Celiac And Migraines

[Kira]

Hi. I am new to this board. I do not have any GI symptoms of celiac, but have had migraines for the past 18 years. I have read that not only do a lot of people with celiac disease NOT have the traditional GI symptoms, but also that there is speculation that migraines my be triggered by gluten in some individuals. Do any of you have thoughts about this? Thanks.

[Guest jhmom]

Hi and welcome to the board. I have also heard that some people do not have the classic GI symptoms but have other problems such as anemia, etc. I found some information on migraines here on this site and thought you might want to read them:

Migraine Headaches: Gluten Triggers Severe Headaches in Sensitive Individuals

Migraine Headaches Linked to Celiac Disease

I hope this helps

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I have both migranes and other symptoms. If I think back to when the biggest and worst ones came they were all after doing stuff I usually didn't do and with gluten (which I didn't know then) containing things. So, I do think that gluten is one of my migrane triggors.

[Kira]

Thanks for the links to the articles. I was actually aware of these studies, but there is very little additional research that I know of. I was wondering if any of you have found a connection between migraines and gluten.

[celiac3270]

Migraines.....yes, sounds familiar....they run in my family....and I have Celiac

-celiac3270

[dana-g]

I got my first migraine when I was in kindergarten. Years of "classic" migraine with vomiting followed, no attention was paid to the foods I was eating. But I was given drugs, drugs, and more drugs. Some taken daily to prevent the attacks (didn't work) some taken at onset to stop attack (sometimes worked) and some taken during (usually vomited up, unless given by injection.) At age 46, I figured out I had celiac disease, stopped eating gluten, and have gotten only THREE migraines since...when I accidently ingested gluten! This is only one person's story, to be sure, but it is a dramatic example of how gluten sensitivity can mask itself as something else. When I think of the side effects from years of migraine meds, I want to cry. I have had some bad headaches, not migraine, since going gluten-free, from eating soy, and will be allergy tested next week. If only my family doctor had thought about this when I was a five-year -old suffering so much...I can only be grateful that our 11 year old daughter was dx'd and will never have to live with active celiac disease!! Thank God for that! My migraines were my worst symptom, in fact, I actively sought treatment for them and not my GI symptoms. I've read that gluten can inflame the lining of the brains of those typically prone to getting migraines. Sounds right to me.

[Connie R-E]

I get migraines when I eat honey. I don't know if the bees are pollenating wheat or something, but I do definately believe that food sensitivities can cause migraines!

Connie

[celiac3270]

I don't get a lot of headache-migraines....I had two while on vacation (lol...no, it wasn't a stressful trip )...in March of this year , but haven't had any since.

However.....

Since around birth, I've gone to the same pediatrician.....then a few years ago he switched insurance plans....and I switched doctors . I always thought he was a good doctor, but I guess, looking back, he wasn't as good as my family thought. After all, I had projectile vomiting cause of the formula I was on....and he just switched it (celiac?). Starting in first grade (maybe earlier, but I can only remember back to first grade) I had a lot of stomach cramping and vomiting and bloating...I know that was Celiac....he didn't catch it...he thought maybe it was a food allergy, but said it was expensive, and kinda dropped it. I was born two weeks late, and was a big baby (not fat, but really long and "stout", I guess you could say ). Well, over the years I didn't gain a lot of weight (celiac)....didn't catch on or recommend that I see a GI for the stomach issues.

Anyway, when we finally changed doctors cause of his insurance plans, I went to a different doctor....a much nicer guy in my opinion....who heard my symptoms and immediately suggested "Cyclic Vomiting", which is a migraine-related issue. I used to occasionally see "spots" that were kinda like flashing things and blurred my vision for a few seconds when I was sick (not continually, but every now and then I'd get them while i had the cramping and vomiting). He even showed my mom in a medical book how the symptoms of cyclic vomiting matched my celiac disease (gas, bloating, and diarrhea weren't major symptoms, so I hadn't brought them up). However, being a good doctor, he recommended that we see a GI, and recommended the actual doctor who diagnosed me....testing for allergies, celiac disease, and a couple other things with blood-work, and then following up with the biopsy.

Anyway, I've sort of rambled off my whole story here (except for my dealing with symptoms at home ), but my point is, I think migraines are a pretty common thing....if anyone else sees flashy things....spots kinda, it could be a migraine manifesting itself in a different way. I don't know if I actually have that Cyclic vomiting thing....but, anyway, it's just a comment to add to migraines. Don't rule yourself out as having migraines just because you don't get splitting headaches....it doesn't have to come in that form. I'm not sure how relevant this post is to the migraine discussion, but I hope it helps someone .

-celiac3270