLeeTunk
    LeeLeeTunk Posts: 84
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    I used to get Migraines alllll the time!!! Doc said its partly due to diet.... MSG, Chocolate and Nuts are triggers for migraines! Ive cut those out of my diet and have seen a major improvment!
  • shiseido_faerie
    shiseido_faerie Posts: 771 Member
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    yep i have had them since i was little. i have been diagnosed and have a prescription for relpax, which i find helps the headache but doesnt take the food cravings away.

    a often get the auras without the migraine, ive read lots of books about it and understand why it happens. there is also advice to exercise when you have them to get blood circulating more.. but who can do that!??!?

    Sometimes I get the auras without the migraine too, it scares the crap out of me EVERY time even though I know what's going on. It's just so unsettling!
  • stacygowler
    stacygowler Posts: 4 Member
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    My dad always got really bad migraines, and then he started taking fish oil for something else...and the migraines stopped. It would be worth a try!
  • Jellyphant
    Jellyphant Posts: 1,400 Member
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    I started getting them more frequently, accompanied with strange period cycles, intense auras, nausea/vomitting and stuff. At first it was cutting out caffeine like the heavy weight, Dr. Pepper. Like you said, everyone's different, but ALOT of people get them from fake sugar so try to avoid the diet soda and crystal light crap that they have out. Even that MIO stuff gives me migraines, even though it 'claims' to have natural sugar or whatever. >:( That was the whole reason I tried it!
  • SDSMarvin
    SDSMarvin Posts: 1
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    I was diagnosed with migraines when I was young and now get a couple different kinds of migraines, including complicated migraines. I get the food cravings before the migraine starts, sometimes a day or just an hour before I feel the pain starting. Once the pain starts I get so nauseous I can't eat. Any suggestions on what to eat that won't ruin my diet but satisfy the cravings? I have a hard time sticking to the diet because even with medication to prevent and to treat I get 7-10 migraines a month
  • MorgueBabe
    MorgueBabe Posts: 1,188 Member
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    Watch your Potassium intake.
    Watch your cured meat intake.

    I used to get migraines sooooo bad. Like 2 a week. the kind that knocked me out and made me throw up for HOURS.
    I used to have imitrix in needles because the pills didn't work fast or strong enough. I had to take a daily preventive medicine on top of all this.

    You know what got rid of my migraines? Cutting out all forms of dairy. No milk, no cheese, no butter.

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