Can B12 cause migraines?

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  • petchonka82
    petchonka82 Posts: 156
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    No I'm not Vegan. With that said. I had a chiropractor message me and suggest I might not be getting enough calories. So, I increased my daily calorie goal from 1200 to 1380 and started taking my B12 again. So far, so good. :) Thanks everyone for your input.
  • jen3957
    jen3957 Posts: 1
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    I have been trying different types of b12 supplements and all of them seem to trigger migraines in me. I thought it was the inactive ingredients in the pills and sublinguals, but just tried a patch applied to the skin and same thing...it triggers a migraine. In all cases, the lower the dose, the less of a migraine I get; the higher the dose, the worse the migraine.

    I don't know if this a direct effect of the b12 on my body, or if the migraine is due to detoxing (if I'm deficient in b12 and then suddenly have enough, the body will start working properly and detoxing properly which will increase toxins in the blood stream temporarily until cleared by liver/kidneys which could trigger a migraine.).

    I'm tending toward believing the migraine is directly caused by the b12 itself because I have been taking supplements for over a year and should have been done with detoxing by now. I have noticed that the vitamin itself has a bright pink/red color and wonder if it's chemically similar to the artificial coloring used in foods/candies/beverages which also will give me a migraine.

    Feel kind of foolish now, realizing I was probably needlessly giving myself migraines, thinking I was detoxing and they would go away eventually. But, don't know what to do now, since I think I'm still deficient in b12, but need to get it rechecked...
    Frustrating!!
  • suziecue66
    suziecue66 Posts: 1,312 Member
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    I have been trying different types of b12 supplements and all of them seem to trigger migraines in me. I thought it was the inactive ingredients in the pills and sublinguals, but just tried a patch applied to the skin and same thing...it triggers a migraine. In all cases, the lower the dose, the less of a migraine I get; the higher the dose, the worse the migraine.

    I don't know if this a direct effect of the b12 on my body, or if the migraine is due to detoxing (if I'm deficient in b12 and then suddenly have enough, the body will start working properly and detoxing properly which will increase toxins in the blood stream temporarily until cleared by liver/kidneys which could trigger a migraine.).

    I'm tending toward believing the migraine is directly caused by the b12 itself because I have been taking supplements for over a year and should have been done with detoxing by now. I have noticed that the vitamin itself has a bright pink/red color and wonder if it's chemically similar to the artificial coloring used in foods/candies/beverages which also will give me a migraine.

    Feel kind of foolish now, realizing I was probably needlessly giving myself migraines, thinking I was detoxing and they would go away eventually. But, don't know what to do now, since I think I'm still deficient in b12, but need to get it rechecked...
    Frustrating!!

    Do you take any other B vitamins. Maybe you need to take the others as well. Magnesium may be helpful for migraines too.
    What type is your B12 - cyanocobalamin, methylcobalamin?
    Yeh, go and get your B12 re-checked.
  • souperficial
    souperficial Posts: 122 Member
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    I get migraines and was actually told to take B12 to help prevent them. So probably not.
  • dancecentral
    dancecentral Posts: 50 Member
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    I don't think so.. we took my boyfriends kid to the doctor for chronic migraines and he prescribed B12..
  • dancecentral
    dancecentral Posts: 50 Member
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    I don't think so.. we took my boyfriends kid to the doctor for chronic migraines and he prescribed B12..
  • dancecentral
    dancecentral Posts: 50 Member
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    Sorry .. On second thought I think it was B2 so disregard my earlier comment
  • lindsy721
    lindsy721 Posts: 350 Member
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    I take a multivitamin that contains 75mcg B12.

    I am a *former* migraine sufferer, also, but I have since overcome these massive headaches. I got a lot of help from this book: "Heal Your Headaches" by Dr. David Buchholz.
  • Htaylorrd
    Htaylorrd Posts: 1 Member
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    Ya'll might want to look into MTFHR genetic mutations. That's where you have a genetic "kink" and can't methylate your B vitamins. It can disrupt metabolic pathways and cause migraines, chronic fatigue, aches and pains, etc. The fix is to balance your hormones with timing of meals but also supplementing with methylated forms of B's. You also have to play with it because you may be an over methylator or under methylator. This would require a different balance of folate, niacin, and B12 along with other precursors. Ask your practitioners if they are trained in this genetic issue. They may not be up to date on this science.
  • lastriegel
    lastriegel Posts: 3
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    I also get migraines and have been taking Topamax for over 5 years. It helped in the beginning but I was tired all the time (not from the meds, that's just me) so I thought I would try B-12 Energy Gummy vitamins. They are wonderful for the energy but my migraines also starting increasing so my neurologist increased my Topamax gradually, now I'm on the max dose. But I still get anywhere from 15-25 migraines a month. It's a terrible way to live. He has put me on everything from Imatrex, Maxalt, OTC drugs, You name it, I've tried it. But I was reading conflicting articles online the other day about B-12 being good for migraines, some say yes, some say no. I stopped taking B-12 over a week ago and haven't had a migraine or no tension in my neck or shoulders since. That is the longest I have gone without one in at least 9 months. I'm a happy girl....although tired :)

