Migraine and Keto


(eileen.zollinger) #61

I’m glad you are doing better!! I am so much happier with this WOE. My migraines seem to have tapered off. I still get a couple a month, but most of those are caused by weather. Not much I can do about that!! :wink:


(Christy Moreno) #62

It has been a life changer! Do you use any kind of sweeteners ever? I haven’t had anything since March and I test my blood regularly to make sure i’m staying in Keto. Know i’ll want something at some point and curious if anything sweet can be had without spiking my blood sugar and ending up out of Ketosis.


(eileen.zollinger) #63

I seem to do ok with Swerve and Pyure. I use liquid Splenda occasionally and sometimes Truvia. I hasn’t caused any issues for me, but everyone is different. It’s really something you have to test. :wink:


(Christy Moreno) #64

Yeah… i’m nervous about trying but want to experiment so I know what I can have when there’s a special event.
Have a great weekend :slight_smile:


(Abhishek Anand) #65

During the last 10 years, skipping or delaying meals was a sure way to trigger migraines. 2+ months into ketosis (blood ketones between 0.5 and 2 mmol/L), now I rarely get headaches when I skip meals. In the past month, that happened only once, and then my blood glucose level was 67mg/dl, as measured by LabCorp as a part of their complete metabolic panel. (My usual fasting level is ~80.)
In that instance, I had also skipped my morning coffee, so the trigger may instead be the missed caffeine.

Also, previously, my headaches/migraines never responded to Tylenol and I always needed NSAIDs like Naproxen. I used to take 4-5 pills of Naproxen a month to abort headaches. Last month, I only needed 1 pill of Naproxen and 1 pill of Tylenol.

Do people in this forum have data about blood glucose levels when they get migraines? I would like to request people to do those measurements so that we have a better understanding of the mechanisms by which ketosis may help with migraines.


(Cathrine Helle) #66

I want to investigate this further myself. Reading abut the vast improvement many of you have had on keto makes me wonder where I’m going wrong with my routine. I’ve had hormonal migraines since I was 14. During the first few days of my period and when ovulating. I know that twice a month is not at all bad, but if I can get rid of those it would definitely be a better month for me. I’ve been low carb, periodically keto for seven years, headaches has stayed the same no matter what. After my holiday I’m contemplating doing a zero carb experiment to see if this has an impact :slight_smile:


(Vicky Jane Ockwell) #67

It sounds like you are doing so amazing. Have you had some improvement with the migraines?


(eileen.zollinger) #68

I reached a level with Keto where I could get down to about 2-4 migraine flares a month. That’s about the best I could do with diet and topamax alone. I was fairly satisfied with that, until the June weather hit and the flares ticked up to 6 and then the same in July. I made a medication change in August and added Namenda (which is an Alzheimer’s medication) which really helped with clearer thinking and reduced light sensitivity. I also added a very low dose of Gabapentin (300mg, or half a tablet) at night to help with a REM sleep disturbance which may have also helped with the migraine flares.

At this point, I am very well controlled. I am now able to go 24 days at a time between migraine flares. This is the best control over migraine that I have ever had. In the past, I have really focused on wanting to be medication free and controlling this disease with diet alone. For me, I’m not in the place right now where that is possible. But, I don’t view it as a failure. The group I admin on Facebook (now called Migraine Strong) focuses on all of the lifestyle changes that contribute to migraine management which includes diet, medication, exercise, meditation, supplements etc. Each person has a different percentage of the treatment pie that will help them to manage migraine. Some will get 80% better with diet and some only 20%. That’s why we encourage people to continue experimenting until they get better control. One of my friends will have almost daily migraine with brainstem aura attacks (losing speech and use of her legs) when she has more than 15-20 carbs a day. But she has tremendous control when she follows a strict Keto diet. She also has a preventive cocktail like I do. We are all different and it’s best to continue to explore diet and other pieces of the treatment pie to get the best control we can.


(Vicky Jane Ockwell) #69

That is awesome that you are so much better. I must join that Facebook page you mentioned. I had an episode the other morning of losing speech and control of my arms. Was very scary as this was the first time I had experienced this. I’m 43 and been having migraines for about 10 years.
Been doing Keto for couple of months. Used to need about 6 Sumitriptan tablets each month. I only used 2 this month. One was because I had a couple of low carb beers!
A lot of people a very sceptical about the diet. I look forward to my results speaking for themselves.
I’m very glad that your friend is also a lot better.


(eileen.zollinger) #70

It’s great that you’ve been able to reduce your use of acute meds! It is very scary to lose the use of your speech and limbs. If that’s the first time that has happened, I would definitely recommend following up with you neurologist or headache specialist. New symptoms always need to be reported especially ones that involve speech and paralysis. I have new prolonged aura that involves numbness that starts in my mouth and progresses to my hands (sometimes) and my feet (sometimes). I reported it to my specialist and it was still going on 36 hours after it suddenly started, so he did an MRI (I have a history of migrainous strokes so it was a precaution). Crazy brains, right? Come and check out Migraine Strong - Healthy Diets on Facebook. We send people here for science stuff about Keto, but handle the other lifestyle pieces on the page.


(Vicky Jane Ockwell) #71

Thanks. Yes.
We rung the healthline when it happened and when I lost my speech again (3 times within half hour) they rung ambulance. Took me to the ED where they did a couple of brain scans. One was very intensive and not done very often. The doctor says my brain looks beautiful and nothing sinister there :blush:
Had a follow up with the specialist yesterday. He has recommended a preventative medication but I will give the diet a few months to see if it solves the problem. :+1:
They weren’t sure if it was a migraine issue or a mini stroke. The doctor who has 30 years experience in neurology said it definitely migraine related and is very common. I didn’t know that!


(eileen.zollinger) #72

That’s great. So glad that you got checked. Keep on going with the diet! Hopefully, you will be able to manage without any preventive meds. Don’t be disappointed if you end up needing one, because many of us do. Sometimes just for a short time. Best of luck to you!! :two_hearts::muscle::two_hearts:


(Darlene Horsley) #73

Fwiw, 18 months ago on day three of a migraine I got a daith piercing for migraine relief. The migraine was gone before I even made it home! I haven’t had a migraine since and it also knocked out my daily sinus headaches!! I did my right ear because that was the side my migraine would usually start on. I figured if it didn’t work I’d just have a cool piercing. I’m thrilled that it worked for me. Maybe give it a shot?
https://migraineagain.com/does-daith-piercing-work-for-migraine/


(Vicky Jane Ockwell) #74

Thankyou :blush: