What Everyone with Migraines Should Know About Drinking Alcohol2024.07.04

If you’re a chronic migraineur who has decided to have a drink or two, a safe bet is leaving it at that. Participants who registered to use the platform through physician referral, or via the website or the App Store, between October 2014 and March 2018 were eligible. At the time of the study, the app was only available to users of iOS. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. If you have persistent vomiting, lightheadedness, confusion, seizures, trouble breathing, and dulled responses (among other symptoms), seek immediate medical attention — as these may be signs of alcohol poisoning. It’s important to note that alcohol use disorder is a serious illness that can have life-threatening consequences.

If you’ve identified alcohol as a trigger for your migraine headaches, avoiding it altogether is probably best. The same is true if you find that some types of alcohol trigger your migraine headaches more than others. People without migraine who consume greater quantities of alcohol often report immediate headaches. Then again, according to a 2023 review of research, studies have found that alcohol appears to be less likely to cause migraine headaches.

Other primary headaches

Many people may also develop headaches due to the dehydrating effects of alcohol. For some people that also includes alcohol, maybe just certain kinds. National Library of Medicine, one-third of migraine sufferers point to alcohol as a trigger. To define this important issue, we have reviewed alcohol as a trigger of primary headaches and discussed the possible correlation of the results with the principal pathogenetic theories of the primary headaches.

• Learn how to make healthy nutritional and dietary choices while managing migraine symptoms.
• However, the research suggests that alcohol may not be the only trigger and may also depend on other factors.
• The majority were female (419/487, 86.0%), actively working (293/378, 77.5%).

Foods That Can Trigger Migraines

And though the immediate effects might lessen some of the worry or dread you feel, this change is short-term, and the long-term consequences can make matters worse. Headaches are painful and disruptive enough, and even more so when they strike first thing in the morning before you’ve even fully opened your eyes. If you’re waking up with headaches frequently, several triggers could be responsible. The good news is that most potential causes are easily treatable. Here, doctors reveal likely sources of morning headaches and what you can do to stop them.

However, they can still contain other triggers like histamine or tannins. Histamine, tannins, tyramine, flavonoid phenols, sulfites, and phenylethylamine are all found within alcoholic beverages and this also includes beer. Another type of attack is called the delayed alcohol induced headache and will usually appear the next day.

Learn more about the short-term and long-term effects of alcohol. If a headache persists or worsens, visit a doctor for an examination and treatment recommendations. However, the research suggests that alcohol may not be the only trigger and may also depend on other factors. Migraine is more common, affecting around 12% of people in the United States. This leads to excessive urination and dehydration, which may cause a headache after a small amount of alcohol. Individuals with lower body weights cannot process as much alcohol as individuals at higher weights.

Additionally, patients and physicians should consider the latest medical knowledge to avoid perpetuating the myths about alcohol consumption and primary headaches. Additionally, it would be useful to check whether migraine patients enjoy the advantages or disadvantages of less drinking. Whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) states that there is no safe alcohol dose 19, Panconesi et al. conclude that low consumption is not a contraindication for headache patients 79. However, each patient makes individual decisions based on their own experience. Headache after a certain amount of alcohol is likely to induce behavioral reactions (i.e., alcohol-intake adjustment).

thoughts on “Best and Worst Types of Alcohol for People With Migraine”

• People prone to headaches may be at a higher risk of experiencing alcohol-related headaches.
• However, migraine patients consume less alcohol for various reasons.
• It has also been found that a specific flavonoid in red wine inhibits an enzyme that metabolizes certain components of red wine, contributing to a build up chemicals that can cause a headache.
• Any remaining articles were screened by title or abstract randomly by the authors (BB, PN and MS1) with the below presented inclusion/exclusion criteria and PRISMA 2020 guidelines.
• In spite of this, there are some people for whom combining alcohol with a tendency toward migraines.
• The role of alcohol in triggering migraine attacks is unclear, and the research is limited.

It can’t prevent a migraine, but it can help stop one after it starts. Triptans work best when you take them at the early signs of a migraine. There’s no proof that drinking raw eggs or downing hot sauce will get rid of your morning-after migraine faster. Downing more alcohol (the “hair of the dog” theory) won’t help either. Once it gets into your system, it is converted into a chemical that triggers migraine.

ways to curb your drinking

Certain genes may influence the tendency to drink and alcohol tolerance to quantities of alcohol. While there is some research on each possible reason why alcohol causes headaches, study authors have not definitively proven the link between the two. It will be crucial to have access to reliable resources on migraine as you work to manage this disease. The American Migraine Foundation offers extensive resources to help you explore your symptoms and treatment options.

Since the research on alcohol as a migraine trigger is limited, and everyone’s body metabolizes foods and drinks differently, it can be helpful to tune into what yours is telling you. “Someone may feel a slight relief from a migraine attack after drinking due to the sedative effects alcohol has, but this is only for a short amount of time and will not last,” said neuropsychologist Sanam Hafeez, PhD. Yet, a 2016 study pointed out that estimates vary and the reason that alcohol use might trigger migraine episodes is still unclear. However, alcohol is traditionally considered a migraine trigger, with some research suggesting that it prompts episodes in about one-third of people. Rosen said some people he treats report being triggered by simply smelling alcohol. Figure 2 shows data on two individuals selected at random among those who tracked more than 600 days.

Current medical opinions on alcohol consumption are evolving with migraines and alcohol research, so it’s important to educate yourself on the effects of alcohol on your health. If you are struggling with alcohol abuse or other dependency issues, there are many resources that are ready to help. In a 2007 study, Austrian researchers examined a number of factors related to migraine, specifically considering consumption of alcohol and other nutritional factors the day before the onset of a headache.

Availability of data and materials

The final analysis was therefore based on 20,000 realizations, 10,000 from each chain. Plots of iterations versus sampled values for each variable were inspected to check model convergence. A parameter is considered statistically significant when zero does not fall within the 95% CI.

Of course, everyone is different and will have different triggers. Some people may be able to drink red wine or whiskey without any problems, while others may find that even clear liquors are problematic. Understanding certain food components of some alcoholic beverages will help you understand your choices when it comes to selecting the best alcohol to avoid migraine. Any relief experienced from red wine likely comes from resveratrol, a potentially health-boosting plant compound. Primary care physician Monica Kalra, DO, explained that alcohol can cause histamine release, and histamine can cause the widening of blood cells in the brain, which may trigger a migraine attack.