If you aren’t sure whether your medication is compatible with alcohol, it’s best — always — to avoid drinking until you have more information. 2021 research also linked lifestyle factors with alcohol drinking and smoking to cluster headaches and their severity. We also examine the types of headache alcohol can trigger and the types of alcohol likely to cause more headaches.
Attack
Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to consume alcoholic drinks is up to you. However, knowing the effects alcohol may have on your body and migraine attacks could help you make up your mind. Researchers don’t know exactly what causes alcohol-induced migraine attacks. While in some cases it is likely the presence of alcohol itself, it is also possible that specific components of different alcoholic drinks act as triggers.
Alcohol: A Trigger for Headaches and Migraines
- Even a modest amount of alcohol can cause people with migraine to develop a delayed headache or trigger an attack.
- Changes in the brainstem and its interactions with the trigeminal nerve, a major pain pathway, might be involved.
- Did you know that 20% of women say they avoid pregnancy because of migraine?
- Regardless of the percentage of people affected, it is clear that the effects of alcohol can result in migraine episodes for some people.
- While these seem to come out of nowhere, many will find that there are usually some signs that a migraine attack is on its way.
- One study found that alcohol contributes to migraine attacks in up to one-third of people diagnosed with the condition.
First of all, the existing studies present data in a heterogeneous way, which may have led to inaccurate results, and do not provide an exhaustive array of information. Information on the gender of participants was unavailable for analysis. So, the question of who is drinking more with a primary headache is still to be addressed. Additionally, only a few of the studies divided participants into migraine with and without aura. Therefore, there was insufficient data to analyze the relationship between alcohol and aura, and the data that does exist is inconsistent 65, 86. As mentioned in the discussion above, alcohol consumption assessment is strongly based on patients’ honesty.
They registered to use the platform between October 2014 and March 2018, and subsequently tracked their symptoms and risk factors for at least 90 of 120 days after registration. Those who met the International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition diagnostic criteria for chronic migraine were excluded, as were people who stated they drank alcohol but did not track their consumption. While people who have these headaches report a connection to alcohol, there’s no real consistency in how alcohol causes these headaches to develop, according to studies that have been done. Instead, researchers suggest that alcohol as a trigger is more of a personal reaction — common in certain types of headaches — than a general effect. People who get migraine attacks during or after drinking should consider reducing or eliminating alcohol. If they find this too challenging, they may have alcohol use disorder, which warrants treatment.
Plan to discuss the FDA’s safety guide for medication use during pregnancy. The American Migraine Foundation is committed to improving the lives of those living with this debilitating disease. To learn more about all of your migraine treatment options, visit the AMF Resource Library. For help finding a healthcare provider, check out our Find a Doctor tool. 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.
If none of the preventative measures above work or you didn’t know alcohol triggered migraines until after the fact, there are still options available to you. However, if you already have a headache, it is a good idea to stop drinking. While this is not necessarily true for everyone, it’s true for so many people that a trend toward abstinence developed among migraine-sufferers.
A migraine each time was eminem an addict you have a night out should be a good reason to abstain. After a night on the town, it’s easy to blame a headache on too much alcohol. But if you’re prone to migraine headaches, drinking even a small amount of alcohol can bring on an attack. 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.
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. 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. Many different factors can contribute to a hangover as a result of drinking.
Is Alcohol a Migraine Trigger?
The mechanism through which alcohol can trigger these distinct headache disorders is not well understood. Note that to qualify as a cocktail (or delayed alcohol-induced) headache, the pain must start within three hours of drinking. A headache that sets in the next day is a symptom of a hangover. 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. Rosen was a co-author of a small 2022 study of 487 people who mostly drank alcohol in low amounts. The data did not suggest a significant link between consuming alcohol and a migraine attack within 24 hours.
When Could Drinking Be Problematic?
Although any type of alcohol can trigger a migraine, people who experience regular migraine attacks cite red wine as the most frequent culprit. Migraine attacks can be disabling, but there are ways to manage the disease and to empower yourself to get the care and the support that you need. It is not just a headache, it is a genetic neurologic disease. Next, talk to your healthcare professional about your symptoms.
