Elimination diet for migraine

I have two friends whose migraines are triggered by peanuts.

jthillk wrote: »

I am starting week three. So far so good. I was having up to four migraines a week. I have only had one since starting and that was not due to any food, but the crazy weather.
I have lost nine pounds so far. My blood pressure is now normal. The day I started it was 179/95-granted I have white coat syndrome and that was at the doctor's office- and now it's 117/75.
I gave up soda two months ago. I feel so much better and love waking up without a migraine.

Can you share which elimination diet this is? I get migraines too and would be interested to try it.

jthillk wrote: »

My triggers are processed meats-hot dogs, sausage, bacon, ham, etc. Onions, asparagus, any kind of seasoning mix (gravy mix, taco mixes, etc) MSG, cheese flavorings, shrimp, cashews. Miracle whip, cream cheese, sour cream, Artificial sweeteners (NutraSweet, etc) Beer, wine, caramel colored soda (Pepsi, etc) red licorice. Some chocolate-mostly notice brownies or hot cocoa.
There are more, these are what I can think of off the top of my head. I do well if I avoid all processed food. It can be done, it's not fun. Not having migraines is worth it though.

You have an amazing list of triggers, that is such an achievement to figure out all those things!

For me alcohol of any type will do it, or MSG. While foods can be a trigger, don't forget there are so so many other contributing factors too.

Other things that I find are very important:
- good sleep - for me 8h a night, don't vary the times you go to bed or get up by more than 2h - key
- manage stress - key
- regular exercise
- stay well hydrated
- avoid big swings in blood sugar - I get headaches after overdoing it and eating way too much, or forgetting to eat and having blood sugar go too low

Caffeine can also be a trigger - either too much or going into caffeine withdrawal (if you have it regularly and have a tolerance and then go without for awhile (variable 16h-2days) you start to withdraw).

Hormonal changes with your menstrual cycle are unavoidable, but a known trigger. I find the weather bothers me too, but also can't do anything about that!

You mentioned high blood pressure - try getting a blood pressure cuff and tracking it at home. High blood pressure is a known cause of headaches.

If you are still having headaches, go talk to your doctor. There are so many medications available - either for treatment once you feel a headache coming on, or daily preventative medications. It often takes some trial and error to find the one(s) that will work for you.

Coffee is my main one, even just smelling it can trigger it. I work in an office so I find it a challenge to stay upwind of the coffee drinkers

ilovenickcave wrote: »

Hi I’m just searching around for migraine diet ppl and found this old conversation… if anyone is still interested in talking about this kind of elimination diet, I’ve been on one for a little while and I like it so far. I may start a new discussion tomorrow..

I am also interested

I have dealt with migraines for many years. I charted it about 30 years ago on a paper calendar. I tracked every headache rated by intensity, all food, sleep schedule, medications taken, and menstrual cycle. After 3 months of data it was clear that certain foods triggered migraines for me only at certain times in my cycle. This info really helped me. I still got migraines due to my cycle, but avoiding triggers for me (chocolate) at certain times of the month helped me lessen the intensity. It also helped my neurologist form a treatment plan.

Now that I’m menopausal, I still have a few migraines but rarely yo the intensity in my younger days. And definitely less frequent.

Things that helped me (non medicine).

Relaxation techniques- dark room, slow breathing, focus on relaxing muscles in face on each exhale.
Ice packs- placing and ice pack on the back of my neck helped ease symptoms. If I was at work where an ice pack wasn’t available, I would buy a cold Diet Coke out of the machine and place the cold can on my neck in lieu of an ice pack.
Unsweetened applesauce- one of the books I read indicated that some headaches are triggered by low blood sugar. So if I hadn’t eaten in a while at the onset I would try to eat the applesauce to give my blood sugar a boost. The same book warned against refined sugars being a trigger. It actually recommended orange juice, but I substituted the applesauce because I needed something shelf stable to keep in my desk at work.
Heating pad- for my shoulders. I found that my shoulders would tighten significantly during a migraine. So a heating pad on my back/shoulders would help relax those muscles that contributed to the pain.
Sleep schedule- this can’t be said enough. For me (and my adult daughter) changes in sleep schedule are a major trigger. So I try to not change my bed time or awake time by more than one hour.

Medicine that helped me
Imitrex- this was a game changer for me. After years of only having narcotics available to treat the pain, my doctor asked me if I wanted to try this when it was brand new. It was only available by injection. It was a major quality of life improvement. One shot and twenty minutes later NO PAIN at all. I could do normal things instead of laying in bed feeling miserable.
Zofran- Many of my migraines have a nausea/vomiting component. Years ago phenergan was the only thing that worked for me but meant I would be sleepy and in bed all day. Zofran does not make me sleepy and works quickly for me.