Vitamins/minerals for migraines

Posts: 78
2/16/13 8:20 P

My migraines affected the left side of my head only. Base of your neck actually sounds more like tension headache. I would take others' suggestions and see a neurologist. Good luck!

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2/16/13 11:34 A

I actually see a neurologist for my migraines. I don't take any vitamins/minerals just prescriptions. I do know there are certain triggers for migraines. One of my big ones is caffeine. You might want to research migraine triggers and discuss them with your doctor. It took 2 years of visiting a neurologist to get my migraines under control and it was about lifestyle changes and the right medicine.

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2/16/13 11:08 A

I've experienced trouble with migraines at various times in my life. I would say that the best help I ever got, was from a neurologist. Just my personal experience. Your "regular" doctor may not be the best one to be advising you. If it could be sinus headaches, an ear, nose and throat specialist may be a better option. Like Becky said, a weight loss website like this isn't the place for answers.

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2/16/13 9:55 A

This site, our experts, and our members are not able to provide the information you request. It would require a complete medical assessment and nutrition assessment to determine the medication nutrition interventions to best treat your situation. Since this can not happen on a weight loss web site, it would be unethical and possibly unsafe---to give recommendations.

I know nothing of your doctor, or your medical history or the testing that has occured.
Yes, the amounts of supplements you are taking is extremely high.

My suggestion...make sure you are working with a board certified medical doctor who has received additional training in the treatment of migraines (a neurologist) . Your doctor should be following up with you regularly to assess the protocol and adjust as needed. From what you share...this is not happening.

SP Registered Dietitian Becky

Edited by: DIETITIANBECKY at: 2/17/2013 (12:42)

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2/16/13 8:27 A

Sometimes migraines can be caused by dehydration. Do you drink lots of water to stay hydrated? Also in my case, fluctuating blood sugar caused my headaches and I found out I was pre-diabetic. I was told to eat turkey, tuna and add seasame seeds to salads and veggies, and include mushrooms, broccoli, and spinach daily to my diet to reduce headaches by my physician.

Seems wheat was a cause of my headaches, since I eliminated wheat from my diet I have no aches or pains. I also stay away from lunch meats and hot dogs, MSG, sugar, cheese and I limit coffee because they also seemed to trigger my migraines. I am so happy I am migraine free now.

Your own doctor might be able to confirm what my doctor suggested for me.

Good Luck

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2/15/13 8:49 P

No, what's weird is my dr told me to take these vitamins without doing any tests. She said vitamin tests were very expensive and often did not get beneficial results. I wonder if I should increase my magnesium intake.....are their risks of overdosing on magnesium? What is the most that can be taken safely? Anybody know?

Another thing is I was wondering is after doing some research am a bit skeptical about the vitamin A dosage. A few articles I have read say that overdosing on A can be dangerous. Is 10,000 IU a good amount or too much?

I know that I am not speaking to professional doctors but it is good to hear what others do for their migraines and to kind of compare notes. Especially since I have already gotten conflicting advice from 3 different doctors concerning this matter. So it is very hard to know what information is accurate.

Patriciaann74...when you had migraines, did they start at the base of your head? I have had 1 dr tell me i am suffering from migraines, another tell me they couldn't be migraines because migraines are supposedly only one-sided, and a third tell me that they weren't migraines but instead severe sinus headaches which I thought was weird because I didn't know you had sinus pain at the back of your head......???

Any advice or insight? Do the spark coaches here know much about vitamins/minerals/migraine info....?

Edited by: LOVEMOUSE82 at: 2/15/2013 (20:55)

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2/15/13 7:52 P

Did your doctor specifically test to see if you are low in magnesium? If not, you should request it. Turns out my body hyper metabolizes (gets rid of quickly) magnesium. Taking regular OTC magnesium did not help my migraines. He then Rx'ed pharmaceutical-grade magnesium and that took care of it.

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2/15/13 7:45 P

This is a question you really need to direct to your doctor. We don't know your medical history, nor the reason he prescribed what you did. If you don't trust his advice, seek a second opinion. None of us here are really in a position to second guess a medical professional in this capacity.

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2/15/13 6:35 P

I am a migraine sufferer and my doctor told me to take the following to help. I am asking this question because now that I am using sparkpeople to eat and live better, I am wondering if i really need all the extra supplements or not. I would love opinions on vitamins and any info anyone has on migraines. One of the reasons I started sparkpeople was to live healthier and I thought maybe that would help with the migraines. I didn't know if it was a food issue...? I like using sparkpeople to stay healthy and to help me tone up but please note that I am not overweight. I am 26 and 120 pounds. Can anyone please give me insight into these migraines. I have been taking the following for almost a year very regularly but quite truthfully I can't seem to tell if it really helps or not. When my body decides to have a migraine there is just nothing I can do to stop it.

Here is what I am currently taking daily


B100 complex
Vitamin A 10,000 IU
Vitamin D3 2000 IU (actually more than doc recommended but i thought may
be it wasnt enough since i was still having the migraines)
Vitamin E 400 IU
400 mg magnesium twice a day

My doc said the 10,000 IU of vitamin A but last time I went to the store I could only find it in bottles of 8000 so that is what ive been using lately.

I would really love any insights or opinions about any of this. I'm not going to do anything stupid and totally ditch my dr advice but the migraines haven't gotten better and I am just wondering if the supplements are all that necessary anyway.

Is anyone here also a migraine sufferer or use extra supplements for any reason? Should I be using more or less of the ones I listed????

Thanks for any advice or help!

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