Headaches

[sillyken]

Hi,

I get these headaches almost every day. Even when I'm relatively gluten-free. I never made the corelation but I'm wondering if this is a part of the condition. If we are losing nutrients this might be a symptom of that. If you have them what do you take for them.

Ken

[Nashville]

I've had headaches on a regular basis for the past four years. Nothing too bad, but just enough to bother me. I have been gluten free since Nov. 1 and the headaches have not subsided much, if any. I am being patient, realizing that it can take a long time (maybe a year or two) for my intenstines to fully heal and help my body get all the nutrients it needs. In addition to these headaches, I suffer from fatigue, as well. Nothing that keeps me from work or living a relatively normal life, but I don't feel up to excercising, or anything like that.

[Janine]

Hi,

I get these headaches almost every day. Even when I'm relatively gluten-free. I never made the corelation but I'm wondering if this is a part of the condition. If we are losing nutrients this might be a symptom of that. If you have them what do you take for them.

Ken

Hi Ken- I get headaches nearly every day (including several bad migraines a month) and went off gluten for 7 months without any improvement in them. I am off gluten again because I relate so strongly with all the symptoms I read here. I know my intestinal track improves off gluten. Maybe the headaches and migraines will eventually go away if we heal? I know a lot of celiacs get migraines. I also have sleep apnea, but have had no headache relief after a few months on the breathing machine. Sigh... I have been fighting migraines for 25 years... I hope gluten free living will help you.

Janine

[Guest cassidy]

I used to have headaches all the time. Very intense ones where light bothered me and I would want to curl up in a ball and cover my head.

I went to a chiropractor and she said most headaches are caused by your liver. I didn't really believe that. Then she pressed near where my liver was and pressed on other pressure points and my abdomen started gurling and she said my liver was dumping. 15 minutes later the headache was gone. I kept going to her and the headaches stayed under control, and she could stop one if they started, but then I moved.

Since going gluten-free, my headaches are gone. If I get glutened then come back and last for 1-3 days after I eat something bad. I was wondering if the headaches being related to gluten makes sense with the liver thing. If your liver processes toxins in your body, and gluten is toxic to us, maybe the liver doesn't like it when you eat gluten?

You said you are "relatively gluten free," I'm not sure that makes sense. Either you are, or you aren't gluten-free. Even a tiny bit can bring on symptoms and isn't good for your body. If you become completely gluten-free, maybe your headaches will go away. Maybe not, but it is probably worth a try.

[Turtle]

I too have had this headache issue. I talked to my DR about it and his concern was CROSS CONTAMINATION.....My dr has encouraged me to not eat out at all & really watch my own kitchen to assure everything is gluten-free for the next 3 months to see if there is any improvement so he can determine whether this is a CC issue or something else. He also recommended for me to continue w/ massage therapy to assist w/ any stress in the neck and back. If you can't afford massage therapy like myself, look into a massage school in your area. I go to the one near me and it's only $30 for an hour. So far i've only had headaches once or twice....It's been my understanding from my DR and from many people on this board that Cross Contamination can be the culprit in a lot of cases....hope this is helpful and hope you feel better soon!

Turtle

[sparkles]

I suffered from migraines for about 40 years....very intense migraines that could be triggered by many foods, stress, light, etc... When I found out that I had celiac disease and became gluten free, the migraines disappeared. Even foods (like chocolate) that once triggered severe migraines no longer triggered them. I know that my migraines were related to celiac disease. I have not had a migraine since becoming gluten free and I was even free of headaches in general. Unfortunately, headaches have started again....not migraines, thankfully, just plain old uncomfortable headaches. I haven't figured out what is causing them as they seemed to have started last fall and I usually wake up with a headache. I do not think that I am as gluten-free as I would like to be as I have started eating out more and have started trusting labels when they say gluten-free so my diet has expanded some. I really think from experience....only 4 years as a celiac....but our diets really create havoc to our systems. Even the smallest amount of gluten seems to affect me....so now I am even trying to stay away from products that say they are gluten-free but are produced in a plant where wheat is used. Companies like McD need to be upfront with the customer. If wheat is used and then "processed out" (as McD is claiming), that needs information that is available to us and then we, as consumers, can decide if it is worth the risk. Unfortunately, I think sometimes gluten can be consumed and there are no symptoms immediately so we think that some foods are safe. But it seems to be a vicious cycle....I guess, for me, I should just go back to a hamburger with a lettuce salad and lemon for dressing. That was my diet for about 5 months after finding out I had celiac disease. I did feel better but ended up being very isolated. Anyway, I seemed to drift off the subject....Migraines are a symptom of celiac disease.... You might want to make sure that you are really gluten-free. Eliminate any and all processed foods (including things like rice that have been processed), even those that are gluten-free and go back to just basic meat (unprocessed), fresh veggies and fruit. I bet you will feel better.

[jerseyangel]

For about the last 2 years that I was eating gluten, I would often wake up with headaches that would seem to come from the base of my skull. It would hurt from the back of my neck on up. I quickly noticed that those headaches came at the same time as my stomach acting up worse than usual. The strange thing was that the headache felt better when I got up--it was much more painful to lay down when I had it. I also have hip pain and through reading here, I understand that those are 2 locations that are affected by Fibromyalgia--although I was never Dx with it. Since being gluten-free, those headaches are much improved, as is the hip pain--but neither is completely gone.

[sillyken]

[Guest cassidy]

I meant that I try very hard to eat gluten free but because of cross contamination or eating at a place that doesn't understand or care I get glutened. I try not to but it happens.

I completely understand that because it happens to me as well. I thought you meant that you cheat on the diet or you didn't feel that small amounts would hurt you. My company is going to PF Chang's for a dinner and I was happy to see they had a gluten-free menu, now I'm a bit concerned.

[Guest adamssa]

Hi~

How long after becoming Gluten free did it take for your migraines and headaches to go away?

I am just becomng gluten free now (1 day so far), after about 6 months of having hardcore symptoms that the docs didn't know what they were. The headaches are the worst part of it for me, and I am anxious for them to go away. I am eating absolutely no gluten at all...

Sara

[Jen H]

I used to get massive migraines before my diagnosis. I think my migraines were related to food. After about 3-4 months on the diet they finally went away.