will cutting gluten help my migraines?

just read a blog on here in which the author is giving up gluten to see if it helps with his migraines - i find it very interesting as i suffer with awful migraines and have a constant headache 24/7. i have learnt to deal with it so i canstill work and be a mum but has anyone else found that glutne can cause migraines? i would love to be able to have just 1 day without a headache. i have had smoe very stressful times at home the last few months which my gp thinks has caused them to flare up but would it be worth trying? opinions greatfully recieved.

thanks! :flowerforyou:

xxx
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Replies

  • luvhandles74
    luvhandles74 Posts: 85 Member
    Try it and see! You won't know if you don't try right and it certainly won't hurt you to do it. If you have any kind of intolerance for it you'll know within a week of cutting it out.
  • ElizabethRoad
    ElizabethRoad Posts: 5,138 Member
    If gluten triggers your migraines, then cutting it out should stop them. No one here can tell you what triggers yours. You have to figure that out yourself.
  • wgn4166
    wgn4166 Posts: 771 Member
    I have a headache almost every day. I read that this may be because of the lack of magnesium in my body.
    I don't know anything about the gluten free diet.
    I get so desperate, that I carry my migraine meds with me at all times.
  • MrsBully4
    MrsBully4 Posts: 304 Member
    Loooots of foods may be triggering your migraines. Gluten is a common one, I say give it a shot.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Cutting might help, but I don't advise it.
    Glueton might, talk to your Dr.
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
    I recommended it to 2 different friends, and their symptoms went away immediately. Doesn't mean it will work for everyone, but its worth a shot. Gluten is hidden in a ton of ingredients, so make sure you do your research.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    It's worth a shot. Going gluten free for a week or two to see might be inconvenient, but if it works, it'll be worth it.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    just read a blog on here in which the author is giving up gluten to see if it helps with his migraines - i find it very interesting as i suffer with awful migraines and have a constant headache 24/7. i have learnt to deal with it so i canstill work and be a mum but has anyone else found that glutne can cause migraines?

    Cut it out and see. Every migraine sufferer has unique triggers and sometimes it's food. My mother can't eat chocolate or peanuts without getting one, while diet doesn't affect my migraines at all. Have you ever kept a headache diary or seen a neurologist?
  • Absolutely try it out for 6 weeks. When changing something in your diet you should always try to do it for at least 4-6 weeks so your body can flush out everything else and get into the new way of things.

    I am gluten free by medical necessity and I do not have migraines, stomach pains, cramps(non PMS related), or other gastro-intestinal problems anymore.

    See what your body does :) Try it out! Best of luck!
  • cjc166
    cjc166 Posts: 222
    You can get rid of your migraines with a nutritarian diet. Check the link for more info.

    https://www.drfuhrman.com/disease/Headaches.aspx
  • mckshowie
    mckshowie Posts: 210 Member
    now, i clearly can't diagnose you, but... yes, gluten was the source of my migraines. i would get them 4-5 times a week and lived off pain killers just to dull them enough so i could get through work.

    i no longer eat it and i only get a migraine if i screw up or drink too much ;)
  • Jeneba
    Jeneba Posts: 699 Member
    It certainly helped me!!! It hasn't gotten rid of them completely because they are usually triggered by a change in barometric pressure. But the severity and the frequency is markedly decreased. I can not only function, but I can even smile without thinking my head is going to crack right open. As others have said - give it a shot. But please bear in mind that this may only be ONE of your triggers or maybe it isn't even a trigger at all. If you haven't already been tested, would you consider going to a doctor? This is how I found out I am wheat-sensitive but not celiac. Feel better!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Migraines are caused by so many different things. I'd experiment. It helped my sister, but she later found she had celiac disease (in a major, life threatening way).

    I experimented with no gluten and with no dairy for my youngest son, who gets migraines. No change at all. He had different triggers.
  • sherim71
    sherim71 Posts: 130 Member
    I've discovered that working out regularly and drinking water religiously has made a big difference in my migraines. I get one every three weeks now instead of a couple each week. I've not tried the gluten thing. I do know that pecans, chocolate covered peanuts, and sourdough bread are some of my triggers.

    Magnesium (B2) supplements helped me in the past to keep them under control. I still carry Maxalt with me everywhere though!
  • i thought my headaches were from gluten and I cut that out for a while. It turned out to be wheat. I can still have other grains that have gluten as long as i stay away from wheat.

    If you go gluten free make sure to eat lots of fibre as the bulk of your fibre might be coming from breads, cereals, etc.

    Good luck. I hope you feel better soon.

    :flowerforyou:
  • sherisse69
    sherisse69 Posts: 795 Member
    just read a blog on here in which the author is giving up gluten to see if it helps with his migraines - i find it very interesting as i suffer with awful migraines and have a constant headache 24/7. i have learnt to deal with it so i canstill work and be a mum but has anyone else found that glutne can cause migraines? i would love to be able to have just 1 day without a headache. i have had smoe very stressful times at home the last few months which my gp thinks has caused them to flare up but would it be worth trying? opinions greatfully recieved.

    thanks! :flowerforyou:

    xxx

    Do you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity? If you don't, I wouldn't expect it to make any change for you. I went gluten free for a year hoping it would help my digestive issues - no change. Try if you want to, but it is not easy, or cheap. So I would think that one through.
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
    I have a headache almost every day. I read that this may be because of the lack of magnesium in my body.
    I don't know anything about the gluten free diet.
    I get so desperate, that I carry my migraine meds with me at all times.

