All my migraines are from what I eat

[Kooljerk]

The list of what I can't eat or drink is endless. It's getting insane how many things I have to avoid. Yeah, I'm able to avoid migraines but there are so many, many, things I can't eat or drink. I 'm big on herbal remedies, that actually work for me. I was wondering, If my migraines are 100% triggered by food, is there anything herbal I might try that might counteract the migraine trigger of that food? I have been preaching to people for years that have migraines that the food they eat may be causing them. Most of these people will not change their diets. It is sad that I'm unable to help them if they are unwilling to give up the foods that are causing them their migraines. I don't know of any herbal remedy but I feel there might be one to help people with food related migraines. I'm 55 years old. 10 years ago I never had this problem. Migraines are no picnic.  I suffer for 12-13 hours straight when I get one. I don't fully understand why so many food that I used to eat, I can't eat now.

[Kooljerk]

I'm big on supplements that actually work for me. I LOVE Niacin. I take CoQ-10. I take B12 and I take Calcium Magnesium with Zinc. I recently started a job next to a Sonic restaurant. I started getting daily migraines no matter what I ate there. I was to stubborn to believe that Sonic was giving me migraines. The day I started bringing my lunch from home, my migraines were gone. If you don't cook from scratch or eat fresh fruit or vegetables, there is more than likely an ingredient that will cause a migraine. I would rather stop the cause than cure the symptom. If there was a supplement that would let me eat anything, yeah I would do that.

[marileew]

Hi Kooljerk,

I agree with Rowena Santos, MD that you would probably benefit from preventative medications. There are three major classes of preventative migraine medications: Antidepressants, Anticonvulsants and Beta Blockers. Calcium Channel Blockers and Botox are also used to prevent migraine headaches. Those are the preventative treatments that statistically work the best for migraine headaches and most people find them all to be very effective (some more effective than others though).

As for herbal treatments...

Feverfew and Butterbur are two herbs that can be used to prevent migraines. There have been some studies to suggest these herbs are effective, but the evidence is inconclusive. The regular dose of Feverfew is around 125mg per day. The regular dose of Butterbur is around 50mg twice per day. Always consult a doctor or pharmacist prior to starting an herbal treatment as they can have side-effects and can mix badly with other medications or diseases.

Vitamins and supplements are something else you may want to consider. B2 and Magnesium have both been proven very effective by a number of scientific trials. There has been some suggestion that Coenzyme Q10 is also effective, but personally I would try B2 and Magnesium first since those two have been proven effective. B2 is very safe and non-toxic, but it is always wise to consult a doctor or pharmacist prior to starting a new supplement. Magnesium and Coenzyme Q10 can mix badly with other medications or diseases, so you should consult a doctor or pharmacist prior to starting either of those supplements.

The effective doses of these proven supplements are:
- B2 @ 400mg per day. B2 is one of the most effective preventative supplements. It is also the safest.
- Magnesium @ 400mg per day or in divided doses if you experience undesirable side-effects such as stomach upset or diarrhea, so that would be 200mg twice per day. If side-effects do not simply go away by dividing the dose, then 100mg three times per day may decrease side-effects. Anything under 300mg per day is not effective though. Most people find that 600mg/day of magnesium is the upper limit of magnesium if taken by mouth. Up to 1000mg/day can be taken by IV if administered in a hospital setting, but this much cannot be taken by mouth. Most people start at 300mg or 400mg per day. 400mg should be effective.
- Coenzyme Q10 @ 300mg per day.

Hope that information is helpful! Let us know if you start any of them and if you find them helpful in preventing your migraines.

- marilee

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? I agree that migraine headaches can indeed be triggered by the food we eat. However, there are not enough studies done showing that herbal supplements help in avoiding these migraine attacks. Aside from avoiding the triggers, you can benefit from both preventive and abortive medications instead,since these drugs have undergone more studies as required by the FDA prior to approval. Check with your doctor for proper management. Take care and do keep us posted.