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Hello, I've been having a hellish run of migraines and I think they are triggered by something I eat - as I've already eliminated gluten and dairy as they were triggering, I'm at a bit of a loss now and would love to work someone who actually knows what they're doing.
Any leads or pointers from the STW Massive would be much appreciated.
interesting..I had a migraine on saturday and sunday... and last saturday... and some of my staff had migraines this weekend..
Maybe something in the air?
DrP
Maybe something in the air?
Too much Phil Collins?
Could be. I've been laid low the last few Sundays ... and it's exhausting. Nothing more annoying than the 4am awakening to get drugs 🙁
And I've been dry all month too.
FWIW for years I had a reaction to beer that would trigger a migraine. With some beers, half a bottle would be enough. I was fine with cider, wine and whisky so it wasn't the alcohol.
Have you done an intolerance test? I'm not 100% convinced by them but Mrs D had similar problems and did one. Everything that cane back was on her list.
If she behaves her self ands boring food (her words) shs fine. Then if she ears stuff she shouldn't she suffers. Is this because she's intolerant to stuff or it's now in her head? Who knows. But when she behaves, she's fine.
The safest way is to just cut out one item or one food for a month. If you still get headaches it's not that. Keep a list.
And I’ve been dry all month too.
Did they start after you stopped drinking? 🤔
To be honest, I don't drink much at the best of times and I've never been able to detect a pattern with alcohol, other than drinks containing gluten... The traditional migraine triggers of red wine, coffee, and dark chocolate don't seem to bother me at all. Normal fizzy lager - hell 🙁
The safest way is to just cut out one item or one food for a month. If you still get headaches it’s not that. Keep a list.
Mrs Dubs did something like this in her teenage years for her skin problems. 6 weeks with very basic diet, then re-introduce to see what triggers.
Turns out she has the nightshade allergy.
As background, nutritionist is a non-protected title in Britain, so ANYONE can use it.
Dietician is the only term in Britain which actually confirms the practitioner has proper training. They usually work for NHS though.
I'm like @scotroutes although I like beer it doesn't like me. So these days I just stick to red wine.
I think you need to do your own research first before you do any tests so that you have an idea if they are right or snake oil?.
Have you done all the other stuff first? Eye test. Do you work in an office? Have you started working from home? Is your set up correct? Could it be your work station giving you problems? Do you spend too much time starring at a screen or mobile phone?
@Jim Yeah, the nomenclature of these folks is a worry - what I don't want is one of those NHS dieticians who pops up on breakfast telly as an apologist for mediocrity... So maybe it's a nutritional therapist I need (while avoiding quacks and flakes as much as possible)?
Happy to go private as I'm desperate.
Not sure about full-on carnivore - that sounds intense/unwise?
Have you done all the other stuff first? Eye test. Do you work in an office? Have you started working from home? Is your set up correct? Could it be your work station giving you problems? Do you spend too much time starring at a screen or mobile phone?
Also, have you considered muscle tension in neck and shoulders trapping nerves? My wife has this issue. Poor posture can cause this over time.
Hello, I’ve been having a hellish run of migraines and I think they are triggered by something I eat – as I’ve already eliminated gluten and dairy as they were triggering, I’m at a bit of a loss now and would love to work someone who actually knows what they’re doing.
Any leads or pointers from the STW Massive would be much appreciated.
Well I'd suggest giving your GP a call. Not only will they likely know someone locally who has some sort of professional credibility rather than a fancy website, they may also think its worth running some checks.
However, I can pretty much guarantee that every dietician or nutritionist is going to ask you to make a food and symptoms diary - listing EVERY thing you eat, when and when you get any symptoms. You'll save a lot of time if you start doing that now, and go them with a detailed log.
To be honest, I don’t drink much at the best of times and I’ve never been able to detect a pattern with alcohol, other than drinks containing gluten… The traditional migraine triggers of red wine, coffee, and dark chocolate don’t seem to bother me at all. Normal fizzy lager – hell 🙁
For me it's very simple - it's dehydration. I 'forget' to drink enough water. I'm so used to it not I can spot the very earliest signs, immediately drink a pint of water and make the difference between a headache that paracetemol/ibuprofen can tackle and one where I'm in a darkened room, with cocodomal and 50/50 I'll vomit! Working from home introduced some bad habits for me around what I was drinking and how often, I realised I was sometimes going whole days where the only things I was drinking were alcohol and coffee!
You could do an elimination diet and work it out. My wife gets very bad migraines and for example a trigger is farmed salmon (wild is fine).
Hi..... At times like these, I often think that "medical professionals" are useful to talk to.
I heard about this one bunch of medicals bods that actually had a website and everything. I even think that they have "buildings" dotted around the country where you can go and ask for advice. I am sure they might even have some kind of telephone helpline.
