Migraines - Giving Gluten Free A Try

[Zook]

Hi all. I'm hoping you'll share your insights with me. I don't have concerns that I have celiacs, but I was thinking about giving a gluten free diet a try. My main complaint is migraines and chronic daily headaches. I know that going gluten free will be a challenge, but I've tried everything else and am desperate. I do have abdominal pain, fatigue, and a consistent blah feeling, but generally not any other symptoms of celiac.

One of the reasons I'm targeting gluten is that I can't take vitamins without getting a severe migraine, and I know that gluten is in most vitamins. I'm also zeroing in on certain breads/pizza as possible triggers.

Think it's worth a shot?

Also, I have a stupid question(s) (I know, no stupid questions, only stupid people ;0). Are whole cut oats considered gluten free? And I see that whey protein is in yogurt. That's bad, right? Oy this is hard and I haven't really started yet. What other ingredients might include gluten?

What do you all eat if you can't have bread, dairy, and soy? I don't think dairy and soy are a problem for me, but I'll have to test that out too. I found a website where I can order gluten free food and vitamins, so that should help.

Thanks!

[jerseyangel]

Hi all. I'm hoping you'll share your insights with me. I don't have concerns that I have celiacs, but I was thinking about giving a gluten free diet a try. My main complaint is migraines and chronic daily headaches. I know that going gluten free will be a challenge, but I've tried everything else and am desperate. I do have abdominal pain, fatigue, and a consistent blah feeling, but generally not any other symptoms of celiac.

One of the reasons I'm targeting gluten is that I can't take vitamins without getting a severe migraine, and I know that gluten is in most vitamins. I'm also zeroing in on certain breads/pizza as possible triggers.

Think it's worth a shot?

Also, I have a stupid question(s) (I know, no stupid questions, only stupid people ;0). Are whole cut oats considered gluten free? And I see that whey protein is in yogurt. That's bad, right? Oy this is hard and I haven't really started yet. What other ingredients might include gluten?

What do you all eat if you can't have bread, dairy, and soy? I don't think dairy and soy are a problem for me, but I'll have to test that out too. I found a website where I can order gluten free food and vitamins, so that should help.

Thanks!

Hi and welcome, Zook,

You may very well find that a gluten-free diet helps out with your migraines. Migraines are a symptom for some people with Celiac. Your abdominal pain, fatigue and "blahs" are also things that may improve. I think it's definately worth a shot. The diet is healthy and won't hurt you.

When you go gluten-free, go all the way and try to be as close to 100% as possible to see if this is an issue for you. (You didn't mention this, but if you think you ever want to be tested for Celiac, don't begin the diet untill after the test--doing so will skew the results. Just an FYI.)

The problem with oats is that most that you find in the regular grocery stores are cross contaminated during harvesting, storing, and/or shipping. There are specialty brands that you could use. Many here on the board have had success with them and can steer you to the best ones. Some people who are intolerant to gluten will also be intolerant to the protein in oats. Not everyone, though.

Whey protein is from dairy--it's not a gluten issue.

Some of us buy or make breads made with rice or other "safe" grains. Most Celiacs can still enjoy dairy and soy if they choose--it's an individual thing. I, for instance, developed additional food intolerances after going gluten-free, so I have to avoid soy, dairy, and a few others.

On this site, there are lists of safe and forbidden foods.

There's no such thing as a stupid question here! Ask away--we're more than happy to help

[Zook]

Thanks for the response, it was very encouraging. I've been looking at other posts and I see some references to migraine relief with this diet. I'm totally psyched! Someone mentioned a hung-over feeling after eating wheat... and I've had that feeling but never associated the two. The gluten-free diet will be hard, but if I start feeling better, it'll be worth it.

[Jestgar]

Hi Zook

My friend got rid of 90% of her migraines by stopping gluten and she's currently working on which other foods are triggers.

It's totally worth a shot.

[Zook]

Wuhoo!!!!!!! That's really great to hear.

It's beyond me why not one of the zillion doctors I've seen have ever mentioned this.

[Ursa Major]

While gluten may well be your problem, I just want to mention that all of your symptoms could also be caused by nightshade vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant). With me, potatoes will cause gastrointestinal distress, and tomatoes cause the migraines. Plus, of course, gluten is a huge problem as well.

