Foods that trigger migraines?

TKHappy

I used to get them very badly, to the point where I was vomitting....I got put on Imitrex and that helped. I do not like depending on drugs sooo I did everything in my power to get rid of them without meds AND I have not had one for almost a year. I did a few things:

*stopped drinking artificially sweetened drinks (no more diet drinks)
*Got my eyes checked (I needed glasses)
*Got my sugar checked (Borderline diabetic)
*Eat frequent meals with a good balance of carbs and proteins
*Added Vitamin D, B-Complex, Calcium w/ Magnesium and Zinc and Iron
*Switched my birth control
*Make sure I sleep at least 7 hours a night
*AND water water water...can't tell you how many times they were due to dehydration.

Seems like a lot but these were all triggers for me

MelissR75

almonds, which I never knew triggered them! I have been migraine free for a few months now until last Friday. The only thing I can pinpoint is the almonds I had. I had almond milk that morning and dry roasted almonds as a late morning snack. It started right after that ):
Mine are the same way...12-15hr of vomiting and not getting out of bed.

Samst19429

definately too much salt, not enough water, and even lack of eating. I get them almost twice a month also and sometimes it results in me vomiting and i know its from me having too much salt an not eating enough

MelissR75

Common triggers include red wine and chocolate. :grumble:

I cut out all artificial sweeteners - including HFCS - so my soda comsumption plummeted, which helped both with migraines and weight. :happy:

Some people are triggered by fluorescent lights; if that is a factor for you, changing the lighting in your work area should be considered a "reasonable accommodation".

My headache diary showed TOM to be a trigger, so my physician put me on continuous OC's.

Good luck!!

Mine is always worse during TOM also, so I guess I'm wondering if it may be a food combined with my hormones. What are OC's?

I cant take OC's, but my doc put me on a beta bloker and that has been my life saver

sunshinedazed

I've pushed through work with a full-bore migraine. It's not impossible. Sometimes you don't have a choice. Once I sat at my desk crying like a baby and throwing up in my trash can as opposed to trying to remain stoic. Even then my boss was a total jerk about letting me leave. Ugh.

That said, anything estrogen-elevating (fermented stuff, mostly) triggers mine. My OCs were the leading cause. Migraines went MOSTLY away after switching... then, oh, weird, migraines again. Doctor suggested I start a food journal. Turns out right about the time they started again, I'd switched to soy milk to combat some GI issues that were actually unrelated. Strong cheeses, most alcohols, etc, all give me what I call "mini migraines", too, lol. Worse than a headache, but I can still take care of what has to be done.

veganbaum

Oh, someone's post just reminded me - a lot of people who get migraines have been found to be deficient in magnesium. Some of those people can increase it through food or a supplement and have their migraines completely go away. Others might be deficient and increase it but will still get migraines. So that's something to consider. It hasn't gotten rid of mine to increase it but sometimes if I'm getting one I can take some Natural Calm magnesium and it will curb it.

Love2HikeMT

I used to suffer from severe, incapacitating migraines and ended up going to the Cleveland Clinic for evaluation. I was told to avoid the following foods: alcohol (wine, beer, etc.), chocolate, peanuts, MSG, citrus (especially grapefruit), carbonated beverages. I know there were some others, but can't recall. I was also told to avoid being out in bright sunlight without wearing good, dark sunglasses. Some scents would also trigger a migraine, such as being around someone who wears perfume and smokers.

The funny thing is that I suffered from migraines while living in south Florida (low altitude). Since I moved to the mountains of Montana I've never had another migraine. Higher altitude? Blood is thinner at higher altitudes... And, now I can enjoy a glass of red wine without difficulty.

There are many different causes of migraines. I would suggest you see a professional with expertise in migraines and undergo a thorough evaluation. I had a complete workup at the Cleveland Clinic - MRI with contrast, blood work, etc.

cath129

Everyone's triggers are different. Weather and humidity are big triggers for me. Also, my neurologist said there is strong correlation between weight and migraines.

duhblond

Hi
Caffeine, imitation sugar, and alcohol are triggers for me....
Neurologist told me to cut them out of my diet completely or have the same amount each day.
I choose to cut them out, but if I'm going to indulge... I massively consume water before during and after lol
Sure not as sexy to have a water bottle with my wine :P but it has made the frequency of the migraines go down substantially.
Hope that helps.

cherbapp

Another vote for blue cheese...I can have very little (yep I'm dumb enough to try) or I end up with a migraine the next day.