As a matter of interest I had a look at their freely available and easily accessible information for a range of ailments that I am suffering from namely cat aids and migraines. I couldn't find ANYTHING for migraines but I think i'm sorted for cat aids.
THE NHS COULDN'T POSSIBLY HAVE ANYTHING TO OFFER BY WAY OF GUIDANCE REGARDING MIGRAINES COULD IT?
Anyway here is the cat aids one.
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/toxoplasmosis/
Perhaps you might like to have a little "Google" of the Key Words "NHS" and "Migraine." Incidentally, ALL medical professionals say that migraines may be caused by a wide range of things including STRESS...... ANXIETY and other ENVIRONMENTAL factors so FOOD is only 1 FACTOR to consider when trying to find the cause of migraines
In other words - Don't give up the bacon sandwiches until you have dealt with the mountain of stress at work.
@Martin and Damascus - good callouts. As a life long sufferer, my 'hygiene' around these things tends to be pretty good but definitely merit in doubling down.
Given that I know without a doubt (and from painful experimentation) about dairy and gluten, I'm inclined to think it is a food-related thing.
Migraines have such broad triggers..
Personally, bright lights when I'm tired are a huge trigger.
Being hungry/thirsty
Stress
All triggers..
Funnily, I frequently have botox in my forehead (not for vanity) but as a treatment - it works wonders as i'm a MASSIVE frowner!!! I can literally feel the stress release from my frontal scalp when it kicks in. I haven't had it for a while, and suspect THAT is my trigger. It's not available in all areas on the NHS (I have to pay!). Acupuncture can also help..
I'm trying to avoid the typical prophylactic medications - beta blockers. My resting heart rate drops to 26 overnight. So i think i'll just collapse......!
Good luck!
TBH... EVERYONE has upped their screen time, so it's probably this too..
DrP
THE NHS COULDN’T POSSIBLY HAVE ANYTHING TO OFFER BY WAY OF GUIDANCE REGARDING MIGRAINES COULD IT?
Have you actually used the NHS for something like migraine issues? You will get prescribed a tablet but that is about it. My wife ended up going private to get proper assistance as even if you get help via NHS it will be years away.
As a matter of interest I had a look at their freely available and easily accessible information for a range of ailments that I am suffering from namely cat aids and migraines. I couldn’t find ANYTHING for migraines but I think i’m sorted for cat aids.
THE NHS COULDN’T POSSIBLY HAVE ANYTHING TO OFFER BY WAY OF GUIDANCE REGARDING MIGRAINES COULD IT?
You clearly didn't look very hard, it was the first result when I googled "NHS migraine recommendations":
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/migraine/
Lifetime migraine sufferer here (not constant, but for a week solid every year or so)
I tried cutting out most things at some point and none have actually solved it.
A few years ago during a particularly bad episode the doctors finally mentioned anti-migraine meds rather than pain relief.
I had great success with Sumitriptan as an affective medication for migraines.
**I am NOT a doctor, please see yours before trying medication**
I've not had much luck with the GP/NHS route before, although I do have some meds. Like the Verve said, the drugs don't work...
After suffering a lifetime of headaches I'd love to get in-front of them - and I do think from the years of experimentation and tracking that it is a food thing.
For about 5years I suffered with horrible migraines, never had one in 35 years, then I would get them regularly. Thought it was caffeine intake at first, so went decaff, it helped a little, but still got them. But still got them, looked at diet, Don't drink the greatest amount, tried several things, then nearly 2 years ago I changed jobs and the migraines stopped. I think mine was due to stress. I can eat and drink what I want now and haven't been bothered by them since.
Has your stress got any worse?
Weirdly, since I've been working at home during COVID, my bad eyestrain/headaches have gone, completely, despite working harder due to the effect COVID had on the organisation I work for.
It turns out that it was due to my office desk being right by a big window. I only found out when I moved my home office desk away from the window and my eyestrain headaches disappeared instantly.
The eyestrain and headaches were so bad and made me want to go to bed at 8pm. Maybe it was a migraine.
Bloody game changer.
I had a batch of migraine headaches which culminated in my pulling something in my back when throwing up. Went to my physio who specialises in headache and migraine. Two or three sessions saw them off for a couple of years. I had a top up last year when they started to come back. She’s in Calderdale if that’s any use to anyone.
It turns out that it was due to my office desk being right by a big window. I only found out when I moved my home office desk away from the window and my eyestrain headaches disappeared instantly.
Similar to me... the light/sharpness of light beams can be a real trigger...
Blinds/slats can really aggravate it.
I read up about it more, and discovered this thing called Irlen's syndrome.. Aggressive vistas with curt lines can trigger it in some people.
Anyway, I never went as far as purple glasses...!
DrP
Twice in my life I've had a bout of migraines for several months.
The first I'm sure was down to a combination of chronic debilitating stress and physical environment. Big CRT monitor under naked fluorescent strip lights.
