Hello,
I am a new member hoping to find others who share in the new low-carb and migraine free experience! I have taken Sumatriptin (Imitrex) every day for extreme migraines for the last couple of years. I discovered through some trial and error with food that all I have to do is stay in Ketosis, at 30 to 60 gm. a day, and I have 0 migraines and no longer require medication. It's like a whole new life! My doctor insists its nonsense and wants to know whether or not I'd like to try Cymbalta instead of the low carb nonsense. I don't get it. Anyway... hoping the rest of the headache ridden community hears about this possible alternative. Maybe it's just me and a few others but it's worth a try for the person whose life is thoroughly taken over by headaches.

Howdy! I have had pretty great results in reducing my migraines while eating LC, too. I'm not really sure if it's from LC eating, eliminating wheat and other grains, or adding supplements like magnesium, but my headaches are now limited just to around my period. What a relief!

I was put on Topamax several months ago because I started having several headaches a week, for no discernible reason. That helped, but didn't completely get rid of them, and I didn't really like taking something everyday. I still have to take 50mg sumatriptan when I do have a migraine, but I'm using it alot less frequently.

I might start shopping for a new Dr...
... one who thinks CURE... not DRUG.

Congrats on finding a way that works for you.

One of the thing I hear a lot from people who give up wheat (gluten free eating), not even going low carb, is they stop having migraines. Now, gluten *can* be in low carb specialty foods, so one does have to be careful with the LC breads and wraps and such.

So, if they come back you might consider you have a food intolerance, for instance to gluten or soy, and start trying to eliminate things and see if that helps.

But the neurologist who wrote "The Brain Trust" recommended ketogenic diet for many brain related things, including migraines I believe.

And low magnesium levels are also very common amongst magnesium sufferers. Here's a link to some testimonies from people who used magnesium to reduce or eliminate their migraine attacks:

http://www.mgwater.com/migraineletters.shtml

This is the magnesium supplement I use (not for migraine, for other health reasons):

http://www.iherb.com/Doctor-s-Best-...lets/16567?at=0

It is also one of the products recommended by a site which supports people with atrial fibrillation - and they really need to know which magnesium is good!!!

For people outside the USA, iherb.com is good because the shipping rates are low (but watch out that you don't exceed the customs limit for your country), but inside the USA I believe you might get this product cheaper at vitacost.com.

Magnesium is so good for so many things that you can't really go wrong with supplementing it!

amanda

I stopped getting migraines as soon as I gave up gluten & went low carb. As soon as I had a "normal" portion of wheat product in one day - I got a headache. So yeah - I'd tell your doctor that managing or curing a condition via diet is much healthier than altering your bodies natural balance with artificial chemical dependencies (aka: drugs). Also, any doctor that refers to your lifestyle as "nonsense" is in need of immediate replacement.

New doc!

I'm very happy for your success! Maybe time for a new doctor?

I never really had migraines, but I did used to get pretty bad headaches all the time. Not since lc-ing, though. Not one single headache.

ETA: Oh, welcome to the forum! And congrats on your new life migraine free!

I totally feel for you. Those migraines are killer.
Mine were always triggered by caffeine and sugar (too much
or too little). Bright light and squinting for too long-muscle
tension in my face.
I was always afraid of the migraine meds because they
took away the pain but not the pressure. Just today
I read that some of those meds can cause you to gain weight?!! Yuckers
(ukmail article) What is a person to do?
Anyways best of luck to you maybe cutting out gluten will
be your key to success

Tell your doctor to check out a university by the name of Johns-Hopkins, perhaps he has heard of them. They were the ones that *invented* this diet in the 1920s to treat and even cure epileptics.

Migraines and epilepsy are extremely similar, just random brain signals misfiring (a family member with migraines can even pass down epilepsy and vice-versa). I myself am epileptic and I would say that so long as I stay in ketosis I basically feel as though I am not an epileptic.

I work outside and during the winter I will have a few months off. I am going to be very very strict during that time with my diet and make sure I don't even approach 20 grams of carbs per day. I am going to try to ease off of my medication during that time (a very large amount of epileptics can go medicine free while in ketosis). I don't want to mess around with it until I will be mostly not-driving and mostly at-home (i.e. winter) though - just in case.