will cutting gluten help my migraines?

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mummy_gerdes
mummy_gerdes Posts: 336 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    Cutting might help, but I don't advise it.
    Glueton might, talk to your Dr.
  • Barbellerella
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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?
  • MuscleJunkieK8
    MuscleJunkieK8 Posts: 44
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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!
  • Springfield_Rocks
    Springfield_Rocks Posts: 289
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 379 Member
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    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:

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