Alcohol and Migraine: Relationship, Triggers, and Treatment

And if you’re looking for migraine relief without prescriptions or severe side effects, consider trying CEFALY. Fueling your body with a meal before consuming alcohol can make a difference. Eating before drinking helps slow down the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream. As a result, eating beforehand reduces alcohol’s potential migraine-inducing effects. Sipping slowly allows your body to process the alcohol more gradually and may help lessen its potential to trigger migraine.

But the next day, that greasy meal they enjoyed can become a source of anxiety. Acetaldehyde contributes to inflammation in the liver, pancreas, intestinal tract, and brain, among other organs. As a result, people feel malaise (a general feeling of unwellness), fatigue, headache, and other physical symptoms. According to Beyond Celiac, distilled gin and vodka are gluten free. It’s important to make sure that no gluten was added after the distillation process, especially if celiac disease is a factor for you. Generally, these clear alcohols are highly distilled and have almost no leftover congeners from the beginning fermentation process.

• Sleep deprivation can cause negative effects such as increased blood pressure or gastrointestinal discomfort.
• While this is not necessarily true for everyone, it’s true for so many people that a trend toward abstinence developed among migraine-sufferers.
• This uncertainty makes it difficult for many people who want to responsibly enjoy alcohol during the holidays or on special occasions to effectively manage their migraine symptoms.
• Additionally, it’s possible to have migraine episodes and hangovers, Rosen said.
• Like food triggers, the likelihood of a particular type of alcohol triggering a headache is probably different from person to person.
• Learn how to manages hormonal migraine with expert tips on symptoms, triggers, and effective relief strategies.

A 2023 review indicated that the risk of migraine in people who drink alcohol is about 1.5 times lower than in those who don’t, though the studies reviewed had a high amount of bias. If both stress and alcohol are migraine triggers for you, combining them won’t do you any favors. In addition to this, people are sometimes more likely to drink more when they are feeling stressed and a little reckless.

Alcohol-Induced Migraine vs. Delayed Alcohol-Induced Headache

Savage-Edwards advises that if alcohol is found to be a trigger, then it’s best to avoid it. There isn’t one best alcohol type for individuals with migraine, because triggers can differ from person to person. The best alcohol for migraine sufferers is typically lighter drinks and those with lower levels of congeners. Alcohol-related headaches can be a frustrating experience, especially for those who live with migraine. While the exact reasons why alcohol triggers headaches are still not fully understood, there are some steps you can take to reduce your risk and enjoy a drink without pain.

Migraine episodes triggered by alcohol consumption typically happen within about an hour. Delayed alcohol headaches or hangovers generally take hours to start, such as the following day after a night of drinking too much. Here’s what to know about preventing migraine attacks when also drinking alcohol, plus how to treat one if it’s too late.

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. There is a significant overlap between anxiety, alcohol misuse, can alcohol trigger migraines and alcohol use disorder. Researchers found that those with an anxiety disorder were between 2.1 and 3.3 times as likely to develop alcohol use disorder. Alcohol allergy and intolerance can result in similar symptoms but are caused by different underlying factors.

• Triptans work best when you take them at the early signs of a migraine.
• Eating before drinking helps slow down the absorption of alcohol into your bloodstream.
• How long this anxiety (and other hangover symptoms) lasts depends on factors like how much you’ve consumed, your assigned sex at birth, and your weight.
• The migraines tend to start within three hours of consuming alcohol.
• And eventually, she made a connection between what she was eating with how she was feeling.

How can you prevent getting a migraine headache from alcohol?

It’s important to note that alcohol use disorder is a serious illness that can have life-threatening consequences. It’s important to see your healthcare provider if you are concerned about your alcohol use. There have been several proposed explanations for how alcohol causes headaches. Anxiety related to poor food choices especially arise if you’re trying to improve your diet or make lifestyle changes. Look for white wine that is not too sweet and a little on the dry side. Pinot Grigio, chardonnay or sauvignon blanc would be a good place to start and are generally easy to find.

Causes & Risk Factors

This article will explore the relationship between alcohol and headache and consider why some people develop an alcohol headache after one drink. If a doctor has prescribed medication for your chronic migraine and you choose to move forward with that line of treatment, follow instructions carefully. It is crucial to take medications at the recommended times to ensure maximum effectiveness. Additionally, it is important to communicate with your doctor if you experience any adverse effects or if the medication does not seem to be working as expected. If your support system is lacking, consider joining a support group. Finding a community of people who understand exactly what you’re going through is like being welcomed home after a long, tiring day.

The Essential Guide To Medical Devices For Migraine

But “cutting back” doesn’t necessarily have to mean cutting out. By tracking your attacks and your drinking and working with a doctor, you can figure out the relationship with alcohol that’s right for you (and your condition). Our device offers both acute relief during attacks and daily prevention to reduce the frequency of future episodes. Take control of your migraine journey today with CEFALY and reclaim your life from the grasp of migraine pain. Drinking water alongside alcohol can help mitigate the dehydration effect and might reduce the likelihood of a migraine attack.

Alcohol, Headaches, and Migraines: What You Need to Know

To understand more about the symptoms experienced with migraine attacks, read our articles on vestibular migraine or different types of headaches. If you’re unsure about the impact of alcohol on your migraine attacks, experiment with moderation. Try sticking to small amounts of alcohol and pay attention to how your body responds.

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. Dehydration often accompanies alcohol consumption and may worsen migraine symptoms. Drink plenty of water to rehydrate your body and help ease migraine pain.

Hangovers or withdrawal from alcohol can worsen anxiety symptoms, especially among people who drink heavily or those with alcohol use disorder. Anxiety occurs in addition to the typical health risks, which range from risky behaviors to weight gain, liver damage, and other physical effects. Many hangover symptoms arise due to detoxification, the physical process of ridding the body of toxic chemicals caused by alcohol consumption.

A 2022 study in people with migraine, however, found that drinking alcohol didn’t affect the probability of a migraine attack 24 hours after drinking. The likelihood was even lower 24 to 48 hours after consumption. Vasodilation may trigger migraine attacks in certain individuals. This is especially true for people prone to headaches or migraine without alcohol. Research suggests that experiencing an unpleasant effect from drinking alcohol may alter alcohol consumption.

Of course, like all medications, they have their own side effects. Also, follow your doctor’s recommendations regarding alcohol consumption. If they trigger migraines look for an alternative without alcohol. Unfortunately, this may lead to inflammation throughout the body, which can trigger migraines in some people. For some people that also includes alcohol, maybe just certain kinds.

Migraine is more common, affecting around 12% of people in the United States. In a 2017 study, researchers found that people of East Asian ancestry drink less than members of other groups. Certain genes may influence the tendency to drink and alcohol tolerance to quantities of alcohol. This chemical is a vasodilator, which increases the size of blood vessels in the body.

If you’re interested in connecting with more people in the migraine community, we recommend joining our Facebook support group, Move Against Migraine. There, you will find a wonderful community of people who are ready to listen and lift each other up. While dehydration does not cause anxiety, these conditions are related. Drinking alcohol triggers the hormone vasopressin, which regulates your body’s water and salt levels. It signals the kidneys to take in more fluid and produce urine, increasing how much you urinate (pee). Different types of alcohol are made through a fermentation process.

They involve throbbing pain that generally occurs on one side of the head. More research will help to determine the effects of specific alcohol content on a person’s headaches. As a result, a female’s blood alcohol concentration tends to be higher, making it more likely for females to experience headaches and hangovers.