The second I've no idea, but the only thing I found that helped was Imigran. Taken at the onset of symptoms (aura) it stopped a full-blown attack, nothing else I tried touched them.
what I don’t want is one of those NHS dieticians who pops up on breakfast telly as an apologist for mediocrity
You've got that arse-backwards.
As Jim said, dietitian is a protected term. They are medical professionals by definition, even if they've been on TV.
By contrast, I keep meaning to get my cat registered as a nutritionist.
Writing a log of all your food can be useful to see trends in what foods have been consumed before a migraine.
However i was sure coffee/caffeine was a trigger so went decaff and stopped for a while then started suffering again. Now i think the cause of mine is tiredness/fatigue and initially was addressed by more caffeine......
I think there's a bloke on here that may or may not send you diet advice if you send him some money via PayPal gift...
Have you actually used the NHS for something like migraine issues? You will get prescribed a tablet but that is about it. My wife ended up going private to get proper assistance as even if you get help via NHS it will be years away.
This is not my experience (with Migraine or anything else). Certainly not if you say that your preference isn't to take long term medication, and that you are willing to go outside of the NHS if they help you work out the credible from the cranks.
what I don’t want is one of those NHS dieticians who pops up on breakfast telly as an apologist for mediocrity…
Have you actually tried talking to one? There are controversies in dietetics but if you bother to engage with one (or more than one before you dismiss the entire profession) you might find that in a one-on-one consultation they don't default to "mediocrity" and listen to your needs and issues, and get an understanding of what you want to achieve and how ambitious you are to achieve it. You sound like you might be an ideal patient for them - someone who is willing to change - bear in mind that most NHS patients referred to dieticians are probably quite keen for the least change possible.
From what I see of "nutritionists" is that even the ones that aren't totally snake oil - they all have a formula they want to fit you into. A process they want to "sell you".
@atiredman my experience is that recovering from a migraine makes you susceptible to getting another, so you end up in a cycle of getting them. As others have said, there are lots of triggers, but I don't think anyone has covered the matrix effect that I have clocked in my lifetime of migraine management. For me, it's not that there is necessarily a single food that will make me have a migraine, it's more like there are 10 things that could cause a migraine if they occur in any combination of 2 or 3 at once. Red wine? Fine. Red wine and cheese? Might get away with it. Red wine and cheese with a chocolate truffle? Fatal! Or any one trigger with hormones, or in the few days after another migraine. Does that make sense?
Also, preservatives are a killer for me - I don't know exactly which ones but if I avoid processed food and cook from ingredients - so, tinned tomatoes and herbs instead of a jar of pasta sauce - I tend to fare a lot better. Might be worth trying a week of really fresh eating to see if you can get out of the current cycle of migraines?
Good luck, they're horrible 🙁
Don’t get them very often, and haven’t had one for ages - but oranges ....
I have no idea if oranges cause it, trigger it, or become the most hateful thing on earth because of them ....
I suffered from a lot of migraines before I started wearing glasses. Pretty much eliminated them overnight until I guess my prescription changed a bit a few years later. New pair of specs - job done.
A mate suffers from them too and he eliminated caffiene and that sorted him out I think.
Food is a fantastic place to look at for curing ills.
Bear in mind that it takes a while for the various weird little proteins and things that can cause inflammation and immune responses to wind down.
4 weeks is often recommended if excluding foods to figure out if they're a problem.
Good luck!
An ex of mine ending up working out that fodmaps had been giving her acne for 15 years. Job done but took commitment to find out. Went Paleo, nothing, then fodmaps out also so very restrictive. Then reintroduced other stuff like dairy and gluten no problem.
(good proper probitics are useful imo)
I used to get them fairly regularly, 1-2 a month. Tried to work out what triggered them but could never work out what it was.
Then I had a stroke, and they reduced to 1 every 2 months. Maybe it's the meds I'm on now.
After the stroke, it was found I had a small heart defect (Patent Foramen Ovale, PFO). There is some evidence that this can cause migraines. I had mine fixed early this year and now down to 1 every 6 months, I'm still on the meds. For info PFO's are common, 25% of us have one.
So diet may have nothing to do with it.
Also, have you considered muscle tension in neck and shoulders trapping nerves? My wife has this issue. Poor posture can cause this over time.
This. I get cervicogenic headaches quite badly and only going to a decent physio sorted it. My neck stiffness doesn’t have to be too bad to get one.
I found some self massage tricks on YouTube to head them off at the pass, so don’t get them often now. Any sort of whiplash injury, bike or car, or sitting in office with poor posture and little time for breaks can cause it.
https://www.healthline.com/health/headache/cervicogenic-headache
Have you actually used the NHS for something like migraine issues? You will get prescribed a tablet but that is about it.
One of my colleagues, a receptionist at our practice (NHS GP) gets regular botox injections for migraines...from the NHS of all places...who'd believe it, eh?