Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Migraines. Better gluten-free? How Long gluten-free?

sreese68

Recommended Posts

sreese68 Enthusiast
sreese68
Posted

My 12yo daughter has just started a gluten-free diet. (I've been on it almost 4 weeks.) One of the reasons is that she gets migraines. They make her VERY tired, dizzy, nauseous, etc. The last one lasted several days. (Fortunately, we homeschool, so we can work around them somewhat.) I know they're hormonally related for her, but our neurologist believes they can be made worse by food.

I was wondering if your migraines got better gluten-free? If so, how long did it take gluten-free for you to see a difference? I know nitrates and other foods can be implicated in making migraines worse, but my daughter is such a picky, picky eater that I wanted to change one thing at a time for her.

Thanks!

Sharon

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


CarolinaKip Community Regular
CarolinaKip
Posted

My 12yo daughter has just started a gluten-free diet. (I've been on it almost 4 weeks.) One of the reasons is that she gets migraines. They make her VERY tired, dizzy, nauseous, etc. The last one lasted several days. (Fortunately, we homeschool, so we can work around them somewhat.) I know they're hormonally related for her, but our neurologist believes they can be made worse by food.

I was wondering if your migraines got better gluten-free? If so, how long did it take gluten-free for you to see a difference? I know nitrates and other foods can be implicated in making migraines worse, but my daughter is such a picky, picky eater that I wanted to change one thing at a time for her.

Thanks!

Sharon

I had my last migraine at 2 weeks gluten-free. I have not had a migraine since June 2010! I had 9 plus a month before going gluten-free! I would go through all my migraine meds every month. May 2010 was the last time I had to purchase them and didn't need them! For me, it has been amazing not to have them anymore! I only get a mild headache now when I get CC. My migraines were blamed on hormonal issues and foods such as nuts. Best wishes to you and your daughter! It is so worth going gluten-free to get rid of the migraines. Keep us updated with how you both are doing.

domesticactivist Collaborator
domesticactivist
Posted

I used to get migraines, but I'd usually get really intense migraine auras including visual anomalies, losing all vision, aphasia (saying wrong words), fatigue, intense tingling moving through arms and fingers, face and tongue, nausea, etc. They did seem correlated with hormones and other foods to some extent.

I had my last one in November shortly after going gluten-free. We were traveling at the time and hadn't learned how to avoid cross-contamination yet. That was my worst one ever.

Since then I've been completely aura and migraine free. btw, I'm not celiac, and have made other dietary changes as well. You can see about them in my sig and other posts.

starrytrekchic Apprentice
starrytrekchic
Posted

I still get them, though I think they're a bit better. Mine are hormone related (occurring around ovulation) and eating chocolate during that 2-3 day timeframe makes them infinitely worse.

Whether she keeps getting them will depend on if gluten helped trigger them & if you've tracked down other causes and eliminated them.

jeannieknits Rookie
jeannieknits
Posted

Interestingly I had been a long time migraine sufferer, and since going gluten free only had one in the past 8+ months. This past week I accidentally glutened myself, and bam--migraine on Saturday. It was a mild one, but got the aura and everything.

There definitely seems to be a connection.

ps: I'm trying to convince my 18yo daughter to go gluten-free--as she suffers horrible headaches and monthly migraines. She's not "ready" for the lifestyle change!

Good luck with your gal. :)

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

Migraines were almost daily for me for years. A month into gluten free, no more migraines except menstrual migraine which is actually worse now. It is actually common for menstrual migraine to get worse after going gluten free. Something about the hormones coming back or working better after gluten is eliminated. But the daily migraines are definitely gone and only come back when I get glutened.

I have a friend whose 12 year old daughter was having migraines and the gluten free diet eliminated hers. She had been taking migraine medicine daily...something for prevention, but she no longer needs that medication. It can work, just depends if it is gluten related or hormone related. But worth a try.

sreese68 Enthusiast
sreese68
Posted
  • Author

Thanks so much for everyone's replies. I let her know what y'all said. She just started gluten-free on Monday (we had meant to on Saturday, but she wanted to eat at a fair on Sunday), so it's too early to tell. She always gets migraines before her cycle, which I think may not happen for a little while longer since she was in such an incredibly good, helpful mood today! LOL! She's not terribly regular yet, so it's hard to know when the next one will come. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


  • 5 weeks later...
danzn16 Rookie
danzn16
Posted

Thanks so much for everyone's replies. I let her know what y'all said. She just started gluten-free on Monday (we had meant to on Saturday, but she wanted to eat at a fair on Sunday), so it's too early to tell. She always gets migraines before her cycle, which I think may not happen for a little while longer since she was in such an incredibly good, helpful mood today! LOL! She's not terribly regular yet, so it's hard to know when the next one will come. I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

I've had migraines for the past 20 years... since I was 3 years old. I feel like I've done almost everything and nothing helps. Topamax, Nortriptyline, nerve blocks... nothing helps. It's been almost 2 weeks since I've been gluten free. I still have migraines. But my doc said it takes 3 weeks to get the gluten out of your system and headaches can get worse during the 1st few weeks going off gluten, kind of like withdrawal. So hopefully it will work. Did it help your daughter?

