Headaches???

kellysue48
kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have been getting daily headaches really bad since i started this. I know that the major cut in caffeine (soda everyday) could be the withdrawal headaches. But, it has been a month. I would think that withdrawal would be over. Has anyone else experienced this due to changes in eating habits? Does certain artificial sweeteners cause this.? I recently switched to truvia because i heard it was better than the others. Any ideas would really be helpful, thanks!
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Replies

  • skoshness
    skoshness Posts: 175
    are you drinking anything else with caffeine in?
  • kellysue48
    kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
    just a coffee in the morning
  • Andrea681
    Andrea681 Posts: 178 Member
    Are you making sure to drink enough water? Dehydration is often a huge part of headaches.
  • KatieJane83
    KatieJane83 Posts: 2,002 Member
    Dehydration can cause headaches.

    Also, I have heard that some people say they get migraines from artificial sweeteners. Maybe that has something to do with it?
  • Enigmatica
    Enigmatica Posts: 879 Member
    Yes, many artificial sweeteners are known to cause headaches. Some cause heart palpitations and other problems too. I try to avoid them.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    No.1 culprit = dehydration
    No.2 culprit = low blood sugars

    Try drinking more and eating more (or more frequently) and see if it helps.

    If not, go and see your doctor.
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
    My Doctor suggested taking Feverfew, an herbal supplement used to prevent headaches, back when I was having frequent headaches for no apparent reason. I don't know if it was real or placebo, but after a few days the headaches stopped.
  • Mindmovesbody
    Mindmovesbody Posts: 399 Member
    I suffer from headaches. Migraines usually but also sinus and tension. They have not been as often but I have noticed when I drink a diet soda ( get my soda fix with no calories) I will have a wicked headache within 48 hours. I switched to stevia in my morning coffee...horrible after taste, then I switched to truvia and it wasnt AS bad as stevia but still not sugar. I decided in the end for the most part, I stick to regular sugar and just limit it. I am not 100% what all my triggers are but I do know that I joined the group eat more to weigh less, upped my calories and I am still losing weight and have a LOT less headaches! I also drink 5 bottles of water minimum a day (16.9 oz bottles, so 10 cups of water) and exercise. Perhaps you are not drinking enough water or eating enough?
  • skoshness
    skoshness Posts: 175
    maybe it's caffeine withdrawal from your morning coffees?
  • CherryOnionKiss
    CherryOnionKiss Posts: 376 Member
    could be anemia
  • kellysue48
    kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
    I really struggle with getting 8 glasses of water in. I get in about 4 to 6 most days. I try to add some kind of water flavor that you put in your bottled water. Or a little juice just for flavor. I was adding a packet of sweetener to each bottle...but as some have suggested , that may be the problem :/
  • jesslahd
    jesslahd Posts: 1
    I suffer from migraines also, and I have a horrible reaction to ANY artificial sweeteners. Instant headache for me. I stay away from all artificial sweeteners and just use sugar in moderation.
  • kellysue48
    kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
    That's what i thought too at first! Just started taking a women's one a day multivitamin. :happy:
  • hedgiie
    hedgiie Posts: 1,226 Member
    maybe your pregnant
  • BriskisGrl
    BriskisGrl Posts: 461
    I suffer from migraines in general.. In the past year they've gotten really bad. 3 months ago I went to a Chiro.. It has helped me tremendously. My neck was outta wack not to mention my hips.
  • sl1ngsh0t
    sl1ngsh0t Posts: 326 Member
    I'd drink more water. When I went off caffeine, my headache lasted for about a month.

    On a different yet related note, I have had crippling migraines since childhood. I have been eating "clean" for 2 months, including no nitrates (which are in trail mix, wine, mustard, etc) and no artificial sweeteners and guess what? NO MIGRAINE AT ALL.
  • kellysue48
    kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
    Thanks everybody for your input! That is why i love this site. Everyone is so willing to help with suggestions and helpful information.
    I will take all of them into consideration and if they don't go away i will see my doctor. So nice to have friends that are going through this journey together! :flowerforyou:
  • mdp1965
    mdp1965 Posts: 7 Member
    Definitely ditch the artificial sweeteners, they are harmful chemicals and do you no good.
    If you need something to flavour water, try some natural, organic squash - most supermarkets sell this and although they are a little more expensive you only need a tiny splash in a glass of water.
    You really do need to drink more water, sounds like you are getting dehydrated. I bought some scales that test your hydration as well as weight and BMI and, although they are not entirely accurate, its a good guide.
    Drink a glass of water/squash before each meal, this will take the edge off your appetite and also that's 3 glasses down before you do anything else.
    Try to have a bottle of water with you all the time and just sip, it can be hard to drink a big glass but much easier if you sip throughout the day.
    If all this makes no difference to your headaches, definitely seek advice from your doctor, but i'd give it a couple of weeks to see if things settle down.

