Has anyone here had a history of migraines that seemed to get better once they started eating better?
I get a couple a month. Usually the bad ones coincide with my period...the doctor's only advice was to stop taking the pill...which is just a terrible idea.
I'm hoping going on a diet and working out helps them...just a hurry up and wait kind of deal.

I was just asking myself this very question this morning (after taking my migraine medication to get rid of a killer headache).

Like you, my migraines tend to be linked to my hormone levels. So far, I haven't had much relief, but a friend who lost 70 pounds told me that her migraines have almost disappeared since she lost weight.

Cheers,

J

I can't wait to get off work so I can take my migraine pills...excedrin migraine only goes so far, then being comatose is preferable. I have a family history (aunt...grandmother..) and it doesn't look good. My grandma stopped having hers after she had a hysterectomy. My aunt still has hers (and she recently lost weight and is much more healthy). So I don't know what to think. Oh well. I'll just have to get through it. Good luck with yours!!

Ugh. I feel for you being at work with one--just getting through the day can be tough. I take Relpax, which really helps, but it makes me very tired.

Let's hope that our new lifestyle changes will make a difference! Hang in there!

Cheers,

J

Mine have seemed to get worse since losing weight actually. A few months ago I went on nortriptyline, which has been a miracle for me. I take it every day and I rarely get headaches at all now. I used to have them every day, with the really bad migraines once or twice a month. You should look into it! I also have zomig for when I do get a migraine.

Gotten worse?? Oh no! That never really crossed my mind. Does zomig allow you to function?

It all depends on your migraine triggers.

I actually have food related migraines. I didn't figure this out until I had to keep a food/reaction diary in undergrad to help with my food allergies.

In reviewing it with my allergist, we noticed that I got migraines a few hours after having peanuts/peanut butter/peanut oil, orange juice, dried fruits (figs, apricots, dates), kiwis and deli meats with nitrates in them (so basically all of them).

I very rarely get hormonal migraines since i started taking extended-cycle birth control (Seasonique); though that's not a typical reaction to birth control with hormonal triggers.

But since I've figured out my food triggers, I maybe get two or three migraines a year mostly due to ridiculous pollen counts. This is down from at least 5-6 a month in my late teens. I was also on propranolol when they were really bad as prophylaxis which did help reduce to 1-2 a month, but dropped my blood pressure too low.

Now, if I do get one Relpax is the triptan that makes me feel the least sedated/icky.

Hmm...I'm pretty sure my triggers are hormonal related. As poorly as I was eating, it was pretty much the same crap every week, but the migraines weren't every week. I was thinking an extended cycle birth control may make them less frequent, but I guess it could go either way.

Thanks for the input everyone!

I used to get severe migraines as often as 2 - 3 times a week, have tried almost every migraine medicine out there, including daily medication and tried elimination diets ... nothing helped.

Have you tried elimination diets to determine if your migraines are caused by foods? Have you ever kept a journal of your headaches along with your foods for the day? Do you drink caffeine?

Losing weight, working out and changing my diet didn't alter the course of my migraines at all. To be completely honest [and I live in a state where this is legal] I started smoking marijuana. My migraines have almost completely STOPPED. That's right, I went from having multiple migraines a week that medication couldn't even touch to having MAYBE one minor migraine a month when I get my period. My neurologist supports this course for me because the results are undeniable. [I really hope I don't get flamed for this here, I enjoy this place and want to share what honestly works for me as it works for a HUGE amount of other people as well]

Every person is different with their migraines, I really suggest keeping a headache journal so you can recognize patterns to help you solve the mystery. I know it sounds like a huge pain, but even if you just do it for two to three months you might be able to isolate some major causes of your migraines and make appropriate changes. You'll be really happy you did.

I have kept a food journal. And migraines. And the only connection is my period. I'm glad you found something that worked for you! I'm going to continue to track what I eat (as part of my diet, too) and connect that with my migraines. It's a long process, and having one today just makes me even more frustrated.

My migraines can be caused by a lot of things (including cheese and artificial sweeteners and hormones) but I haven't noticed any change since losing weight.

I'm with whoever suggested elimination diets. Years ago, the doctor told me to avoid chocolate, cheese and caffeine. Turns out, cheese causes them for me, and caffeine will make them go away (a little chocolate added in there doesn't hurt, either). Everyone is different.

I actually used to have migraines ALL the time before I started losing weight. There was a point where I would have them every single day. After losing weight I hardly ever have them and cannot remember the last time I even had one

For me, sodium and dairy products make them worse but I have chronic daily migraines that have been resistant to any medication. The thing I do notice is that my migraines get a lot better when my eating is healthy. Another major trigger is stress. I can't seem to control that just yet, but I think that once I do, the migraines will get a lot better. One has got to have hope, right?

I started having migraines when I was 18, I am waaaayy beyond that now. My mother had them and so did my grandmother. As they got older, much older, they stopped having them, I haven't stopped having them but they are much milder. I can actually function with them now where before I had to lay in a dark room and not move for at least a day.

When my daughter was 14 she had a tension headache that lasted 8 months. We finally figured out it was related to stress (she was on a competitive team) she missed two months of school, the whole summer and two months of school after going back. We saw 13 different doctors.

What changed her life was taking a mild antidepressant (Amitriptiplyene) to help her sleep and acupuncture.

Before the acupuncture she lived with ice on her head 24/7. The day she had her first appointment she came home and didn't go to the freezer for an ice pack. Could have knocked me over with a feather.

The acupuncture broke the cycle. The pill helped her recover her sleep. And self knowledge about stress and her reaction to it keeps the headaches at bay to maybe a couple a year.