If you’re unsure whether alcohol is triggering your migraine, keep a detailed migraine journal that includes any foods and alcohol consumed throughout the week. This will be a valuable resource for you and your doctor to start identifying more specific migraine triggers. While anyone can experience DAIH, people with migraine are more susceptible. Even a modest amount of alcohol can cause people with migraine to develop a delayed headache or trigger an attack. The short answer is that while it’s possible for alcohol to cause a migraine attack, it’s often a bit more complicated.
- As a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, alcohol can worsen the side effects of Benadryl.
- Perhaps inflammatory mechanisms and the known vasodilatatoric effect of alcohol are the link between hangover and migraine.
- The neuroprotective effects of L-carnitine and its role in fatty acid oxidation suggest that it may contribute to maintaining neuronal health and energy homeostasis 10.
- You could also search our Resources Library to learn more about symptoms, triggers and treatments.
- These results align with those of previous studies conducted on nutraceutical combinations, such as nano-curcumin with CoQ10 37 or L-carnitine with CoQ10 20, demonstrating protective effects on migraine prophylaxis.
- Additionally, only a few of the studies divided participants into migraine with and without aura.
Can Alcohol Trigger Migraine Headaches?
This process often leads a person to question whether drinking alcohol actually causes attacks or simply makes existing migraine symptoms worse. If you experience migraine headaches after drinking alcohol, it may be best to avoid alcohol or that certain type of alcohol. Talk with a doctor about ways to identify your migraine triggers and what to do if you develop these headaches. Whether alcohol acts as a trigger is really a case-by-case basis for people with migraine. For some people, it could be the amount of alcohol consumed that triggers an attack. For example, wine may be a trigger for some but whiskey may not have an influence.
Additionally, there were cases 56, 57 where division was based on never, current or past drinking. More accurate calculation with amount and various types of alcohol was also conducted in studies 26, 27, 45, 54. Only few studies 46, 48–50, 52 provided the data about the period in which alcohol drinking was considered and measured. Nineteen studies used questionnaire methods to assess drinking 36, 44–59, 61, 62. In two cases, questionnaires were supplemented by medical interviews 53, 61.
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In spite of this, there are some people for whom combining alcohol with a tendency toward migraines. Patients often make this decision after experiencing a strong connection between alcohol and migraines firsthand. Immediate alcohol-induced headaches are rarer than hangovers, and even a small amount of alcohol might trigger them in people who, for instance, experience migraines. Opting for top-shelf brands, sticking to one type of alcohol, alternating with water and food, and knowing your limits are all strategies that can help minimize the chances of developing a headache. Additionally, keeping a diary to track your triggers and being mindful of other factors like stress and sleep can be helpful. The risk of developing an alcohol-induced headache is particularly high with mixed drinks that are composed of multiple types of liquor.
Symptoms
- A parameter is considered statistically significant when zero does not fall within the 95% CI.
- National Library of Medicine, one-third of migraine sufferers point to alcohol as a trigger.
- Mounting evidence suggests there may be a connection between migraine and mental health.
- These headaches may be accompanied by a variety of other symptoms like nausea, light or noise sensitivity, or mood changes.
- The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
While there is no magical alcohol that doesn’t cause headaches when consumed in excess, alcohol does vary tremendously from manufacturer to manufacturer. Top-shelf brands not only taste better but may also be less likely to prove a migraine trigger. I caution patients to order a specific brand of alcohol when ordering a cocktail rather than relying on well drinks or lower-quality brands. This is the typical type of headache induced by alcohol for people with migraine, compared with delayed alcohol-induced headache (DAIH) that appears the next morning — also known as the hangover headache.
Alcohol-Induced Migraine vs. Delayed Alcohol-Induced Headache
This multi-targeted approach could attenuate neurogenic inflammation, a crucial process in migraine pathogenesis 65. An intention-to-treat (ITT) approach was adopted for the analysis, including all randomized participants regardless of protocol adherence. Missing data were addressed using the last observation carried forward (LOCF) method, wherein the most recent available measurement for withdrawn subjects was applied in subsequent analyses 31. The participants’ physical activity levels were evaluated using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), a validated instrument for use in Iranian populations 30.
Table 3 shows the distribution of daily alcoholic beverage consumption. 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. Observations with missing information in any of the independent variables were handled with listwise deletion, that is, only complete cases were used for parameter estimation. People who cannot stop drinking should talk with a doctor about treatment for alcohol use disorder, which is a serious but treatable condition.
Additionally, the relatively short duration of our study (12 weeks) may not have been sufficient to detect changes in this parameter. Co-supplementation with ALA and L-carnitine may offer a promising adjuvant therapy for managing migraine in women, addressing both physical symptoms and psychological burdens. Perhaps migraine and alcohol inflammatory mechanisms and the known vasodilatatoric effect of alcohol are the link between hangover and migraine.
There are also behavioral treatment options and lifestyle changes that can help. Alternative migraine therapies can work alongside traditional treatments to reduce migraine attack frequency and lessen the impact of symptoms. Keep a record of any symptoms that occur after consuming alcohol and discuss them with your doctor. Identifying your specific food and drink triggers is a key part of any migraine prevention and treatment plan. Taking Benadryl and drinking alcohol, especially in larger amounts, at the same time can have severe outcomes that can be life-threatening. As a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, alcohol can worsen the side effects of Benadryl.
Stress management, good sleep hygiene, and a balanced diet all play crucial roles. Drinking plenty of water will help to prevent a hangover and will also help to keep your migraine attacks at bay. 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. Menstruation was found to increase the likelihood that food and drinks would be more likely to trigger an attack. This is linked to the threshold theory, or Bucket Theory, where a stacking of triggers will induce a migraine attack.
Consumption varies greatly between cultures, regions, and between individuals, a fact which may explain why different studies have found opposing results. This was an observational prospective cohort study among individuals with migraine who registered to use a digital health platform for headache. Eligible individuals were aged ≥18 years with EM who consumed alcohol and had tracked their headache symptoms and alcohol intake for ≥90 days. The exact mechanism behind this observation may indicate that migraine leads to alcohol-avoidance rather than alcohol having a protective role against migraine.
Hangover symptoms
This may affect comparability with other migraine prevention trials. All participants in this study were female, so caution should be exercised when generalizing the results to male populations. Only a few clinical trials have studied treatment for hangover symptoms. Future studies using specific antimigraine drugs such as triptans, may show efficacy in controlling at least part of the hangover symptoms cluster. The similarity between the symptomatology of these two common disorders, migraine and hangover, has led us to compare alcohol hangover symptoms in migraine sufferers and nonsufferers. We hypothesized that migraine sufferers are more susceptible to specific aspects of the hangover symptomatology complex, namely those that are similar to the migraine attack.
One of the reasons certain types of alcohol may be more likely to trigger migraine attacks is the presence of congeners. These are by-products of the fermentation process, and they’re found in higher concentrations in dark liquors. Congeners can also include chemicals like histamine, which can trigger migraine attacks and headaches. Remaining hydrated is one way to reduce migraine attacks, but the type of beverage you choose matters. Nonalcoholic beverages with little to no added sugar are the best drinks for migraine. These include water, electrolyte drinks, bone broth, and diluted fruit juices.