What are your migraine triggers?

Well, the list is long for migraine triggers. I started another thread on this, but it is complicated and I do not want to make it too technical, nor do I want to make it too short and stupid. I have edited the first post several times now and I will likely redo it again. I started with the vaso-active amines, but they are complex biochemical components. I listed several of the typical migraine triggers in the first post in this thread, but to elaborate more on the main food triggers:

One of the major types of migraine food triggers are the vaso-active amines (protien building blocks). Particularly particularly tyramine, glutamate (MSG), and phenylethylamine. It is thought that people that get migraines from eating these are low in monoamines (MAO) that typically break these molecules down before they reach the bloodstream. Other food triggers are addatives like yellow dye #5, and red dye #40. Other addatives that are suspect are nitrates/nitrites, as well as sulphites/sulphates which are commonly found in aged meats, dried fruits and veggies, and wines. Other addatives like artificial sweeteners are known to cause migraines, particularly aspartame.

Red wine gets a bad wrap for causing migraines and many state that it is becasue of vaso-active amines, but they are only found in very small amounts in wine. So there is likely something else in there that causes them. Tannins are typically suspected, as are the alcohol and phenols and verious aromatics. However, several studies show that white wine is actually more likely to cause migraines. Wine is complex stuff... some wines give me migraines while others do not. Oxidised wines and spirits are very likely to give you a migraine. These include Port, sherry and vermouth. Chiante wine (called Sangiovese in the US) is also a common trigger. It may well be the sulphites that they add to wine to give it a longer shelf like that actually causes migraines. There are several wineries that produce sulphite-free wines, like Lolonis in California.

Caffeine is a common trigger, as well as caffeine withdrawl. Caffeine has a complex role in stimulating human physiology, and it has two close cousins that are found in foods: theophylline mainly found in tea, and theobromine found in chocolate. Many studies group these three alkaloids together and call them caffeine, though the three are different. They are commonly found together in various levels in coffee, tea and chocolate. They are all stimulants. Caffeine is also added to a lot of processed foods, expecially cola drinks and sodas, and all the new energy drinks out there. Note also that cola from the cola nut is also a common migraine trigger.

Outside of foods, environmental factors that may cause migraines are loud noise and bright light. Loss of sleep or too much sleep may also trigger them in some people. Stress is a common trigger. Hormonal inbalance and mense cycles may also trigger them in women. Quite a few drugs can trigger migraines, especially opiates and barbituates. Weight loss drugs and ADHD stimulants may also be a factor in elevating the number of migraines, working in tandem with the food related triggers. This is the same in MAOI drugs, where people become sensative to the vaso-active amines in foods when they are on MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitor) drugs. Consuming too much alcohol may also trigger them (though some consider it a food). Strong fumes can also trigger migraines, particularly substances like paint, gasoline, and pesticides. Neck pain and strain is also implicated in causing migraines. Missing meals and/or fasting may also cause them, as well as being dehydrated.

So that is a rather small sample, but in a nutshell, all of the above can and do cause migraine attacks.

Spaide,

I got the information on the supplements I take from Dr. Andrew Jones in Texas. See this link: http://www.migraine-headaches-information.com/

The booklet is a good read on the effects of hormones on women's migraines, and in particular the bad effects of artificial hormones (like in birth control pills and HRT). Also all the artificial hormones that are ending up in our food.

As a cross check, my nuero also recommended magnesium. My sister-in-law is a nurse and she has really been pushing everyone to take the vitamin D also. Apparently there are some really good studies on how low we are as a population now that most people work indoors all day. I've had my blood levels of D teststed for several years now and I am in the middle of the range, even with that much supplement, so it seems to be okay.

He also recommends omega-3, not for headaches, but because it's supposed to be good for you in general. I have discontinued that after some gallbladder issues.

I order my supplements online from www.omega-1000.com. They seem to be of a good quality.

Zomigman,

My personal theory on red wine is that it's the tannins. I say that because American wines are much higher in tannin than French wines. When in France I found red wine didn't bother me a bit. But I can't drink American red wine now without a major headache. Lately I've found I can't do white wine either. Such a drag!

Its the oak... cheaper American wines are made with American oak, whereas French wines and better American wines are made with French oak. French oak is softer and less tanic, for sure. A lot of American wine makers also dump oak chips in their wines. Though I have not noticed the tannins as being that big a deal for me. Then again, maybe it is the oak. I get headaches from drinking Scotch... which is basically vodka aged in oak. My mother gets headaches from the added sulphates in wine. Sulphate-free wine does not bother her much.

Zomigman,

That's good to know on what makes the difference. Here is an interesting article that reinforces the tannin theory. It found differences in migraine frequency that correlated with the tannin content in different wine types.

http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/news/20120620/some-kinds-red-wine-may-not-trigger-migraines

Migraine Girl,

The website says it's "currently unavailable". But I will defintely check out the Magneseum and vitamins. Thanks!

Here is Dr McDougell's Elimination diet: http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdougall/021200pudiet.htm

I've been thinking of trying it. Hopefully, it will also help with the high BP and I can eliminate or reduce BP med. dosages. I already eat a very low fat diet to lower my cholesterol and that has helped considerably, along with some supplements. It has also, has helped with my kidney function numbers (I have one kidney).

I will probably start with his regualr diet and see where that leads me. In reading these forum posts, I've given up tomatoes and lo and behold, my stomach is much better.

There is an article in Dr McDougell's website, about a migraineur eliminating her migraines and a host of other illinesses with the diet.

Martin

Migrainegirl wrote:Zomigman,

That's good to know on what makes the difference. Here is an interesting article that reinforces the tannin theory. It found differences in migraine frequency that correlated with the tannin content in different wine types.

http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/news/20120620/some-kinds-red-wine-may-not-trigger-migraines

Yah, I saw the results of that study on another site, but it is a very small group and very subjective. High tannin wines are called 'oak bombs' in wine tasting circles. I happen to like oak bombs... I was in a snobby wine tasting group for many years in the SF bay area. I also planted a half acre of pinot noir in central Oregon on my ex's ranch (when I was living with her).

Spaide,

I did some checking to find out why that site was gone. Apparently the state medical board in Texas took some sort of action against him due to dispensing medical advice over the Internet with out a proper patient-doctor relationship, and failing to disclose he owned the site that he recommended for the supplements, and overall over-promising on the cure. His site is down and his book on Amazon is out of stock, so I'm guessing he is out of business.

While there are lots of skeptical comments on the web about his book and recommendations, none I saw were from anyone who actually tried it. While I certainly understand skepticism, I didn't have much hope it would work either, I can only say it worked for me, after everything else did not. And all the doctors and nueros I saw had nothing better to offer, and in many cases made me ever worse off. So I'm kind of sad to hear about it.

Big Pharma is definitely the king in ths country. There is just too much money to be made. Natural solutions don't provide the big money that patented medicines do, and there is a lot of pressure to keep it that way. I would certainly have never said this 6 years ago before going through my ordeal with migraines, but I'm beginning to think there is some truth in that.

In any case, these supplements have been a Godsend to me. It's given me back at least most, if not all, of a semblance of life. Maybe someday there will be a cure for migraine. But until then, we have to go with the best aids we can to make life livable.

Hi everyone,

Figuring out my triggers has been really difficult because it wasn't until the migraines became really frequent that I started paying attention and by then, it was hard to tell what had triggered me on any given day.

I do know that the following are problems for me: disturbed sleep (especially not getting enough sleep), anxiety/stress, and airplane travel. Caffeine may be a problem but I only ever had coffee when I was tired so it is hard to tell. I now avoid caffeine, just in case. I have heard that cold may trigger migraines too but as I live in Canada this is pretty hard to avoid most of the year.

Cookie Monster

Hey Migrainegirl,

I just wanted to mention that I tried the Andrew Jones program at one point when I was desperate and both the lack of results and the correspondence I had with him / his clinic really turned me off.

I have a science degree and asked him some pretty pointed questions about the biology behind his recommendations. His answers were all very evasive and left me feeling that the program was a scam. I wish I could be more specific with respect to my concerns but it was years ago and I don't remember the details. However, if he has been shut down there's probably a pretty good reason for it. You have to be so careful what you buy on the internet.

Ooops. Forgot a few but I think Zomigman already covered them... hormonal fluctuations and physical injury / strain (I have been in a few car accidents and before the migraines got bad, I suffered from chronic back pain). My back is a lot better now but my physio still thinks that my migraines may be related to my back injuries and more particularly to the neck pain.

Thanks for the info about wine. I don't know anything about the chemical makeup, only that even a sip of it will trigger a full blown migraine for me. I avoid even smelling it if possible. Beer actually has the same effect. The only alcohol I seem to be able to drink is Rye and I have no idea why.

Weather is a bad one for me. I live a little north of Toronto Ontario Canada, and we get some of the most diverse weather you can imagine. In early spring for example this year, we went from snow, to 4 inches of rain, to 30 degree Celsius heat all within once month. We had 2 days last week where it was over 40 degrees with the humidex. One say was 43, which is 109 F. And 'feels like 43' with the humidity, is 43 when you are out in it lol. Anyway, anytime we get the drastic weather changes, I get nailed with a migraine.

I have neck and shoulder problems, and if I don't keep on top of them with massage I get headaches that start as a tension headache, then seem to morph into a migraine.

Food wise, other than wine I haven't found many tiggers, and I have tried restrictive diets to isolate. I just have to follow the everything in moderation policy basically. If I eat way too much of any one thing, I will feel like crap in one way or another. I eat very little dairy, minimal meat, as much fruit and veges as I can. Oranges is one thing that I avoid because I have a slight allergy to them.


One absolute guaranteed trigger for me is lack of sleep though. If I run into sleep issues, which unfortunately happens a lot in spurts, I get nailed with some of the worst migraines I get.

It may be easier to list what isn't a trigger than what is. Certainly feels that way sometimes. My triggers are:

Aspartame (Nutra-Sweet)
weather changes
lack of sleep
bright light
not eating on time
getting too hot
flashing light
hormones
crying
stress (normally hits as soon as the stress eases)
too much citrus
exertion
bending over for any length of time
chemical or fuel smells

wow Brenda.....your triggers are identical to mine!

