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How long can you have migraines after eating a trigger food?

I had a bunch of chips with MSG and cheese which triggered a migraine but it’s been 4 days and I’m still getting migraines. Is it still from the chips or something else? I haven’t had this many migraines in months so I don’t know what it could be

  1. Hi elizaharp,

    I'm so sorry you are having extended migraine pain. It could be a combination of things triggering these attack such as; certain foods, changes in the barometric pressure, irregular sleeping patterns, fluctuating hormones and many other things. I've also heard from a number of people who have a difficult time during the fall months.

    If this continues I would encourage you to seek out help from the doctor and see what he can do to help break this nasty migraine cycle.

    Wishing you a lower pain day,
    Nancy

    1. For me I noticed it depends on the trigger. All of my trigger foods are alcohol, and none of them are the same....Shiner Bock Beer for whatever reason is the quickest...literally get my aura from smelling it and a head pain within 30 min...doesn't go away for 24-48 hrs. Vodka causes nothing (weird)...red wine is hit or miss...cheap ones I won't get the head pain till the next day even with more than 1 glass but it doesn't last long. Gin will give me head pain for about 24 hrs.

      That's the head pain portion, I usually also feel like BLAH for about 3-4 days until it is all out of my system with lots of water drinking even if it was only one drink (or smell in the case of shiner). The more sensitive my body is to the type the longer I am in the migraine even if it is the post head pain phase.

      I have noticed that if something throws my gut off balance (preservatives, MSG, really high sodium, dairy, American Bread (very specific to American not European)) I will be more susceptible to get a migraine but I don't think of them as a trigger. It is hit or miss as to whether I am currently eating right and just a one off or if I am in a week binge of bad unhealthy food I just feel all over yuck and then I get whacked with Aura and migraine.

      1. Hi spriest,

        I just read a report (don't ask me where) saying vodka was less likely to trigger a migraine attack than say red wine. It is interesting.

        Good point about eating healthy and feeling pretty good. I know if I go overboard, I'm in trouble!!

        Have a good night,
        Nancy

      2. I wish I understood the "what" in the foods that are triggering it....it would make my life easier in avoiding. I have eliminated sulfites and sulfates because bacon and most red wines and cheeses do not trigger my migraines....just can't figure out why some red wines do....

    2. Hi spriest,

      I hear you!! I'm not triggered by bacon or cheese (so far) but that could change at any time. That's one of the issues, our triggers can change!!

      How about other possible migraine attack triggers? Keeping a regular sleep schedule, staying hydrated and managing my stress levels is important while I try to regulate my migraine attacks. On the other hand, I can be the "perfect" patient and still get a migraine attack!

      Not all of us with migraine have food triggers. Some of us are triggered by light, odors, heat, cold, smoking and many other things. It may be helpful to keep a detailed migraine diary for a few months to see what else may be triggering these attacks. Let me share this information with you on keeping one; https://migraine.com/blog/keeping-migraine-diary-basics/.

      Have a good day!
      Nancy

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