What triggers migrane headaches?

Question

How can some one avoid from getting migrane headaches? I am suffering on and off with these types of headaches. I have changed my diet. I do not drink much coffeeine any more. I eat healthy food. What else triggers them? If I get them I feel like I am dying. Can anyone tell me what else to do?

I do not eat boxed foods. I do not eat breakfast bars.
I do eat sometimes bagel in the morning plus one cup of decafe.
I do not eat any junk food. I avoid red meat.
I also get lot's of troubles with my digestive track. I do not have any more stress in my life. Cause for almost 6 years, I have been written off as being disabeled. Therefore, I can not work any more.
I have had three open heart surgeries in my live.
I might be in pre menopause and perhaps experience hormone in balance. So wonder what else it can be. It's making me so sick that I do not know what else to do any more.
I do take imitrex which is a migrane headache medications. It used to help me but now even when taking it it does not help nor does it give me any more relief.

Answer 1

You need to make a food journal. Sulfur, MSG, other random preservatives can cause migraines. Corn sugar solids is less commonly identified as a trigger, but I know several people who found their migraines were triggered by this... You'll need to keep track of what you eat, and then find a common ingredient. It may be dye, or a preservative. Do you eat a lot of pre-packaged food? Like breakfast bars or microwaveable soups or boxed dinners? those all have high nitrates & sodium levels... I can also be enviornmental ... Perfumes, make-up, lotion, etc... Write it all down, then cross check the ingredient labels. That's the only real way to find out. Its usually not so obvious as, 'Caffine' or 'chocolate' or 'redwine' you have to figure out what ingredient is causing this, and avoid it in all foods. good luck

Answer 2

EDIT for added history. You don't say what kind of open heart surgery you had. My concern is, if you have Coronary Artery Disease, or Cor Artery Spasm, the imitrex and similar meds are contraindicated (recommended against) due to side effects.
As one person stated neck and back injuries seem to contribute also to migraines.
I have had several neck injuries in my life starting as a child with the last severe neck trauma last year....
Incidentally i notice that many tall people, as well as those who have past neck, shoulder, back injuries, do have migraines. Some day they will research to see how many people with migraines have history of neck or back/ shoulder injuries.
One more thing, genetics is contributor. My mother had migraines but they started when she was about 30. I have had them since a teenager. My paternal grandmother had severe migraines; back in those days called "sick headaches".
Very few people understand how painful and debilitating this problem is unless they have experienced it!

Keep a diary as the other person said, and find what works for you, and work along with your doctor. If imitrex does not work, talk to your doctor and get referral to headache or pain clinic.

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Hi, I have suffered from Migraines for 41 yrs.
Really. They can be controlled better with good sleep habits, good diet, and less stress.
yeah, right....easy to control stress in this world!!! NOT

What triggers MY migraines, and i think a large number of cases, is muscle strain, neck or back strain, and lack of sleep. Also tension, working on computer, doing paperwork, esp with head bent down to read or write...
Anytime i have to mop the floors or vacuum my back, shoulders & neck get strain - so what i do is just a little at a time, like one room.
Stress is contributing factor. Some migraines are triggered by allergies, or pollution. When I had to drive 1 hr to work in Calif, being behind a diesel truck in slow traffic would guarantee a raging migraine (from fumes) by the time I got to work.

Just some examples for you.
Suggest find a headache clinic, and a doctor who will listen to you, instead of just applying his/her "one size fits all" treatment.

Things that help the most for me are mild exercise - walking the dogs daily (tho if they yank my shoulder out it's not a good thing!), and i exercise in the pool and soak in hot tub / at health club 3 or 4 times a week. That really helps.

I have to find a doctor who will work with me, as I know what does NOT work. Narcotics do not work, don't take the pain away. Work with doctor on finding the right combination of rest, exercise, meditation, and medicines for you.

Hope this is useful.

Answer 3

I get migrane headaches also, my Doctor said that red wines,
cheese, and fluorescent lites in the stores can also cause them. Stress can also bring them on, I've had these headaches for a long time, when one of them is starting to
come I notice that my eyes will start to hurt and everything starts to look funny to me,If this happens to you leave the room you are in as soon as soon as you can, cause most likely it is the lighting in the room causing the headache at that time. Good Luck

Answer 4

I would recommend visiting WebMD and searching for migraines. There are a wide variety of known migraine triggers, and each person's triggers are unique.

By the way, my husband had a neck injury in high school football that damaged his first cervical vertebrae. When this vertebrae gets out of alignment, it triggers a migraine-type headache in him. His chiropractor is able to realign his vertebrae and help him get over his headache.

I mention the neck thing because my husband was getting treated for classical migraines, and his migraine trigger had nothing to do with classical diet and environmental triggers that many women seem to experience.

Visit http://www.webmd.com and search for migraines

Answer 5

For me personally I can get migraine if I do a lot of exercise and don't drink enough water. So dehydration definately. I think it's been linked to chocolate as well and also stress.