MissBonnie Apprentice
MissBonnie
Posted

i had migraines my entire childhood until i found a really good chiropracter. now with regular visits i dont get them. its worth a try!

sreese68 Enthusiast
sreese68
Posted
  • Author

I've had migraines for the past 20 years... since I was 3 years old. I feel like I've done almost everything and nothing helps. Topamax, Nortriptyline, nerve blocks... nothing helps. It's been almost 2 weeks since I've been gluten free. I still have migraines. But my doc said it takes 3 weeks to get the gluten out of your system and headaches can get worse during the 1st few weeks going off gluten, kind of like withdrawal. So hopefully it will work. Did it help your daughter?

She had one a little while ago that I think was caused by hormones due to its timing. BUT it only lasted a day instead of 5 days like the ones she had before going gluten-free. She's going to stay gluten-free for awhile to see if it helps next month as well. Just this week I determined that gluten definitely causes my neuro symptoms (did a gluten challenge for myself), so our household will definitely stay gluten-free. I just don't know if she will need to stay gluten-free outside the home, too.

stef-the-kicking-cuty Enthusiast
stef-the-kicking-cuty
Posted

Don't know, if this answer comes a little late. Just wanted to add part of my story. I had migraines for 7 years every single day. After going glutenfree on 07/21/2004 it took about a week and I've been migraine free every since. Now I haven't had one single migraine in almost 7 years. Just a slight to middle headache, whenever I get glutened, which is rare.

AmandaM83 Newbie
AmandaM83
Posted

Throwing my 2 cents in - It is nice to see so many whose migraines went away so fast - wish I was that lucky!

I have had severe migraines for several years - prior to being on maintence preventative meds i was haveint 4 or 5 a week. After going gluten free, it wasn't until I hit the 6 month mark that I saw a real reduction in frequency. I have gone from 8-9 a month to 3 a month - sooo exciting! I can't wait to see what the next 6 months will do!

domesticactivist Collaborator
domesticactivist
Posted

fyi, I had my first (and only) migraine since going gluten-free a couple weeks ago. It was the morning after having balsamic vinegar for the first time since starting GAPS. I think the sulfites combined with a lack of sleep set it off.

  • 2 years later...
bork14 Newbie
bork14
Posted

AmandaM83

I see this post was back from May. I would love to know how your migraines have improved since then?

I have had chronic, debiliating migraines for the last 10 years of teen and early adult years and no one could ever figure out why. I'm on preventatives, birth control and have a few different prescriptions for when I actually get the migraine. I went gluten free about 2 months ago, and the headaches were much worse at first, but i think that was due to the withdrawl (i had VERY bad withdrawl symptoms for the first few weeks) but those have since decreased. However, just had a migraine yesterday that was the worst i've had in over a year. I'm just trying to gauge if it's worth sticking out this diet and if it could really take SO long for me to see my migraines improve.

 

Throwing my 2 cents in - It is nice to see so many whose migraines went away so fast - wish I was that lucky!

I have had severe migraines for several years - prior to being on maintence preventative meds i was haveint 4 or 5 a week. After going gluten free, it wasn't until I hit the 6 month mark that I saw a real reduction in frequency. I have gone from 8-9 a month to 3 a month - sooo exciting! I can't wait to see what the next 6 months will do!

ElenaMadrid Newbie
ElenaMadrid
Posted

I went from having an average of three migraines a week when I was eating a lot of wheat in my diet to maybe one migraine a month when I started avoiding gluten.  :)  When I DO get migraines now, they are much less severe. 

dilettantesteph Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

I also had an improvement with migraines gluten free, both in frequency and severity.

GF Lover Rising Star
GF Lover
Posted

Like so many I also have less frequency and no longer take any medication for them.  If I do get glutened, migraine is a hugh symptom and only over 4 hours of medicated sleep will stop the severity.

 

Colleen

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. xxnonamexx
      - xxnonamexx replied to xxnonamexx's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      41

      My journey is it gluten or fiber?

      So I have the Benfo, Thiamax, and Neuromag along with my Super B Complex. When I read the labels it says take 3/take 4 times a day but one pill a day is ok correct since its 4 pills at breakfast.
    2. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to tiffanygosci's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      2

      Celiac support is hard to find

      Hi @tiffanygosci Well done for reaching out, fantastic you have found this forum. It sounds like you are managing the diet well, it can be overwhelming at first, but it will get easier. I wonder if you have seen the short film 'Glutened'? - someone shared it on this forum a few months ago and it reminded me of how isolating it can be,...
    3. cristiana
      - cristiana replied to Dizzyma's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      4

      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      You are very welcome @Dizzyma. Gastroenterologists are now following this rule in the UK more and more with children, so I am not surprised your daughter is not having an endoscopy. Switching to a gluten free diet should begin to help, but also, even if you have to have testing done privately, it would be very helpful for you to find out if your daughter...
    4. tiffanygosci
      - tiffanygosci replied to tiffanygosci's topic in Introduce Yourself / Share Stuff
      2

