Since the pathophysiology of migraine and epilepsy may be similar and AEDs are sometimes an effective preventative treatment for migraines, I am curious whether the ketogenic diet might help prevent migraines. Apparently it has been useful in the treatment of epilepsy in children (for example at Johns Hopkins). Has anyone tried this or heard of any research being done on this?
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Q: ketogenic diet - has anyone tried this for migraine
Answers (3)
7/22/08 3:59pm
Hi Aboleyn!
If you are on any preventive medications, you should check with your doctor before you start a diet like this.
With some medications, they advise AGAINST this type of diet. Example: Topamax, low carb diets can possibly make the risk of kidney stones greater when doing a low carb diet.
I had to stop low carb dieting (Atkins, South Beach) while on Topamax because of this risk.
7/19/08 10:39am
I had never heard of this before your post, so I looked it up. I don't know if it would work or not. The fact that it makes your body burn fat instead of converting it into glucose seems like it would be good for migraines. I think a lot of my migraines are related to blood sugar. I usually get them after eating or waiting to long to eat. I would definitely ask your doctor.
7/24/08 3:31pm
I tried following the Atkins diet for a while back in the spring. It did seem to help. I'm not sure if it had something to do with fat burning, the diuretic effect of the diet, or something else. I had to quit the diet when I started Topamax. I've recently stopped taking Topamax, so I am considering going back on the diet. I admit it is hard for me to stick too because I love carbs, but I think I'll give it one more try. It would be worth giving up the carbs to feel better.
Has anyone else tried it?
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