Migraine Symptoms and causes
People who have frequent migraine attacks may wish to consider migraine prevention medications such as topiramate (Topamax), divalproex (Depakote), or propranolol (Inderal). Most studies point to red wine as a common headache culprit, particularly in people with migraine. These individuals commonly cite wine, especially red wine, as a migraine trigger. People who experience a headache after drinking should not assume that it is a migraine, especially if they have symptoms consistent with other types of headaches. For example, a tension headache may cause pain in the neck or shoulders. Another thing that remains unclear is whether the type of alcohol you drink determines whether or not you will get a migraine headache.
- Meaning if a parent has migraine, there’s about a 50 percent chance that a child may develop migraine as well.
- 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.
- For example, you might have overslept and skipped breakfast, and be tired and stressed from a busy week at work.
Identifying migraine triggers
- Avoiding alcohol isn’t the only way to avoid an alcohol-related migraine headache.
- Most studies point to red wine as a common headache culprit, particularly in people with migraine.
- About one-third of the patients (mean 34%) report alcohol as a trigger (Fig. 1).
- Researchers are looking further into what happens to the heart when people drink alcohol, and the focus of two current studies was estrogen and binge drinking, respectively.
Once in the brain it causes a chemical release that leads to pleasurable feelings, and it lessens inhibitions by depressing certain frontal lobe functions. Motor pathways become overactive, and blood sugar is processed less efficiently in the brain. As more and more ethanol molecules enter the membranes of the nerve cells, sedating effects develop. The effects of alcohol intoxication are relatively predictable based on measured blood alcohol content. While not a disease we treat at the Johns Hopkins Headache Center, delayed alcohol-induced headaches are extremely common, disabling and costly to society.
How does alcohol affect the brain and the rest of the body?
Don’t feel embarrassed when talking to your doctor or headache specialist about your triggers—it will help them give you a proper diagnosis and start the best treatment plan for your symptoms. For more information on the various migraine triggers and how to manage them, visit the American Migraine Foundation resource library, or contact us directly. These findings suggest that red wine contains a migraine-provoking agent that is neither alcohol (because vodka is pure alcohol) nor tyramine (for alcohol causes migraines the negligible content in wine). Recently another study group reported a high percentage of patients referring red wine as the most frequent trigger between alcoholic drinks [24] but subsequently it did not report any of them as a trigger [30]. With Christmas over and Dry January in full swing, you might be noticing differences in your migraine attacks if you’ve drunk more or less than normal recently. If there seems to be a connection between alcohol and your migraine, you’re not alone.
Changes in or an irregular sleep schedule
Around 25% of people who have migraine episodes experience auras, and only some of them have transient aphasia, making this a relatively uncommon symptom. Remember that any type of alcohol can lead to a headache, especially if you go a little overboard. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines, the recommended daily max alcohol consumption is 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men. If you’ve called out red wine as a common headache trigger, it may be best to eliminate vin rouge from your drink cabinet altogether. Since red wine has more tannins than white wine, tannins are a commonly called-out culprit for those fateful migraine episodes.
- Certainly genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of migraine disease.
- While some people do experience migraine headaches after drinking alcohol, not everyone does.
- People who experienced migraine with alcohol were more likely to have migraine with aura and to experience more migraine days and more frequent attacks.
- Additionally, the rats that received estrogen showed a reduction in heart ejection fraction, which can lead to heart failure.
This data suggests that there may be a misperception that drinks containing alcohol cause migraine attacks. Still, in population-based studies in various countries, including the U.S., Japan and Italy, researchers found that fewer people with migraine consume alcohol than those without migraine. This indicates that people with migraine and other headache diseases may be more likely to give up alcohol because they perceive it as a possible migraine trigger. Studies show that many people with migraine choose not to drink alcohol for fear that it may trigger a migraine attack.
Find more top doctors on
What causes red wine migraine and headaches?
Trackback from your site.