[tarnalberry]

Many people here found their migraines eased a little, a lot, or went away entirely when gluten free.

Some of us did not, however. I'm on daily preventatives (topamax), and found that seeing a chiropractor to correct a significant forward head posture and loss of curvature in the cervical spine almost entirely got rid of the non-migraine frequent headaches. Being dairy free is also important for me to maintain in order to stay as free of headaches as possible; it's a more potent trigger for me than gluten, in that regard.

[Idiote Savante Goddess]

Has anyone else been Rx'd Elavil for migraines? I can't take Topamax bc of family hx of kidney stones -- but the Elavil is making me extremely emotional. I got a ticking off at work yesterday for being short tempered AND reading the Heifer International brochure I got in the mail made me cry. My daughter thinks it's made me very unstable and that I should quit taking it.

I do see the neuro on Monday -- will ask him to order the gene test --- and I think after that (the appointment, not the gene test), I'm just going to break down and go gluten-free rather than just wheat-free (FYI, wheat allergy, rice allergy, negative blood test - but haven't eaten much wheat in over a year) and see if my brain fog (Hey, I've coined a new disorder -- Adult Onset ADD) improves.

[Zook]

I've tried a lot of meds for the migraines, but not Elavil. I found that I can't tolerate the side effects of them so I stopped. I will say, however, that had they been effective, I likely would have stuck with it. Is it working for you and have you been on it long enough to adjust to the side effects? Maybe there is a similar drug that might not affect you as badly. I've gotten to the point where most of the time I just suffer. I can't take most abortives because of a heart condition, and the one I can take is addictive and will cause wicked rebounds. I usually save that for when I just can't take it anymore. I hope you find an answer soon. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much about a gluten free diet, because after this, I don't know what to try.

[Aligray]

Zook! Welcome!

I used to have DAILY headaches before going gluten free. Some were dull and others I could not open my eyes. But now, the headaches are completely gone. They only come back if i have been cc'd or glutened accidentally.

Good luck to u!

If u do the diet, u need to go at it 100%. I think it would probably be great for u. It takes patience and time but u can do it!

-Ali

[oldsalt19]

Hi all. I'm hoping you'll share your insights with me. I don't have concerns that I have celiacs, but I was thinking about giving a gluten free diet a try. My main complaint is migraines and chronic daily headaches. I know that going gluten free will be a challenge, but I've tried everything else and am desperate. I do have abdominal pain, fatigue, and a consistent blah feeling, but generally not any other symptoms of celiac.

One of the reasons I'm targeting gluten is that I can't take vitamins without getting a severe migraine, and I know that gluten is in most vitamins. I'm also zeroing in on certain breads/pizza as possible triggers.

Think it's worth a shot?

Also, I have a stupid question(s) (I know, no stupid questions, only stupid people ;0). Are whole cut oats considered gluten free? And I see that whey protein is in yogurt. That's bad, right? Oy this is hard and I haven't really started yet. What other ingredients might include gluten?

What do you all eat if you can't have bread, dairy, and soy? I don't think dairy and soy are a problem for me, but I'll have to test that out too. I found a website where I can order gluten free food and vitamins, so that should help.

Thanks!

I went gluten free just yesterday and I'm already feeling better.

As my (probable) gluten intolerance has become worse over the years, so have my headaches. Some were helped by migraine meds and some were not. We'll see.

[CMCM]

I spent over 12 years suffering mightily from recurrent migraines that could last for days. When Imitrex first came out it helped, but I lived in mortal fear of running out of them.

After going gluten free and ALSO cutting back on dairy and all sugar in a major way, my migraines miraculously disappeared. I haven't had one in a year and a half, not one. So I can say that for me, gluten and perhaps the other things I mentioned (in larger amounts) were all responsible for my migraines. I suspect that it was mainly if not entirely gluten, since I now have small amounts of dairy and occasional sugar without problems.

[Zook]

Thanks so much for the feedback. It's encouraging to see such positive results. I'm definitely on board with going 100%, but when I saw there was gluten in ice cream I about had a fit . Sounds like it's worth it to limit dairy and sugar as well. Thanks again!