I've suffered from migraines since I was 11 years old, so I have always thought that by now, I'd have preventing them down to a science. I've spent years avoiding eating anything with MSG -- that means I've skipped out on the tempting spinach dips and flavored chips at parties, and I scan the labels of almost everything I buy at the grocery store. As many migraine sufferers know, MSG isn't the only cause of migraines. I've been to doctors, taken vitamins and carry Excedrin with me at all times, but the truth is no matter how much you try to avoid it, you're going to get a migraine one of these days.This week, I found myself leaving work early with a forehead-throbbing, nauseated-causing migraine. I couldn't think of anything I had done to prompt my migraine. After all, I was in too much pain to care, anyway. My boyfriend, however, didn't want to give up so easily. He was determined to figure out the cause. He thought back to every food we had eaten over the past few days.
"Was it the soy sauce we had with the sushi?" he asked me.
No, I didn't use the soy sauce.
"What about the beef jerky?"
Even though the beef jerky did contain my friend MSG, I only had two itsy-bitsy pieces, so I knew it wasn't the beef jerky.
"What about the soda from last night?"
The soda? Impossible. But, lo and behold, boyfriend brought can of soda to my attention, and at the very end of the list of ingredients was a mysterious item marked by two asterisks. The can read: PHENYLKETONURICS: Contains PHENYLALANINE.
We Googled the ingredient, and sure enough, for people prone to migraines, phenylalanine is known to tighten blood vessels and slow down blood flow, causing -- you guessed it -- a migraine!
Not only did I add another item to my "Foods to Never Eat Again" list, I spent the day home from work, in bed. I popped some Excedrin, lay down, applied some pain-relieving muscle cream (like BENGAY) and an ice pack to my forehead and drifted off to sleep. Some people may find the muscle cream part strange, but it numbs the pain, and when it comes to migraines that just won't go away, I'm all about numbing the pain. If the ice pack isn't working for me, I resort to an herbal bean bag that I heat up in the microwave for two minutes and then apply it where it hurts.
So, I may not look (or smell) like the most attractive person when I have a migraine (perhaps that's why my boyfriend was so insistent on finding it's cause?), but I'll resort to whatever I have to in order to wake up cured.
Do you have your own personal remedy/alternative medicine for migraines? Help me (and the rest of us migraine-sufferers) out by sharing with us in a comment below.
--Jenn Kepler, jr. copy editor
Labels: health
Comment: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 11:50:00 AM - 
versicherungen said...
PHENYLALANINE causes migraine?its really new information to me.but i think meditation will causes relieve of pain.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 1:44:00 AM - said...
A course of sibelium has helped me overcome migraines. It has helped for many years. Not so much as a headache in sight and i can eat my favourite things like chocolate!
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 2:39:00 AM - said...
I have had migraines since I was 14. When a migraine attacks I have steps I take to reliev it. So this sounds really weird but when my migraines hit my teeth hurts. So I jump in the shower, hot water and brush my teeth under the water. This will usually relive some of the pain , till I can get into the bed.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 7:31:00 AM - said...
When I feel a migraine coming on, I eat something with protein and drink a coke (not diet). Then I take something to settle my stomach, like pepto bismol, etc. This helps. May not put it off, but it lessens the headache. Ben Gay or Icy Hot works too.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 7:35:00 AM - 
lowcountryculinary said...
I have gone through the maze and still I am often stumped by the migraine, mostly around my period yet barometric pressure, altitude pressure,intense heat are a few I have added triggers. Food not so much and surprisingly Some WHITE wines can do it to me. I find Excedrin is good, then it is fioricet if it not too bad next step imitrex(costly so is last result)and no preventative meds of date work on me. It is inherited from my grandmother who had severe migraines throughout. Prayer can not hurt.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 8:15:00 AM - said...
Check the ingredients on the gum you are chewing and you will find Phenylalanine. Big Red is the only gum I know of that doesn't have this ingredient. It does contain Soy Lecithin.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 8:19:00 AM - said...
I was getting migraines as a child also. And now that I look back, right around the time I stopped drinking soda was when the migraines stopped. didn't realize that till now. thanks!!
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 8:31:00 AM - said...
