Stopping migraine meds and going keto
Hi fellow migraineurs. I got the idea to try the Migraine Miracle Plan from someone on this web site. I am now 6 weeks in, stopped all my meds cold turkey, and in full ketosis. I’ve been pushing through migraines and hopeful that once I break out of rebound I can see a dramatic reduction in migraine days… and ultimately freedom.
Just wondering if anyone else has tried this and could weigh in here.
Thank you!!!
Hi Carol- this is a terrific question. I hadn't heard of this step (to stop taking meds as part of the diet and that it can take 6 months to experience a break from pain after doing so). I'm assuming you're in touch with your migraine specialist about this plan as you move through it? If not I'd definitely encourage you do so. I can see why you'd be hopeful about being free of these medications after being reliant on them due to significant migraine pain for so long. I haven't been able to find anything on our site regarding community members discussing this approach so hopefully, someone will see this and chime in with some feedback. Please let us know how it goes for you as your continue on your journey. We are thinking of you for sure. Warmly, Holly (migraine.com team). Thank you Holly. My neurologist for over 10 years now, a leader in migraine medicine and clinical research, is not familiar with this approach or the neurologist behind it, Josh Turknett.
This doesn't make any sense to me. How is stopping your med intake going to result in less migraines after your rebounds dissipate? Since your meds are designed to be taken daily and are specifically designed to mitigate migraines it's surely better to use them than none at all. And even if this plan made any sense, why stop completely instead of tapering your med usage so that you didn't have to go through the whole hell of an entire rebound?
Hi @DVMUX, we all have our own experiences and paths to relief, migraine is so variable - and that's part of what makes it so frustrating! There are no hard and fast rules, and a lot of experimentation in trying to find relief. The general first stop in treating MOH is stopping all medications - https://migraine.com/blog/new-research-shows-abnormal-pain-processing-in-medication-overuse-headache - to try to get back to a baseline. Hope that helps! - Warmly, Donna (team member)
You don’t necessarily get off all your meds cold turkey. I did because I was ready to go all in after my dependence on rescue meds over time resulted in 5+migraines per week, and CGRP preventative stopped working.
The approach I’m trying is hard work but the testimonies convinced me to try. It’s a wholistic food as medicine sugar free, gluten free, high healthy fat, intermittent fasting, ancestral diet approach. Hard work transition. Never would have pictured myself doing this, but eager for positive outcome if I stick with it. A lot of strategies provided for getting through migraines without the meds as you transition; definitely hard at first. Water and Himalayan salt is now my comfort food.
I’m 7 weeks in and clearly still learning tips and pitfalls. Have already experienced a reduction in migraine days. Apparently can take up to 6 months to completely break free from medication rebound and make migraine days and need for rescue meds few and far between.
Definitely worth checking out.