    My question to you is....Do you have adverse reaction to other medications? Such as Benadryl, does it make you hyped up or does it knock you out? Same with Nyquil? If so, maybe you have an adverse reaction to B-12 and so do I. Maybe that's why it causes us to get migraines when taking it instead of preventing them. Just saying......
  • shano25
    shano25 Posts: 233 Member
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    I take a B 100 Complex daily and I have never had an issue.

    For me, headaches come down to my calorie intake. One thing I've learned from tracking my calories here over time, I can't eat less than 1600 calories a day or else I get a severe headache (not a migraine but not a pop a tylenol and feel better one either.)
  • macceral
    macceral Posts: 1
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    This is a very old thread but I thought it worthwhile to chime in.

    Yes, absolutely, I get pounding headaches from any of the B vitamins. I've tried multiple brands, dosages and combinations.

    Although they are of great use to probably a majority of people for increasing energy and relieving headaches/migraines, unfortunately some people suffer the exact opposite effect. A person's body chemistry can be annoyingly particular with regard to supplements and medications.
  • SistineKid
    SistineKid Posts: 1
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    B vitamins were causing my headaches and migraines. I had been taking B12, B6, folic acid, and/or folate.

    I started taking B vitamins (folic acid, B6, and B12) originally to prevent seasonal affective disorder / depression when living at a very high latitude (with over 20 hours of darkness per day). Then I started getting migraines. I started taking more B vitamins (and more faithfully), which made the migraines even worse. I had even switched to different versions of B12 and used the metafolin version of folate.

    I did read about the sensitivities to the various forms (based on genetics) and the possibilty of a reaction to the "wrong" form or crowd out where the wrong form interferes with ability to use the correct form.

    I am sensitive to MSG, and if I eat too much of it, I will get a headache. But otherwise, since stopping B vitamin supplements, my migraines, head fog, and headaches have stopped.

    After totally cleaning my diet of any/all offending chemicals, I stopped taking vitamins and my migraines have subsided.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,951 Member
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    It might cause migraines for you. According to my neurologist, they aren't quite sure what causes migraines, but they know something that triggers it for one person may not trigger it for another.

    For me, I supplement about 700mg Mg and it kills off my migraines.
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,086 Member
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    B12 deficiency can cause migraines... should be getting the reverse situation. Maybe it's something else in the multiviamin??


    This. My Dr. had me on b12 because of my migraines to try to stop them.
  • Lookgalore
    Lookgalore Posts: 1
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    I just start taking 2500 mcg B-12 today and notice that I developed a severe headache during night as I slept. I am wondering if this due to the fact that I took it is so late in the afternoon and should be more preferred first thing in the morning. After reading similar reports that the B-12 helps with headache condition makes me curious as to why research has claims it does help headache conditions. Oh well maybe someone can better answer the reasoning and mystery to these issued now reported.
  • willicri
    willicri Posts: 1
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    I started B12 shots for energy and they seem to trigger migraines. I have always migraines but thought I was crazy for thinking B12 triggered them.
  • takemoto1
    takemoto1 Posts: 1
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    My daughter gets really bad migraines from B Complex vitamins which was ironic because I was giving them to her to prevent migraines. She is also sensitive to MSG and foods high in tyramine such as aged cheese. I am trying to figure out which vitamin is the culprit. I thought it might be the niacin.
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,598 Member
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    It happens to me. I have to take B12 and B6 because my antidepressants deplete them. Half an hour after taking it, BAM, headache! So I chase the B12 with Excedrin.
  • Stockebrand
    Stockebrand Posts: 2 Member
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    B12 has an effect on red blood cells. If you live in a high altitude area (albuquerque, Santa Fe, Denver...) you may have a reaction.

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