I use a Migrastick. It's 100% natural. It has peppermint and lavender in it which have been used for centuries to cure headaches. It works best if you use it as soon as you feel the migraine coming on. It will at least dull the pain until you can take something stronger. I have been using one for about 2 years and haven't been incapacitated by a migraine since.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 8:37:00 AM - said...
What else is on your "do not eat list"?'
At times, my friend suffers so much so that she needs to go to the ER and get a shot of morphine.
I hate seeing her incapacitated. I'm sure her children feel the same...
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 8:53:00 AM - said...
I used to get migraines often and had to stay off work at that time often up to 10 days - past years only the occasional migraine which I normally cure with "coffee" and sleep - a cheap remedy and agreed to by my doctor - better than pills. M
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 9:46:00 AM - said...
I am being treated for high blood pressure. In the past two years I have been taking Lisinepril and Norvasc. Since I have been on these medications I have not had one migraine....Not one. I don't think I'll change anything too soon. Life is better. Signed, Happiness
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 9:50:00 AM - said...
I noticed barometric pressure, altitude and a severe sinus headache will trigger a migraine. I find that a Gatorade actually helps along with two Motrin or Advil especially if I can't get home to lay down.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 9:55:00 AM - said...
I find a good chiropractor does the trick for me. If I feel a migraine, it usually means that my neck is out of whack. Peppermint and lavender help until I am able to see the chiro. Be careful using excederin or any aspirin as it tears up the lining of your stomach.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:01:00 AM - said...
I've found that a normal sleep pattern can help, being on BC pills (if it's an option) has also helped when it's due to PMS. If neither of the two above work I try an stay away from food I know that does it, although I've found nothing worse then red wine for me. I normally take an as needed medecine called Maxalt-MLT. It's by prescription only, similar to Imatrex (sp?) however, this is in a dissovable tablet that you don't need water with. A great asset for those of us who get extremly nauseous.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:21:00 AM - said...
I've tried everything you mentioned and sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't. For my really bad ones, I resort to prescription medication called Relpax. It's the best I've found.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:25:00 AM - said...
I used to get severe migraine headache, but I read an article about migraine an year ago and it explained that caffeine increases the migraine. So I started taking caffeine-free coffee, caffeine-free soda etc. It reduced migraine a lot. I used to get twise a week before, and now I get only once a month or so. It helped me a lot to overcome that. Also another two important causes of the migraine are, less sleep and fasting. So I try to avoid those too. It helps.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:39:00 AM - said...
Anyone have silver fillings? If so, consider having them removed. I found out that this was the cause of all my migraines. Most of my teeth were cracked. My dentist told me that your teeth naturally expand and contract but the silver doesn't and that's why I had small cracks in my teeth. It was expensive and a 2 yr process to have all the silver taken out and replaced with bonding but well worth it. I used to headaches all the time and get 2-3 migraines a month. Now, I hardly have any; maybe 4-5 migraines a year. I know it's not the solution for everyone but wanted to put it out there.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 10:55:00 AM - said...
I was addicted to diet coke (drinking like 5-7 cans a day)... but my friends convinced me to stop. I couldn't stop cold turkey because that caused a migraine too. But I gradually weaned myself off.. Now, I don't drink it at all or else it will give me a migraine. Oh and another added benefit, Diet Coke acctually prevents weight loss. So I've been able to loose weight too.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 11:11:00 AM - said...
I have a cousin that has to spend up to two weeks in a dark hospital room with no visitors and hooked to IVs because she is in so much pain. She has signed up for testing of all known and new migrain treatments because hers are so bad, but nothing so far has seemed to help. The doctors are stumped. I think she also stays away from foods that trigger them, but still gets them frequently.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 11:29:00 AM - said...
I have suffered from migraines since I was 6 and have gone through just about every natural remedy to try & make them go away from Tiger Balm to Coke(Soda), etc. I've even tried all the prescriptions Imitrex, Maxalt and none of them worked. However, a new medicine called Relpax is a miracle worker. It not only wipes out the migraine but you don't feel any of the side affects like with the others. I hate taking pills but I'm telling you this one is worth not being functional for hours and days.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 12:54:00 PM - 
crissy27blue said...
I have had migranes too except they started 2 years or so back ago.They did not have anything to do with my lifestyle since I eat healthy but rather were more of a warning sign when I was about to have a seizure 2 out of 3 times at the university I attend.I did not pay attention to them until I saw my neurologist who told me that they might really bad headaches letting me know that a seizure is about to happen later on(yes I am epileptic since tha age of 6).I drink coffee as well as caffine every so often(what my doctor told me),get enough rest,eat healthy yet even when seizures happen and I eat healthy I have them.Any ideas?
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 1:03:00 PM - said...
I started since about 12-13 just before my period....
There are lots of foods I do not take: Citric, certain cheeses, wine, nothing with MSG, or preservatives, no can foods! Chocolate, tomatoes sauces, I can take a little but not too much... sweets also just a little. Also change in weather is a killer!
If you try to "catch it" just before, you know when is coming, then you can control it with little medicine, ibuprofen works for me if not I take Imitrex... a very cold coke will settle your stomach or a shot of black, black coffee and will relieve some of the pain... very hot shower immediately followed by ice on the head...that will do the trick when the pain is just so and no medicine gets to it... also if you switch medicine sometimes that will also do the trick...
Recently I was put on a medicine for low pressure for my menopause (hot flashes) and that has help me to prevent it, I still get it, but not that severe and I can control it... Also you must sleep 8 hours everyday and you need to eat regularly, if I do not eat at my times, boy I know I am going to get one! Sounds terrible well it is, but the trick is prevention! As I mentioned before you know when are you going to get one... get something in your system right way!
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 2:46:00 PM - said...
also, watch out for sodium benzoate (a preservative) in the sodas, salad dressings, and sometimes in bread dough, particularly pizza dough (used as a dough conditioner). In addition to the usual culprit MSG, sodium benzoate has always been a major migraine trigger for me.
Comment: Thursday, May 29, 2008 4:41:00 PM - Paulette said...
I have suffered from migraines for the past 20 years and mostly due to barametric pressure. Living in Colorado it can be a constant battle. I do not like to depend on drugs, so I immediately go to my chiropractor and get an adjustment. Most of the time the headache pain diminishes within an hour of the adjustment. I flush my system with a ton of water, put an icepack on my head and take a nap. In a pinch I grab a regular Pepsi to help with the pain and if I can't get to the chiropractor over a weekend, I have resorted to using 2 Aleve or 2 Tylonel PM's.
Comment: Friday, May 30, 2008 1:10:00 AM - said...
I get migraines so bad that I have had to quit my part time job because I was getting them so much. I was taking Imitrex for them until that upset my stomach so much that my doctor put me on a medication called Frova. A medication called Topamax that I take 4 pills of at night time before go to bed has made all the difference in the world for me and I would recommend to anyone that suffers with migraines that has not been able to get them under control to speak to their doctor about this medication as a daily treatment. It has basically saved my life.
Comment: Friday, May 30, 2008 8:14:00 AM - said...
As anyone who has sought out medical help regarding migraines knows, no one shares the same triggers for migraines. That is why the "list" of things that causes migraines (and thus to avoid) is so long and doesn't work for everyone. I suffered through migraines for about 5 years, trying everything and anything that I was told to relieve them. I was categorized in the highest risk group of migraines, and had in fact suffered a migraine related stroke (luckily minor). In the end, I found the cause of my migraines by accident. I ruptured open a cyst that had been growing in my ear and had been missed by the doctors and all their tests (including MRI, CAT Scans). I also had a friend that had been diagnosed with migraines, and in the end found out that they were having sinus headaches. By switching treatment methods, they found permanent relief! My long winded point is that YOU should research your condition and work with your doctor to find out what YOUR triggers are or what it is that is causing YOUR migraines. Good luck everyone!
Comment: Friday, May 30, 2008 10:06:00 PM - said...
ask your doctor for a beta blocker. i had a series of cluster severe headaches, and the doctor found that was the only remedy. had to go to the hospital 4 times in severe pain and sudden rise in high blood pressure,
Comment: Friday, May 30, 2008 10:20:00 PM - said...
Wow...you try to cut corners one way and it comes back to bite you. No more diet drinks and hopefully no more headaches for me!!
