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I am interested to see what triggers others migraines

Hi Sharon,

AS you probably have realized, not every person is sensitive to every potential trigger. Moreover, what may trigger a Migraine today, may not be a trigger next year. Sometimes triggers by themselves won’t cause a problem, but combine them with another trigger and *whamo* a Migraine results.

I have a lot of triggers, making living a normal life difficult. It’s not impossible though! It just takes a lot of care and sometimes some stubbornness thrown in for good measure. Others won’t understand some triggers and may be unhappy when I refuse certain activities or foods etc. It’s okay though, I’d rather upset them than suffer another attack.

My worst triggers are changes in eating habits and blood sugar/insulin status, change in sleep habits, msg, certain foods, hormone replacement (estrogens and progesterones), my autoimmune diseases, not maintaining a perfectly balanced thyroid status. I also suffer letdown headaches, meaning stress doesn’t trigger them, but when the stress is gone I get hit pretty hard sometimes. Certain medicines really hit me hard, and I rebound easily as well.

What are your triggers Sharon?

I hope people still read this. I would love to hear about peoples tiggers I am triggered mainly my ice/cold foods and lack of vegatables also certain foods spices notalone but in a certian combo like garlic and ciliantro togeter are rosemary togther with onions or garlic. I also suffer letdown heaadaches or headaches due to lack of stress and being busy like you Ellen

I have a number of triggers too. This year, as a whole, has been a pretty good year. I might get four or five migraines a month rather than the usual daily headache AND weekly migraine. My triggers can include:
Too much sun, and too much is very little (my sister calls me vampira), caffeine, chocolate, too little/too much sleep, msg, processed meats, exercise, not enough water, and change in barometric pressure. These are triggers I have been able to identify.
Even so, I find it impossible to not trigger a migraine. I have never found a medication that has helped me (prescription too), other than Advil. I have worked to modify my lifestyle (I am taking better care of myself – mostly diet and work/life balance – and although it has resulted in reducing the frequency of migraines, it hasn’t yet bee able to eliminate them from my life.

Shannon, you might want to start a conversation with your doctor re: your sun sensitivity. Although anything can potentially trigger a Migraine attack, this is not one we normally see without co-morbidities like autoimmunity etc. Have you ever been seen by a rheumatologist to be sure this isn’t complicating your Migraines?

Duration(3days max.) & frequency(1+/wk) and the number of triggers have greatly increased over the years. Currently they are:
-Food additives/preservatives/prep.foods
-sulfites(balsamic vinegar, wine etc
-nitrates (all processed meat)
-cheeses, milk,preserved fruit(raisins..)
-onions, celery seed, garlic(dilators)
-prescriptions-prednisone,antibiotics,
pain meds,anesthetics@dentist
-over the counter: benedryl, vitamins(!)
-Irregular sleep (staying up late, getting up in night for chilren, sick relative..)
-Strong gasoline, or oil smell
I used to take cafergot,
then imitrex injections, then maaxalt, now zomig (+ zofran,8 mg, which I started when my 14 yr. old got cancer).
Dining out is scary/difficult/not fun.
I can eat walnuts, apples, most fruit, fresh vegetables, lemon, pasta, rice, small amounts of chocolate.

Am so grateful to have discovered this site
Have postponed big dental appt. because know i will come down with terrible headache+vomiting immediately.. taking the zomig before does not abort the headache trigged by the dental meds.

Hope some can relate to the stuff that triggers my migraines.

MARY-LOUISE HOWARD,

What do you think is triggering your Migraine attacks that you are exposed to at the dentist’s office? Are you a thyroid patient by chance?

I’ve had to give up cheese in the last few months . I found that eating pizza on a friday night made me get a migraine on the weekend. I suspected pepperoni but tried a plain pizza and it still happened. Cheese is a favourite thing of mine but hey, I’d rather be upright and cheeseless.

I have found out that breakfast foods from places like ihop and denny’s give me migraines. I have not quite narrowed down what exactly it is because i eat most of those foods at home and am fine.

Charitie and Sallycase,

Don’t forget the additives that are more often than not found in our favorite restaurant foods. A huge culprit is MSG which is really an enormous problem in our culture. It is in nearly everything. Did you know that companies are trying to fool us by *cleaning up* their food labels? Yes, they can now say there is “No MSG Added” or even “No MSG” legally, even though the product is still there, just under a different name. You can learn more at these links: MSG- untangling this Migraine trigger http://bit.ly/qFXrs2 and How do I Locate Hidden MSG Triggers? http://bit.ly/qoLa40

Foods are the main trigger for me… I do believe that stress, sleep, and hormones play a role into how sensitive I may be, but overall the majority of my migraines I can link to something I’ve eaten. There’s a host of ingredients, but mainly MSG and those hidden MSG terms, processed meats, malt (in all forms), and artificial sweeteners are the main culprits. In the last couple of years I have totally changed the way I eat and I never thought I had a bad diet to begin with. I stay away from processed foods and only go to restaurants that cook from scratch, homemade foods. MSG is really hard to avoid as it is in so many foods. Wholesome foods are really so much more rewarding on top of not having to deal with a migraine!
I’ve never noticed a reaction to herbs, as a matter of fact have had rosemary tea to help a headache in the past. Triggers seem to be so different for people across the board. However, I am a firm believer that MSG, nitrates, and artificial sweeteners are not good for anyone, regardless of it gives you a migraine.

I finally found my main trigger about a year ago. Caffeine seems to be my main trigger or it became my main trigger. I lOVE coffee but since stopping all caffeine intake I’ve gone from a max of 40 migraines in a month down and average of 5 a month, there was even 1 month when I didn’t have any! The odd thing is Migranal has caffeine in it but works so good for me. I have found if I take my Migranal at the first sign of a migraine my vision clears up in about 15-20mins and I only get a slight headache that hangs around in the back ground for several hours. Migranal does make me sleepy, but it’s well worth the relief I get and I can work through the sleepiness.

Kelly – so glad you have found some of the keys to good management for yourself!!!