    Good luck with the headaches, and the weight loss :smile:
  • mogriff1
    mogriff1 Posts: 325 Member
    Are you eating enough calories? The right kinds of foods? I used to get headaches/migraines very frequently. For me they went away when I cut out fatty foods, processed foods, prepared meals, artificial sweetners, drank more water and upped my calories to my TDEE minus a 500 calorie deficit. Before I was eating about 1300 calories which was too low for my activity level and I felt terrible.

    When I upped my calories to about 1850 (my TDEE, 2349 minus a 500 calorie deficit) I immediatley felt better.

    It has been quite a while now since I've had a headache/migraine since I've made these changes.
  • kellysue48
    kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
    Hahahaha!!!! Funny one.....ah no:laugh:
  • kellysue48
    kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
    maybe your pregnant
  • kellysue48
    kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
    Are you eating enough calories? The right kinds of foods? I used to get headaches/migraines very frequently. For me they went away when I cut out fatty foods, processed foods, prepared meals, artificial sweetners, drank more water and upped my calories to my TDEE minus a 500 calorie deficit. Before I was eating about 1300 calories which was too low for my activity level and I felt terrible.

    When I upped my calories to about 1850 (my TDEE, 2349 minus a 500 calorie deficit) I immediatley felt better.

    It has been quite a while now since I've had a headache/migraine since I've made these changes.
  • Umeboshi
    Umeboshi Posts: 1,637 Member
    Make sure you're eating enough. Eating too little can cause headaches too.
  • kellysue48
    kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
    Yep....still trying to do the math on that one. I did up it from 1200 to 1220 for fear of going up to much because i am not active some days and super active on others. Going through alot of adjusting to get it right. Thanks :smile:
  • kellysue48
    kellysue48 Posts: 24 Member
    the hahaha comment was for the pregnant question
  • Stinkerbelle84
    Stinkerbelle84 Posts: 328
    I get terrible migraines on a fairly regular basis. They cannot be avoided and are usually triggered by the most random things. I hope that you find out what causes yours and find a solution for it soon! I know how miserable headaches are.

    Best of luck to you!!!
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    i get headaches if I have not eaten enough

    solution: eat

    -or- make sure you don't have high blood pressure?
  • valeriebpdx
    valeriebpdx Posts: 497 Member
    I get headaches when I don't eat enough, plain and simple. I am not speaking to whether or not they cause headaches, and I am not being defensive because I use artificial sweeteners--I don't, because I think they taste bad--but there have never been any studies that show they are harmful. The one many years ago where people freaked because saccharine caused cancer in rats was not applicable to humans, and there have been many trials since with no evidence of harm. it just annoys me when people spout falsehoods and call it advice.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,412 Member
    I get headaches when I don't eat enough, plain and simple. I am not speaking to whether or not they cause headaches, and I am not being defensive because I use artificial sweeteners--I don't, because I think they taste bad--but there have never been any studies that show they are harmful. The one many years ago where people freaked because saccharine caused cancer in rats was not applicable to humans, and there have been many trials since with no evidence of harm. it just annoys me when people spout falsehoods and call it advice.

    Cancer=/= headaches.

    Artificial sweeteners have been proven to be a migraine trigger. Unless you have seen as many Neurologists/Endocrinlogists/ER Docs/Internal Medicine Docs as I have, then maybe you have different experiences. Headaches and Migraines are two entirely different issues. Aritficial sweeteners do trigger migraines. And I would die before I'd purposely trigger one. It annoys me when people spout falsehoods and call it advice.
  • AshleyDawn84
    AshleyDawn84 Posts: 2 Member
    I have a hard time drinking water to. I don't like the taste. I normally put Crystal Light in my water, but if your trying to avoid sugar and sugar replacements, lemon slices, lime slices or cucumber slices work great as well. I also find that I have a hard time drinking water if I drink it by the glass or by the single bottle. The way I got around that was to by a 1.5 liter (aprox. 6 8oz glasses) bottle of water and drink it through the work day. Even if I wasn't thirsty, every couple of minutes I would have a mouthful. That way, I only had to make sure to have a glass of water with breakfast and with supper.

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