Need Help From The Ladies Out There
SoosannahK
Posts: 238 Member
Or the men if you have some knowledge regarding women issues and migraines.
I have been low carb since beginning of November. I have had migraines since I was 12 (I'm 42 now so many years and much knowledge in dealing) and they were controlled and down to 1/month as opposed to 2-3/week. Not as bad as migraines that I used to have, but still a migraine. I am not on any preventatives other than magnesium. My mag has always been low. After getting my migraines under control, I went off all preventatives because the side effects from the drugs were at times worse than dealing with one migraine a month.
So anywho, I am having a pick up in the severity and duration of my migraines at my TOM, usually 2-3 days before it starts and they can last several days as opposed to only lasting one day prior. The only change that I have made is my diet and going low carb. My caffeine intake is the same. I will never give up fully caffeinated coffee so let's not go down that road
Other than the monthly migraine from h3ll I feel great and have tons of energy and have even noticed a better attitude (maybe because I don't feel so sluggish and "hangry"all the time now) and my sleep is great. It could possibly be related to the weather but I don't think so. I am in NC and some days you run the AC sometimes you run the heat at this time of year. Barometric pressure can be a trigger for me. I am not overly sensitive to nitrates/nitrites that are usually found in my pepperoni nor fermented and aged foods like cheese. They seem to be hormonal related as they almost always occur right before TOM. I have had a few mid-cycle, but I am certain those were weather related as some days it's 50 degrees and rainy here and other times is 75 and sunny. This can be from one day to the next. Crazy weather. Nothing I can really do about those. Thankfully those are short lived.
Before I go see the doc who will more than likely want me to go back on preventatives because docs like to write prescriptions, any suggestions? I have tried upping my salt as I was around 2400/day. I raised it to 3000mg and before going low carb I was prone to fluid retention from too much salt. I take a multi every day also. I make sure I eat veggies every day that are rich in other vitamins, etc. I am thinking maybe it is a combination of hormones and low salt. The migraine is triggered by hormones then the salt issue is exacerbating the headache? The headache I had during my keto flu was enough to bring me to tears and one of the worst I've ever had. Going to add some broth to my diet this time around to see if that helps.
Any thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
I have been low carb since beginning of November. I have had migraines since I was 12 (I'm 42 now so many years and much knowledge in dealing) and they were controlled and down to 1/month as opposed to 2-3/week. Not as bad as migraines that I used to have, but still a migraine. I am not on any preventatives other than magnesium. My mag has always been low. After getting my migraines under control, I went off all preventatives because the side effects from the drugs were at times worse than dealing with one migraine a month.
So anywho, I am having a pick up in the severity and duration of my migraines at my TOM, usually 2-3 days before it starts and they can last several days as opposed to only lasting one day prior. The only change that I have made is my diet and going low carb. My caffeine intake is the same. I will never give up fully caffeinated coffee so let's not go down that road
Other than the monthly migraine from h3ll I feel great and have tons of energy and have even noticed a better attitude (maybe because I don't feel so sluggish and "hangry"all the time now) and my sleep is great. It could possibly be related to the weather but I don't think so. I am in NC and some days you run the AC sometimes you run the heat at this time of year. Barometric pressure can be a trigger for me. I am not overly sensitive to nitrates/nitrites that are usually found in my pepperoni nor fermented and aged foods like cheese. They seem to be hormonal related as they almost always occur right before TOM. I have had a few mid-cycle, but I am certain those were weather related as some days it's 50 degrees and rainy here and other times is 75 and sunny. This can be from one day to the next. Crazy weather. Nothing I can really do about those. Thankfully those are short lived.Before I go see the doc who will more than likely want me to go back on preventatives because docs like to write prescriptions, any suggestions? I have tried upping my salt as I was around 2400/day. I raised it to 3000mg and before going low carb I was prone to fluid retention from too much salt. I take a multi every day also. I make sure I eat veggies every day that are rich in other vitamins, etc. I am thinking maybe it is a combination of hormones and low salt. The migraine is triggered by hormones then the salt issue is exacerbating the headache? The headache I had during my keto flu was enough to bring me to tears and one of the worst I've ever had. Going to add some broth to my diet this time around to see if that helps.
Any thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated.
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I don't know how much help I can give you but I am a fellow migraine sufferer too. My first one was when I was 3 and I was regularly in and out of the hospital as a child because they made me violently sick. I started seeing a neurologist about 12 years ago and I felt like a Guinea pig. One medication started making me lose my eyesight. It was terrible and I didn't touch another pill for years. I can get the ones that paralyze you and make you pray for the end of it all. I will say that I get migraines more regularly on keto than just a CICO diet but excedrin has become a good buddy of mine. I take two at the slightest warning of a migraine coming along and it keeps it at bay for me. I was against all forms of medication too but I also realized I don't deserve to suffer. I don't like the idea of taking them a lot, I try to leave it at a few times a month. My triggers can be weather too, but not eating on schedule or skipping a meal for me is like a death sentence. I discovered instant migraines with artificial food coloring. Anyways, not enough water and salt imbalance triggers them too. It's really a difficult thing to control on keto, I never feel like I have my ratios correct. The key with migraines is stopping them before they start, which is easier said than done. I hope a doctor can shed some light for you, the added hormone imbalance really throws you for a loop. I think I am lucky in that respect, all of my hormonal related issues have gone away since I got my health in check. I hope that follows for you in time too. Feel free to add me if you need a fellow migraine sister to lean on!0
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I have migraines too. Have since very young. I do get Botox for mine. Have for 15 years now. I had a tough flare of migraines around the second month. I believe it was lack of sodium during adaptation. Since I have focused on keeping the sodium around 4000mg a day (knocking on wood here) I haven't had one, except for a migraine after lifting some hand weights. I also suffered from severe edema prior to LCHF. Now, I will see it starting if I don't get enough sodium. Everything about this woe is different from our past experiences. I will keep imitrex on hand too.
I wouldn't take any of the preventative meds (like Topomax, yuck!). Botox has been the best preventative for me. Good luck!0 -
My bestie ended up having sulfites as a trigger. It's common in preserved food. The only way she found it was through an elimination diet. Maybe that's something you can do.
My triggers are environmental and not something I can do anything about other than avoidance.0 -
Thanks ladies! I do believe it was the sodium. I upped it and only had a mild headache this time around not enough to even consider it a migraine. I averaged between 3000-4000/ day. I do appreciate the input.
I don't do triptans and won't take those unless I want shortness of breath and crushing chest pains for about an hour. I was on Imitrex first then Relpax. Reactions to both of those, so we stopped trying the Triptans due to the serious side effects. I usually just use some ibuprofen and caffeine and that will take the edge off. Sleep is my best healer. Tylenol does nothing for my headaches. I hate taking prescription medications that "affect" me in some way. Side effects, ugh. Those can be worse than the headache.
I will continue to monitor them every month, but if I can start having months like these I will be very happy. And really, who doesn't love broth? It is almost like a comfort food for me during winter time.
Thanks again ladies.0 -
Yay!! So glad you're better! Success for you!0
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Get your Vitamin D levels checked. I was having 2-3 migraines per month. I had my yearly check up and found my Vitamin D levels were really low. I went on 8 weeks of mega doses of Vitamin D and I have not had a migraine in about 12 months. Not sure what the correlation is but maybe its contributing to your issue. Best of luck in finding a solution. Migraines are rough.0
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Couchpotato39 wrote: »Get your Vitamin D levels checked. I was having 2-3 migraines per month. I had my yearly check up and found my Vitamin D levels were really low. I went on 8 weeks of mega doses of Vitamin D and I have not had a migraine in about 12 months. Not sure what the correlation is but maybe its contributing to your issue. Best of luck in finding a solution. Migraines are rough.
Very interesting. I know that my mag levels affect my headaches and was found to be chronically low on my mag. I actually had to have several Mag IV infusions when I was pregnant with my last son (He's 15 now). I have been taking mag supplements and a weekly Epsom salt baths for almost 16 years now and I can tell you when my mag levels aren't where they should be just listening to my body. I did start a new multi vitamin this past month that has Vitamin D in it, 200% RDA. So maybe that helped too? I haven't heard the Vit D connection but I guess there is always the possibility. My doctor has always preached the mag for my headaches and even prescribed it to my son when he was diagnosed with migraines. The body really is a mysterious machine.
I know when my electrolytes get "off" my whole body just goes catterwonky. This month is actually the best I have felt in a long time. The reduced headache, high energy levels, no binge eating. I just really feel great. I do attribute the improved feeling to my real food eating, sugar detox and my supplements.0
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