      Celiac support is hard to find

      EDIT: I did find a monthly Zoom meeting for Celiacs through the Celiac Disease Foundation, so I'll be able to talk with some other people on January 15. And I also found a Celiac Living podcast on Spotify made by a celiac. I feel a little bit better now and I am still hoping I will find some more personal connections in my area.
    5. trents
      - trents replied to mamaof7's topic in Parents, Friends and Loved Ones of Celiacs
      1

      Help understand results

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @mamaof7! It means for the one celiac disease antibody test that was ordered, she tested negative. However, other tests should have been ordered, especially for someone so young who would have an immature immune system where there would be a high probability of being IGA deficient. The one test that was ordered...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,969
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    oldspedteacher
    Newest Member
    oldspedteacher
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • xxnonamexx
      My journey is it gluten or fiber?

      By xxnonamexx · Posted

      So I have the Benfo, Thiamax, and Neuromag along with my Super B Complex. When I read the labels it says take 3/take 4 times a day but one pill a day is ok correct since its 4 pills at breakfast.
    • cristiana
      Celiac support is hard to find

      By cristiana · Posted

      Hi @tiffanygosci Well done for reaching out,  fantastic you have found this forum. It sounds like you are managing the diet well, it can be overwhelming at first, but it will get easier.     I wonder if you have seen the short film 'Glutened'? - someone shared it on this forum a few months ago and it reminded me of how isolating it can be, particularly at first, when you don't know anyone with celiac disease.  *see link for film below. I realise now how blessed I was that when I was diagnosed two friends were also diagnosed around the same time, as we shared a lot of tips and recipes at the start.   Since then the number of people I know diagnosed with coeliac disease has grown and grown, there seems to be a much greater awareness of it among healthcare professionals and the public, at least this side of the Atlantic (I'm British).  I think in time you may find this, too. That said, those two coeliac buddies were 'straightforward' cases who seemed to recover very quickly when on a gluten-free diet - I struggled for some time.  So I found that I spent much more time discussing things with this online coeliac family. If you have any more questions, we're here for you.  I hope your event on 15th goes well.  Sounds like a good start!  I like you am not keen on Facebook, but perhaps setting up an account short-term might help? * https://vimeo.com/486284734 Cristiana     
    • cristiana
      Newly diagnosed mam to coeliac 11 year old

      By cristiana · Posted

      You are very welcome @Dizzyma. Gastroenterologists are now following this rule in the UK more and more with children, so I am not surprised your daughter is not having an endoscopy.   Switching to a gluten free diet should begin to help, but also, even if you have to have testing done privately, it would be very helpful for you to find out if your daughter has vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which is highly likely,    In the UK tests are generally offered on the NHS for B12 and ferritin, and sometimes vitamin D.  Shortages in these can really cause any anxiety or depression or ramp it up. If you do end up supplementing, make sure your GP is aware as levels do need to be monitored, for example,  too much ferritin can cause huge health issues. Re: anxiety, definitely speak to a GP or another health care professional about this if it is an issue. Hopefully the Coeliac Society of Ireland will also be able to help. Cristiana  
    • tiffanygosci
      Celiac support is hard to find

      By tiffanygosci · Posted

      EDIT: I did find a monthly Zoom meeting for Celiacs through the Celiac Disease Foundation, so I'll be able to talk with some other people on January 15. And I also found a Celiac Living podcast on Spotify made by a celiac. I feel a little bit better now and I am still hoping I will find some more personal connections in my area.
    • trents
      Help understand results

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @mamaof7! It means for the one celiac disease antibody test that was ordered, she tested negative. However, other tests should have been ordered, especially for someone so young who would have an immature immune system where there would be a high probability of being IGA deficient.  The one test that was ordered was an IGA-based antibody test. It is not the only IGA antibody test for celiac disease that can be run. The most common one ordered by physicians is the TTG-IGA. Whenever IGA antibody tests are ordered, a "total IGA" test should be included to check for IGA deficiency. In the case of IGA deficiency, all other IGA tests results will be inaccurate. There is another category of celiac disease antibody tests that can be used in the case of IGA deficiency. They are known as IGG tests. I will attach an article that gives an overview of celiac disease antibody tests. All this to say, I would not trust the results of the testing you have had done and I would not rule out your daughter having celiac disease. I would seek further testing at some point but it would require your daughter to have been eating normal amounts of gluten for weeks/months in order for the testing to be valid. It is also possible she does not have celiac disease (aka, "gluten intolerance") but that she has NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity, or just "gluten sensitivity" for short) which is more common. The difference is that celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the lining of the small bowel whereas NCGS does not autoimmune in nature and does not damage the lining of the small bowel, though the two conditions share many of the same symptoms. We have testing to diagnose celiac disease but there are no tests for NCGS. To arrive at a diagnosis of NCGS, celiac disease must first be ruled out. A gluten free diet is the solution to both maladies.   
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.