Any experience with Keto triggering migraines?

#1

I’m 3.5 months into Keto, and seemed to be long done with Keto flu after the first week.

I just had (what we think was) an atypical migraine, and had another about a fortnight ago. Symptoms roughly: sensory aura, numbness, sudden feeling like head is reeling and out of it but no cause, cognitive slowness and slight confusion. And then a few hours later a hell of a headache behind the eye, and light aversion.

I’m used to getting ‘typical’ migraines so this more diffuse version really threw me.
Looking into other causes too, but wondered if one possibility is …hormones evening out due to Keto? Any experience of this?

I read through other migraine posts on here, and some suggest low magnesium. I think I can rule out low magnesium because we happened to have (butter fried )spinach with pumpkin seeds with dinner and a couple of squares of 90% dark choc afterwards. And now take a multivitamin w magnesium too.

Plus I saw several posts talking about the actual benefits of Keto to reduce migraine!

If any others had experience the onset of new migraines w Keto, it’d be handy to hear about it. And how quickly they passed :slight_smile:

Thanks so much! (From underneath the covers with the screen brightness turned to 1%, waiting for the migraine tablets to kick in :face_with_head_bandage: )

(Vincent Hall) #2

I’ve not had a migraine for nearly a year now, whether it’s the Keto diet I cannot be sure but I think so.
I used to get 4 or 5 a year.
Some say chocolate or cheese can kick off a migraine have you increased consumption of these? Mind you, Ive not really been convinced of those triggers for myself, particularly as my 90% dark chocolate and cheese consumption has increased since I’ve been on keto.
You may have to log what you think might trigger these migraines to confirm a correlation.

Oh, and I used to use the orange colour Migreleave tablets, taken as soon ss visual aura starts (which was my que a migraine was coming) I found them very good for staving off the worst of the onslaught.
\v/

#3

I’m two months in and also suffering. I’ve had an Atypical for nearly a week now. I’m certain I’m not deficient in some vitamin or mineral because taking magnesium, d, k, multi, fibre, supergreen, potassium salt and probiotic supplements.

The three things that I’ve recently increased; my intake of cheese, MCT oil, and butter. They’re my only leads. I suspect the MCT oil because I’ve had digestive issues since I started it a few weeks ago. Before anyone makes a comment, yes I slowly increased the dose but I still can’t even take a teaspoon.

Might just be hormonal though. Friends of mine on Keto have noticed their cycle has become far more aggressive.

Anyway, sorry I couldn’t help you diagnose the cause of your migraine.

(Bunny) #4

Ever thought of trying a glucose meter when you get these migraines on Keto to see if your symptoms might be related to hypoglycemia?

Wouldn’t hurt to try?

(Teresa A Ruegge) #5

I have started getting aura only migranes again that usually last 15 minutes. Today it was accompanied by the headache. For sure, MCT oil seemed to be a culprit but I don’t use that anymore. I have certainly increased my intake of cheese, uncured meats like bacon, sausage and lunchmeat and some 100 percent cocoa bar pieces. I guess it makes sense that these are migrane triggers so I’ll need to cut back and see. The biggest culprit is probably small cans of diet cokes I starting drinking 2-3 times a week to be able to drink my whiskey. I guess I’ll have to go back to doing shots only.

#6

i’m histamine intolerant, low quantity of DAO enzyme, and migraines are a common symptom. You’ve listed all the foods that are high in histamine…try cutting those out, as well.

#7

@Keto_Newbie
Did you figure out your migraine? I’ve been keto for a while and am suffering the same aura migraine. I get them anyways but this one was more intense and numbness in hands and leg. Just curious if you figured out what caused it.

#8

I’m home from work today because of a migraine with symptoms that aren’t responding to my normal tricks. I get migraines relatively regularly- my biggest trigger is dehydration so I’m pretty good about always staying hydrated. But when I feel one coming on normally excedrin will help within 20 minutes,

I started a low-level migraine yesterday mid-morning/mid-day but I was able to finish work (3pm) only barely. Driving home was really tough I had to go to a mental place where I just focused on the road and mantra-ing that I would be home soon lol.

One I got home I was done- I couldn’t really sleep for a long time but I had to be in complete silence and darkness - couldn’t wear my eye mask or my ear plugs because of how “swollen my brain” was (idk that’s what it felt like)

I recently started being more carnivore leaning, and quit some keto products that had vegetable seed oils. I tried to replace a keto shake that i would mix in with my iced coffee with a Coconut Oil and Quest Vanilla Protein Powder (ingredients didn’t appear to have vegetable seed oils). I tried a tablespoon of coconut oil and 1 scoop (~2 tbs?) of the protein powder it in a large glass of hot decaf coffee sunday afternoon, then a teaspoon of a mix of (1 tbsp coconut oil + .75 scoop protein pwd + pinch of pumpkin spice seasonings) in hot coffee monday morning around 11am. I tried to add 2 tbs of the mix to iced coffee in the afternoon, but obviously it didn’t mix in well so it was kinda gross and lumpy so I tried a couple gulps but really didn’t drink it.

So I feel like that could be the culprit, or maybe salt? But I feel like I salt my food sufficiently. And normally if I feel dry mouth at work I will eat a little salt, and I only felt that once monday. I also took a magnesium.

[Uploading: 3 tsp Salt.jpg…](This is what 3 tsp of salt looks like) which im getting from another post about how much salt we need per day. It was much larger volume than i expected, so I’m going to focus on that today.

(Jolie' Trogdon) #9

Wish I had seen this earlier. I too experienced a huge uptick in migraines when I began Keto in October of 2018. Went from 2 or 3 a month to having to take a migraine pill every other day! Basically I was experiencing a continual migraine. I cut out all artificial sweeteners, (swerve & stevia) and ate only clean, real foods. Then cut out all dairy. But still the migraines persisted. Then I stopped Keto - and the migraines stopped. But I was not willing to give up the amazing results of Keto, so I went to the neurologist and was able to get relief in the form of preventive meds. Perhaps a very low percentage of us react the opposite to Keto and end up with more migraines rather than relief from them. I however, have received so many other benefits (weight loss, clear brain, energy, and general sense of well-being) that I would rather find a fix for the migraine issue than give up Keto!

(Mourad Young) #10

you need to drink water and eat salads all the time.