Also alcohol if more than half a serving...which I can do without.

And other random aged or marinated foods...like greek or Spanish olives. Though calamata olives haven't done it.

Lack of caffeine did it too, until my dr explained that the amount I drink (1 coffee, 1 soda) per day really is less harmful and way cheaper than loading up on excedrin and immitrex.

Tangerine302

I'm so glad you started this subject! I've never been a headache kind of person until last year. Stress does some awful things to you. My migraines aren't near like they were last year, but I still get them. I have read sooo much about them. One thing that works great is Excederin Migraine. I don't like taking any more medicine than I have to so I have been trying to figure out what is triggering them and how to change that.

I (like another post said) read about bananas! I love bananas!!! I buy them all the time. Well, MFP is also great for tracking your food for other reasons besides weight. The sites that talked about bananas mentioned that if they eat a banana within 24 hrs. it triggers migraines for a lot of people. I didn't think it could be but I looked through my diary, and at the comments at the bottom of each day on whether I had a migraine or not. On the days that I had one I looked at the day before and sure enough I had a banana! I thought oh it's just a coincidence. I kept finding the migraine days and the banana always on the day before. It was getting really weird. Then I would go a week without a headache, looked for bananas and there weren't any. Then I would find where I had a migraine and then I would find a banana the day before again. I traced all the days back to January and there were just 3-4 times where it didn't coinside. One day we ate at HuHot (lot of teriaki/soy sauce) and had one the day after. Another was doing HRBlock online for taxes. ha I couldn't believe what I saw regarding bananas. I love them, but passed them up at the store today just to see what happens. One of my favorite summer treats are chocolate covered frozen bananas with nuts! Why couldn't it be an odd fruit or something. Anyway, I'm going to try it without and go from there.

I hope all of you can find relief, they truly are an awful thing to have. I remember when I didn't know much about them and tried to take tylenol. It doesn't even touch it and I remember the pills were soooo loud in the bottle I could hardly get them out. I keep the excederine migraine in my purse though.

princessdracos

I (like another post said) read about bananas! I love bananas!!! I buy them all the time. Well, MFP is also great for tracking your food for other reasons besides weight. The sites that talked about bananas mentioned that if they eat a banana within 24 hrs. it triggers migraines for a lot of people. I didn't think it could be but I looked through my diary, and at the comments at the bottom of each day on whether I had a migraine or not. On the days that I had one I looked at the day before and sure enough I had a banana! I thought oh it's just a coincidence. I kept finding the migraine days and the banana always on the day before. It was getting really weird. Then I would go a week without a headache, looked for bananas and there weren't any. Then I would find where I had a migraine and then I would find a banana the day before again. I traced all the days back to January and there were just 3-4 times where it didn't coinside. One day we ate at HuHot (lot of teriaki/soy sauce) and had one the day after. Another was doing HRBlock online for taxes. ha I couldn't believe what I saw regarding bananas. I love them, but passed them up at the store today just to see what happens. One of my favorite summer treats are chocolate covered frozen bananas with nuts! Why couldn't it be an odd fruit or something. Anyway, I'm going to try it without and go from there.

I hope all of you can find relief, they truly are an awful thing to have. I remember when I didn't know much about them and tried to take tylenol. It doesn't even touch it and I remember the pills were soooo loud in the bottle I could hardly get them out. I keep the excederine migraine in my purse though.

It kills me to not be able to eat bananas! I love the darn things, and they're so readily available, cheap, and rarely bad quality. I'm glad you figured it out, but I'm sorry you're another victim of the mean yellow fruit :brokenheart:

Tangerine302

I agree, it is sad. Maybe that advertisement that I always would see about the banana and the foods you should avoid was somehow giving me a warning. ha
It's just so weird how things change though. I've eaten bananas all my life and never had problems. Well, I hope this will help. Have any of you looked through your diaries for the banana too? I'm so glad I started putting the days down when I had a migraine in the notes area.

nlwilliamson

I don't know about foods, but have you tried Chiropractic care for your migraines? Sometimes when you have a subluxation in your neck/spine it can trigger horrible migraines. Just a thought