It would seem that alcohol is simply a bad idea if you want to avoid migraines, but there’s actually very little proof that any compound in alcohol is worse than other trigger foods. In some ways, a little bit of alcohol may even be a good idea for migraine sufferers. A product of protein breakdown, tyramine is an amino acid that can be found in many aged foods and beverages, from cheese and cured meat to red wine, sherry and other aged alcohols. Be suspicious of any high-protein food or beverage that has been aged – the risk of a high level of tyramine is not worth the probable headache that will follow. Migraines and their triggers are very individual – what affects one person may cause no problems for the next. Many migraine sufferers find that keeping a diary helps them identify their own personal triggers and understand their patterns of migraines better.
Hydrate Well and Consume Consciously
Figure 2 shows data on two individuals selected at random among those who tracked more than 600 days. In each case, individual predicted probabilities are compared to the population predictions (in purple) after updating Model 2 to account for can alcohol cause migraines all available tracked data for each individual (not only the first 90 tracked days). Given that alcohol is a part of the social lives of many people, it would be useful to implement study designs and analytical techniques that may identify individuals for whom alcohol is indeed a trigger and individuals for whom it is not.
- However, this is actually a negative sign that could indicate dependency.
- Alcohol consumption is a common part of social gatherings and celebrations for many people.
- Also, the majority of the studies had high or moderate risk of bias.
- You may be surprised to find some other triggers that have been hiding behind alcohol for years.
- Many people may also develop headaches due to the dehydrating effects of alcohol.
RESULTS
In accordance with data from a recent prospective study, we believe that reports overestimate the role of alcohol, as well as other foods, in the triggering of migraine. If a relationship between the intake of alcohol and the migraine attack is not clear, a small dose of alcohol is not contraindicated either for enjoyment or its protective effect on cardiovascular disease. The role of dietary triggers has been well reviewed previously 1, 2. Some studies show that patients in whom alcohol or wine/beer acts as a trigger factor also had significantly more other foods as a trigger 19,73. Certainly, some headache patients cannot tolerate some alcoholic drinks, although not frequently, and perhaps only in combination in the presence of other trigger factors (stress, for example). However, a few negative experiences cannot justify the media and scientific information on alcohol as a major headache trigger and the suggestion of abstinence.
- This delayed effect of alcohol on migraine attack onset may be more difficult to ascertain by an individual compared to an immediate effect.
- However, prospective studies limit considerably the importance of alcohol as a trigger.
- Whether or not alcohol is a common migraine headache trigger is debatable.
- When mixed with alcohol, the common migraine medication Topamax (topiramate) can cause dizziness, problems with memory, sleepiness, and even depression.
What Are the Main Differences Between Headaches and Migraines?
Although neither type of berry or botanical is a common migraine trigger, they could be triggers for some people. In these cases, people with migraine might be able to drink a glass or two of alcohol without any trouble most of the time, but they might occasionally find that just half a drink triggers a migraine. Any type of alcohol, including gin, may trigger a migraine episode. But because people react differently to different alcohols, some may find that gin doesn’t trigger headaches while other alcohols do. If you’ve been diagnosed with migraine and you have questions about drinking alcohol or anything else related to the condition, it can help to talk to others who understand. On MyMigraineTeam, the online social network for people with migraine and their loved ones, more than 73,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their experiences with others who understand life with migraine.
- No published studies explore the connection between drinking gin specifically and migraine.
- Figure 1A shows the individual probabilities of migraine attack, when no alcohol was consumed on either day‐1 or day‐2.