    I suffer from migraines and cluster headaches. The clusters are worse, they are nicknamed the suicide headache. My last round lasted 3 months. No meds have ever helped either one. I tried magnesium and had good results. I did a lot of research first. It worked for me. It works for a lot of people. Some people have no results with it. Like anything else, you just have to try it.

    I would not suggest taking a large amount to begin with, unless you will close to a bathroom at all times. I only take 250 mg a day now and it seems to be keeping them away. When I first started the intensity went down a bit and after about 2 weeks they stopped. Some people get injections.

    Try it and see, it might help. I also had to go gluten free and it did not affect my headaches at all.

    It's one of those things where finding the trigger can be difficult. I was very reluctant about the magnesium but was desperate. My cluster headaches wake me up and night and come in three's. They are worse than migraines, mine only last 45 minutes to an hour but I have to stand up the entire time. But when you have three a night and go without sleep so long you are willing to do anything.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    You can get rid of your migraines with a nutritarian diet. Check the link for more info.

    https://www.drfuhrman.com/disease/Headaches.aspx

    How much did you get paid for that plug?
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    You'll never know til you try. :-) I gave up wheat/gluten to see if that's what was causing my tummy pain (it was).
  • ARDuBaie
    ARDuBaie Posts: 378 Member
    Before cutting out gluten, I was taking the following medications:

    Protonix - for heartburn
    Proventil and Flovent - for asthma
    Singulair - for allergies
    Motrin - ankle, knee, hip, and elbow joint pain
    Neurontin - for causalgia (burning nerve pain) and pinpoint headaches which they called neuralgial headaches much like migraines
    Synthroid - hypothyroid
    Doxicycline - acne vulgaris
    Some peroxide prescription cream - acne vulgaris

    I have not eaten gluten for about five months. You know what medications I take right now?

    Synthroid

    Only Synthroid.

    Yes, I had Celiac testing and it came back negative. They are now finding that people with gluten allergies can have reactions that have nothing to do with the digestive system at all. For me, this has been a real boon to get off all those medications.

    The first thing to go away was the constant abdominal pain that would get so bad that I couldn't even pull a sheet over my abdomen. Then the joint pain went away. The heartburn went away. Heart palpitations went away. The acne vulgaris went away. My Synthroid dose needed DECREASED. I read somewhere that gluten messes with the metabolism, so that would explain that. The burning in my feet went away. I was now able to eat raw fruit without having itching in the mouth and throat. My asthma symptoms got better and eventually went away. I have not had any problems with my seasonal allergies. The last thing to go away was the pinpoint headaches, which two doctors said were migraines.

    Additionally, my hair quit falling out! Now it takes weeks before hair clogs the opening of my drain in the shower.

    I am not as mentally sluggish as I used to be. Actually, I am more hyperactive and a bit ADD, but I will take that over having a mind that is sluggish. My moods are more level and people really have noticed that my mood is level.

    I am not hungry all the time. Gluten is usually in foods that are high on the glycemic scale, so that would explain that fact. I don't substitute often with gluten-free products. Instead, I eat mainly fruits, vegetables, and meat.

    The only way that you will find out if giving up gluten will help you is to give it up for a couple of months. See how you feel without gluten. It isn't that hard to give it up, either, so don't let anyone tell you it is. The only thing is that when you go out with friends, pizza places are usually not the best places to go. :tongue:
  • rlmadrid
    rlmadrid Posts: 694 Member
    If you have an intolerance, then yes.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    It could be gluten, it could be dairy or some other intolerance as well.

    Migraines and food intolerances run on the my mother's side of the family. Everyone in my mother's family suffers from bad migraines all the time. A couple of years ago my Aunt decided to cut dairy completely out of her diet. Since then, she hasn't had a single migraine! Give that a shot as well.

    Or, for a faster solution, go see a naturopath or homeopath and get a food sensitivity blood test done. I just had one done yesterday. The results should be in, in 2-3 weeks. If you have group benefits from work, or health insurance, it should be covered.
  • skonly
    skonly Posts: 371
    You can get rid of your migraines with a nutritarian diet. Check the link for more info.

    https://www.drfuhrman.com/disease/Headaches.aspx

    How much did you get paid for that plug?

    I doubt he got paid anything. All you have to do is watch PBS, Dr. Furhman is on there almost every week.
  • vkruithof
    vkruithof Posts: 227 Member
    I have suffered from migraines since I was 12. I will be 44 on 9/11/2012. I have only had them intermittently in the past 2 years now, and that is due to the fact that my neurologist and my family doctor put their heads together and decided that I should take TOPIRIMATE 50mg. I could not believe the fast turn around. I used to have a headache daily, a migraine 4-6 days a week. I was to the point where I was taking vicodin 750mg and double dosing it and it was not making a dent in them. I had built up a tolerance to the medicine and it would not work, and I was probably becoming addicted at my level as well as the damage it was doing to my organs long term. It was horrible.

    Anyone that has had migraines even once knows the pain is intolerable. I have been enjoying my life lately, and taking this medication twice a day. It has other perks too, it is reported to help you lose weight. When I first started taking it I lost 20 pounds (in @ 2 months) without making any changes in my lifestyle whatsoever. It has truly been a godsend.

    This has worked for me, it is an anti-depressant/anti seizure medicine; so it also has other uses, but it was prescribed to me for the benefits that I would receive from it opening up my blood vessels in my head (to put it in laymens terms).

    I hope that this helps any of you at least a little bit; it has helped me soooo much!

    Good luck to you all!

    A 30+ year survivor...
  • herstrawberri
    herstrawberri Posts: 347 Member
    This was very informative! I also get migraines all the time. Sometimes I have a headache 24/7 as well. I'm so used to it that I don't even realize it sometimes unless my partner asks me if I have one. Which is almost everyday. I do know that when I cut out carbs almost completely my migraines DO go down, but they don't go away totally. I've been trying to re-introduce SOME carbs into my eating as I'm nearing the end of my weightloss. I found the magnesium VERY interesting and will do some research on that. Thank you ALL for all of the info. I really thought I was a freak because I would get migraines/headaches ALLL the time. Now I don't feel so alone.
  • lesliev523
    lesliev523 Posts: 366 Member


    Do you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity? If you don't, I wouldn't expect it to make any change for you. I went gluten free for a year hoping it would help my digestive issues - no change. Try if you want to, but it is not easy, or cheap. So I would think that one through.

    Mentally, going gluten free is difficult.... but MANY foods are naturally gluten free. I have celiac disease, and I had migraines, tremors, ataxia, and a plethora of intestinal issues before I was diagnosed. Going gluten free has changed my life. It is actually easy to eat gluten free. Fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken, beef, fish, turkey.... these are all gluten free. When you eat naturally gluten free, it is no more expensive than regular groceries.

    It is when you get into the processed gluten free substitute junk that is when it gets expensive. And those are all empty calories so you don't want them anyways.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member


    Do you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity? If you don't, I wouldn't expect it to make any change for you. I went gluten free for a year hoping it would help my digestive issues - no change. Try if you want to, but it is not easy, or cheap. So I would think that one through.

    Mentally, going gluten free is difficult.... but MANY foods are naturally gluten free. I have celiac disease, and I had migraines, tremors, ataxia, and a plethora of intestinal issues before I was diagnosed. Going gluten free has changed my life. It is actually easy to eat gluten free. Fresh fruits and vegetables, chicken, beef, fish, turkey.... these are all gluten free. When you eat naturally gluten free, it is no more expensive than regular groceries.

    It is when you get into the processed gluten free substitute junk that is when it gets expensive. And those are all empty calories so you don't want them anyways.
    ^^THIS^^ skip the processed substitute junk.
  • vkruithof
    vkruithof Posts: 227 Member
    I have a headache almost every day. I read that this may be because of the lack of magnesium in my body.
    I don't know anything about the gluten free diet.
    I get so desperate, that I carry my migraine meds with me at all times.

    I suffer from migraines and cluster headaches. The clusters are worse, they are nicknamed the suicide headache. My last round lasted 3 months. No meds have ever helped either one. I tried magnesium and had good results. I did a lot of research first. It worked for me. It works for a lot of people. Some people have no results with it. Like anything else, you just have to try it.

    I would not suggest taking a large amount to begin with, unless you will close to a bathroom at all times. I only take 250 mg a day now and it seems to be keeping them away. When I first started the intensity went down a bit and after about 2 weeks they stopped. Some people get injections.

    Try it and see, it might help. I also had to go gluten free and it did not affect my headaches at all.

    It's one of those things where finding the trigger can be difficult. I was very reluctant about the magnesium but was desperate. My cluster headaches wake me up and night and come in three's. They are worse than migraines, mine only last 45 minutes to an hour but I have to stand up the entire time. But when you have three a night and go without sleep so long you are willing to do anything.

    I was also getting the cluster migraines before I started taking the TOPIRIMATE. Maybe you should suggest this and try it? I forgot to mention the clusters. They suck the worst! Mine would last for days on end, just as I'd get comfortable enough to be able to deal with the pain I'd have to move for some reason and it would throb all over again. UNBEARABLE. I would not wish any of these pains on my worst enemy. My best to you! Good luck with yours.
  • doomspark
    doomspark Posts: 228 Member
    I can't speak for gluten, but aspartame will trigger a blinding migraine for me. Giving up diet sodas helped a great deal with that.
  • stylistchik
    stylistchik Posts: 1,436 Member
    It's worth a try, if It doesn't help google the elimination diet. Basically you eliminate all common allergen foods and then add them back in one at a time to see how they affect you. I did this and found out dairy was causing my migraines. Now I'm migraine, allergy, and asthma free! Amazing what one little sensitivity can do to your whole body.