I also started getting migraines at puberty and they became more frequent and more severe in my thirties. Also, my name is Karen!
I used to be able to fall asleep and awake without the headache. But as they became more severe I took Amerge (like Immitrex) to get over it. They became more frequent and I took more Amerge, only to get more headaches because of the rebound factor. I went to neurologists, an ear/nose/throat doctor and had sinus surgery, after also getting tested by an allergist. I quit my job over this, thinking it was stress, but the headaches kept coming. I was on Dr. Atkin's diet, which excludes most carbs (including bread, etc. which is not gluten-free). I noticed during that time I had fewer headaches. So the answer was simple: it was wheat (or gluten) in foods. It was that simple and not one of the doctors ever suggested it as a problem. For me, it sets off an inflammation which effects a migraine and I usually have some stuffiness in my nose and sinuses, which led me to a sinus doctor.
Anyone can do a simple trial to determine if gluten initiates their migraines. Eliminate gluten from your diet for 2 to 4 weeks. That means no bread, bagels, chips with wheat, pizza and all the other things made from wheat, rye, barley. Don't eat steel-cut oats or "modified food starch" which is used as a thickener in foods like soup or puddings.
Gluten affects me according to my menstrual cycle. There are some days that I CAN eat gluten products, but I never know which days those are. The week prior to a period is the worse. Even though I wasn't getting periods and have since had a hysterectomy, my brain still sends out "cycle" signals and I still can get the migraines.
I continue to eat the "bad" foods, even though I can buy special gluten-free products. Sometimes it's a matter of wanting a cake dessert at a friend's home or restaurant. The way I get around the headache is to have some coffee with a gluten food. The coffee constricts the blood vessels and that seems to prevent the headache. I am careful how much of the "bad" (gluten) food I eat. Still, if a headache starts, I bite off 1/4 of my 5mg Amerge migraine medication, and it averts a larger migraine. Because some of these migraines are very slow in starting (maybe over hours) the migraine might not appear to be connected to eating a wheat(gluten) item. I didn't want to believe that I couldn't eat wheat so I tested it MANY times and continued to suffer many more times. It's been almost 5 years since I connected gluten with migraines and I'm now in control of my headaches. Be sure to read package labels though, as once Doritos were made with wheat. I woke up at 2am with a migraine from Doritos at 9pm.
Other tips: avoid alchoholic drinks, as they are made from rye, wheat, etc. Somehow they must react in the same way, as I get migraines from these. The more that we are told to eat more whole wheat products, and I did, is when my headaches became more frequent too!
Good luck.
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I also started getting migraines at puberty and they became more frequent and more severe in my thirties. Also, my name is Karen!
I used to be able to fall asleep and awake without the headache. But as they became more severe I took Amerge (like Immitrex) to get over it. They became more frequent and I took more Amerge, only to get more headaches because of the rebound factor. I went to neurologists, an ear/nose/throat doctor and had sinus surgery, after also getting tested by an allergist. I quit my job over this, thinking it was stress, but the headaches kept coming. I was on Dr. Atkin's diet, which excludes most carbs (including bread, etc. which is not gluten-free). I noticed during that time I had fewer headaches. So the answer was simple: it was wheat (or gluten) in foods. It was that simple and not one of the doctors ever suggested it as a problem. For me, it sets off an inflammation which effects a migraine and I usually have some stuffiness in my nose and sinuses, which led me to a sinus doctor.
Anyone can do a simple trial to determine if gluten initiates their migraines. Eliminate gluten from your diet for 2 to 4 weeks. That means no bread, bagels, chips with wheat, pizza and all the other things made from wheat, rye, barley. Don't eat steel-cut oats or "modified food starch" which is used as a thickener in foods like soup or puddings.
Gluten affects me according to my menstrual cycle. There are some days that I CAN eat gluten products, but I never know which days those are. The week prior to a period is the worse. Even though I wasn't getting periods and have since had a hysterectomy, my brain still sends out "cycle" signals and I still can get the migraines.
I continue to eat the "bad" foods, even though I can buy special gluten-free products. Sometimes it's a matter of wanting a cake dessert at a friend's home or restaurant. The way I get around the headache is to have some coffee with a gluten food. The coffee constricts the blood vessels and that seems to prevent the headache. I am careful how much of the "bad" (gluten) food I eat. Still, if a headache starts, I bite off 1/4 of my 5mg Amerge migraine medication, and it averts a larger migraine. Because some of these migraines are very slow in starting (maybe over hours) the migraine might not appear to be connected to eating a wheat(gluten) item. I didn't want to believe that I couldn't eat wheat so I tested it MANY times and continued to suffer many more times. It's been almost 5 years since I connected gluten with migraines and I'm now in control of my headaches. Be sure to read package labels though, as once Doritos were made with wheat. I woke up at 2am with a migraine from Doritos at 9pm.
Other tips: avoid alchoholic drinks, as they are made from rye, wheat, etc. Somehow they must react in the same way, as I get migraines from these. The more that we are told to eat more whole wheat products, and I did, is when my headaches became more frequent too!
Good luck.
reply