Comment: Saturday, May 31, 2008 4:51:00 AM - said...
i have suffered migrains too, but for me i have a some how different experience from some i have read about here. i have discorvered that i wake up with a migrain whenever i over sleep past my normal sleeping time of seven hours; it doesnt matter by how long, it could be a few minutes to an hour!. how ever i never have a migrain when i undersleep...
coffee doesnt affect me too.
Comment: Saturday, May 31, 2008 5:02:00 PM - said...
Interesting article about migraines. I learned a lot. Thanks!
Comment: Monday, June 02, 2008 3:42:00 PM - said...
I've had migraines since I was about 10, but only several a year - until 4 years ago, when I started getting them everyday. By taking preventatives prescribed by my neurologist (I couldn't take the Topomax someone suggested, but I took a similiar drug called Zonegran), I improved to only 3-4 a week. I was thrilled (my neurologist wasn't). Unfortunately, after 18 months, the benefits of Zonegran stopped, and since then, nothing works. I've heard over and over again from my doctor watch "rebound" drugs such as Excedrin, Advil, etc., and even Imitrex and Maxalt if taken more than 3 times weekly. But, my point is, if I get them every day, with no know trigger (other than diet drinks), why not try the migraine meds - although, in my case they only work about 25% of the time. People doubt that a person can have them every day and still work, but it's after work where I crater because I've given all I've got. I met a whole bunch of people in the same boat at the Michigan Head Pain Clinic. Great place and they helped me a lot, but since I don't live near there, when I experienced some side effects (extreme weight gain), it wasn't an easy place to re-visit, and my hard-headed doctor refused to call and work with them. Good luck to all!!!!!
Comment: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 9:22:00 PM - ajuliet said...
My remedy is also Excedrin migraine for early onsets. If it gets stronger & I have to go home from work, I take prescription Maxalt-MLT 10mg and go to bed. I carry one in my purse just in case I get one while traveling distant. It works wonders and I usually wake up 2-3 hours later feeling much better and not nauseous anymore. Keeping a steady sleep pattern of 7-8 hours of sleep daily, drinking plenty of water and keeping a low-stress lifestyle helps too. I have been told by a previous Doc to stay away from aged meats and cheeses. Nitrates/Nitrites are also known to trigger migraines, found in sandwich meats. Hope this helps!
Comment: Friday, June 06, 2008 11:55:00 AM - AShoup said...
It took me a few years, but I finally realized that my major migraine trigger is PMS. I can usually tell when it's a PMS triggered migraine because my neck tightens up as well. Sometimes I can stave it off by taking over-the-counter PMS medication like Midol, but if it turns in to a full-blown migraine, I use Amerge, which is Imitrex that's specially formulated for PMS migraines. It does the trick every time, but I have to go to bed after I take it or else I get nauseous.
Comment: Sunday, August 10, 2008 8:49:00 AM - said...
I, like a another poster here, found that Sodium Benzoate was a major cause of my migraines. I went from 3-4 headaches per week to maybe 4-6 per year but I am now a fanatical label reader and rarely eat anything processed. I can drink Diet Coke which doesn't contain Sodium Benzoate, but cannot drink Diet Pepsi which does. However I try to avoid sodas altogether.
I also took Topamax for a while before I identified this major trigger for me and that worked very well.
Comment: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 7:23:00 AM - said...
I have had migrains for years, and have been getting them every night for the last couple of weeks. Waking me up consistently between 3 and 4 AM. Generic Excedrin usually works well to stop the pain, but I am not able to go back to sleep after getting up.
I tried going on a 5 day water only fast, and the migraine pattern didn't change. So I don't think there is any food trigger for me.
Comment: Monday, August 18, 2008 11:20:00 AM - Myckal said...
My wife has suffered from migraines for many years, It makes me cry sometimes to see her in such pain. I am very careful what I cook, as i know some foods and additives can cause the migraines. MSG, and Sulphites(220) are two bad ones we avoid, but it changes daily. I have heard that it could caused by menopause? and if so, HRT (Hormone Replacement Treatment) is an option. But as it bas been a long term problem, and she is only 53, I didnt see this as a possibility?
I know this may sound silly, but I would be interested in any thoughts.
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