I just started the IP diet. My 'first' day was last Thursday, June 1. The following Friday I woke up with a terrible migraine. I am prone to migraines and headaches and have been getting them for the last 20 years now. I know that headaches are often one of the side affects mentioned in the print out info you get when you start the diet and that this will often happen when the body is detoxing.

I was sooooooooo sick with the migraine I got last Friday after my first day on IP that I was in bed the entire day until midnight, when I was finally able to hold down a sip of water and a couple of crackers, the first thing I was able to eat for 28 hours, since I hadn't eaten since the IP pudding I had the previous night. I was so discouraged that this ruined the start to the IP diet. What a waste of effort and money!!

My son's graduation ceremony and party was the following Saturday and Sunday, and terrified I would miss it because of a migraine, I decided to begin the diet again on Monday, which was today.

I'm praying I don't wake up Tuesday with another migraine. Although unpleasant, I can handle a headache I guess, but the migraines are miserable.

I'm just wondering how many of you were affected with headaches, and how many with migraines when starting the IP diet, and how many of you are prone to migraine headaches to begin with, and how long it lasted. Lastly, has this situation happened to any of you where you started the diet, suffered a headache, stopped the diet, started again a few days later and then suffered from headaches again?

I feel your pain. Starting day 17, the first few days I had a nagging headache but it seemed to help to drink more water.

I've had migraines for 20+ years and was very scared that this would bring them on, for some reason with me being on IP has so far stopped them. Will that continue no one knows.

Are you doing 3 packets or 4? It may be that your body needs the 4 to start with and adjust.

Headaches are extremely common when starting a very low calorie diet or a very low carb diet. In the case of the IP diet you're combining both. Your body is adjusting. Some call it detox and while that isn't exactly accurate it is a good analogy. Your body is being forced to use fat for most of it's fuel and it isn't too happy about it!

There is nothing you can do about this but you want to make sure that
A) You're drinking enough water - my guideline is 4-5 clear urinations a day
B) You intake your neccesary mineral supplements

This typically passes after 4-5 days. If it doesn't - then you probably need to find another diet. Some people simply do not function well when they keep carbs so low.

For now - I'd suggest you tough it out if you can.

Goodluck!

My migraines have improved significantly on ip. I will continue on a low carb diet as I phase off.

Are you aware that sucralose and other artificial sweeteners are a migraine trigger for many? Not sure if they were in your diet beforehand, but could be part of it.

I was prone to migraines off and on all my life and they got worse in the past couple years (after I turned 50 and hormones going wild). I went onto IP April 2010 and had a migraine in the first week or so. I have not had one since and I've been in maintenance since Sept. 2010. Drink LOTS of water and hopefully it will get better. take care of yourself!

If your going to go on IP and your prone to migranes..i would take out all chocolate products then..cause Chocolate is a huge trigger for migrane sufferer's..

I suffered a huge migraine my first day on the program. By the evening I was in bed feeling awful...I didn't think I wanted to continue with IP. The next day I talked with my coach and decided to battle through. That first day was the only day I felt like that terrible (thankfully). From then on it's been good

On Day two I had the first migraine I have had in months! My menu that day was the omelet (sp) and then chilli -- well, I ended up throwing up -- and I really think that was pretty harsh for the second day. My coach told me to just drink the drinks and wait it out -- so I did. By day 3.5 into day 4, I finally felt better -- then . . . got my cycle. First one of those in months too! Anyway, after about 10 days I am feeling fine, less spacey and finally have some energy -- in fact, very good energy. My advice, if anyone cares, is: if you start IP and you start feeling sick stick with the chocolate or vanilla IP drinks -- they are very soothing -- and ride it out. (Other drinks and puddings are good too). You can also add 10oz of water to the puddings and drink them as shakes. Drinking the drinks helped me get through the first few days because I had no appetite at all. Oh -- chocolate doesn't really trigger my migraines -- I think I am just toxic. After IP -- I am going to do a major cleanse!

I started Thursday also and Friday morning woke with a horrible haeadache. I quit drinking soda Tuesday to prep (I was planning on starting the diet Mon but jumped the gun a little) so I'd had headaches from that but NOT like this.

I suffered through it at work all day Friday and sat in the recliner and closed my eyes the instant I got home from work. I remember making dinner for my kids and laying back down but that's all I remember from the night. I was soooo sick! I still had a headache Sat and Sun but Mon woke up headache free. I am still super tired though and could probably go to bed at 8 if my family allowed.

I had the worst headache i my life for 3 days but everything is all good now, its just getting over that hump. Also having that salt helps a bit too....

so I've just been reading through some older post and came across this one. I have suffered from migraines since I can remember. I went on the diet and was sick w/migraines for almost a week had to take vicoden and sleep a lot. That would help till the next day. About a week into the diet my body started to adjust, I think I was having terrible sugar withdrawals. Haven't had one since that week. I think cleaning all that crap/garbage out of my system has helped w/having migraines. I did this diet 2 years ago and after I lost 42lbs and was in maintenance i maybe had a total of 2 migraines in 2 years! So I say the diet was my saving grace. Good Luck to you!

This is just my third day on the program and i was in bed for most of the day with a migraine. But i knew that was going to happen with the sugar leaving and I had cut way back on coffee to get the water in. Now that I am through the worst of it I will be Ok from now on I am sure, but will have to have two cups of coffee instead of the one I went down too. I had to take my migraine meds twice today, once usually does it.
So I was off track with eating in that I couldn't eat anything until the evening meal.
As for the suggestions to skip the chocolate, I thought the chocolate stuff didn't have real chocolate, just choclate flavouring??? Chocolate is not a trigger for me anyway.

I think too getting all the garbage out of my system will help. That is good to know about still not having many in maintenance Nik.

Pat