I have had a really good 10 days, no migraines until yesterday since I was feeling so good I decided to clean the house from top to bottom, this involved bending over to sweep up dust from the floor and within minutes I had neck stiffness and the start of a headache that by evening was a full blown migraine....just from doing something as simple as sweeping the floor!!! so frustrating.

On a positive note I took a triptan and went to bed and woke feeling normal this morning so am crossing everything it stays away!

Another trigger I think I've pinpointed lately is not drinking enough water....I seem to be ok if I make sure I drink 2 litres of water a day any less and I seem to be headachey if that makes sense but that may be just a coincedence as I have so many other triggers too

I'm glad I'm not alone Jul. Most people don't believe me when I say bending over like that gives me a migraine. I had to get myself one of those gripper aids just so I could easily pick things up off the floor. Sometimes I feel like I'm 87 instead of 47.

Reading this thread has reminded me of something, and I'm curious if anyone else can relate to my experience.
All of my triggers have already been listed, major ones being dehydration, low blood sugar, sudden physical exertion, changes in schedule/sleep patterns, bright sun exposure and stress. I suspect that my sensitivity to these triggers and therefore, the amount of migraines I get, subsides when I am in very good physical shape. On the other hand, when I am not in good shape and exercising minimally--3x week or less--not only are my headaches worse, but more things will trigger them.

This is why I think so:
Last summer I cycled across the Southern US from May-August. It was humid at first, dry in texas & beyond, and temps did not drop below 90 F most of the time. I got migraines for the first 2 weeks, then suddenly they disappeared. I did nothing different, except I got in shape. I was chronically dehydrated the whole summer, partly due (I discovered later) to the topamax I was taking. I should have been drinking 3x the water of everyone else, but I was not retaining anything or sweating at all. This proved to be a problem in drier states.
Anyway, I survived, and despite the terrible condition my body was in--lack of energy due to depleted blood sugar, not processing water correctly, extreme physical exertion for multiple days at a time, lack of sleep/recovery at night, consistent sun exposure for 6-10 hrs/day--I did not get any migraines!

I always attributed this to the, somewhat, regular schedule I followed during the bike tour. Now I definitely think it is due to my physical fitness level. Exercise has so many health benefits, it really should not be underestimated or overlooked.

Here are some things that triggers migraines for me

Too much Stress
Too Tire to work
Eaten too much
Too Hungry
High Blood Pressure

Another this is I went using a tanning bed but after a slept and the next morning, I went nuts because of the pain. Do you think tanning myself caused this one or it's just something else?

Hi All,

My migraine triggers:
-Loud noises
-flashing lights
-exhaustion
-any meat with nitrates (ham, bacon, hor dogs.)
-mushrooms

Other than that, a mixed up schedule is not good.

Pain free days
sailingm

Just been reading through this thread and thought I would add mine. I've only started having migraines this year and I've had 3 so far this year. 1 in March, 1 in July time and 1 just finishing up now in November. So I can safely say my triggers are not food. Theres nothing I only eat once every few months.

All 3 migraines have come on whilst I have been at work. I think my triggers are a combination of dehydration and staring at the computer screen for too long. I also think stress plays a part, my work isnt stressful, but once I get a migraine I start panicking and worrying which only makes it last longer.

So I now have a bottle of water on my desk always, I'm trying to remember to take breaks from the computer and do other jobs. Thankfully when I get a migraine they arent very painful, the aura just lasts days and really scares me and stresses me out. Thats what I want to avoid.

My triggers include:
All meat except shrimp (I became a vegetarian for this reason)
smells (anything stronger than soap)
loud noises
smoke (BBQ, cigarette, marijuana)
actual marijuana with send me into a tail spin for days
bright lights
sun
reading
stress
not sleeping or over sleeping
homework
But i have a headache disorder so i'm over sensitive to a lot of other things!

Mine are Milk, Egg, Wheat, Tomato, Beef, Corn, Soy. You can find a list that a doctor compiled after a large research study here:

Egger, J., et al. "Is migraine food allergy?: a double-blind controlled trial of oligoantigenic diet treatment." The Lancet (1983): 865-869.

I learned a while ago that my diet was by far the best way to manage my migraines. I now eat mainly rice, vegetables, and fish and have almost no migraines.


Best,
Steven

Change in sleep, change in weather, stress, cheap alcohol, getting over heated

I've been prone to migraines, and tension headaches, since I was 10; and I'm now 38. The only triggers I've been able to work out so far would be:-

Muscle tightness in my neck and shoulders.
Loud noises.
Bright or flashing lights.
Strong smells (eg. perfume, petrol (gas), fresh paint, smoke, etc).
Extremes of hot or cold weather (thankfully the cold weather doesn't get too extreme here in Australia).


I'm sure there'd be more, but that's all I can remember at the moment.

it seems that dehydration has a lot to answer for.
also lack of sleep, lack of food
before periods?
change in medications
and coffee.