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It has worked for me...AN UPDATE

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Posted 2/6/2006 4:00 AM (GMT -7)
Hi :-)

I haven't posted here in a long time, however, I wanted to come on and let you all know that I think I've found something that's working for me. :-)

I'm always reading up on stuff on the net, and I came across an article somewhere (I forget where) which was talking about 'Aspartame' - a sweetener which is used in drinks/food.

It mentioned a link between Aspartame and migraine headaches (also, being pregnant at present, lots of books tell you to cut out sweeteners etc)

I decided to try cutting out Aspartame (which I drunk a lot before in my fruit cordial) and see how things went.

Well, I've been nearly 3 months without a migraine!! yeah

I've had the occasional slip up - eg, I ate a sweet last week that had it in (the next day, I did have a headache, but it didn't turn into a full blown migraine). Also, my DH bought me some Cream Soda when I had food poisoning in November, and I drunk some without realising it had Aspartame in it - it wasn't until I woke up the following day with an absolute corker, that I checked the label on the bottle and found that it contained it.

If you haven't already tried it, give it a go - I didn't think it would change things for me like this, but it's great to feel as though I'm now in control of my life, not my migraines :-)

(Please post and let me know how you get on if you try it)

Posted 2/6/2006 2:29 PM (GMT -7)
Hi Louey, I think you have something there about aspartame! I have made a concious effort to rid my diet of it and I do feel better, but cannot report a significant drop in the amount of migraines I get. Hmm migraines and control I am still waiting!! Seriously though I think aspartame plays its part. Ann
Posted 2/6/2006 9:54 PM (GMT -7)
Yeah, if you look at any list of probable food triggers for migraines, aspartame is right there near the top, right under MSG. I believe all artificial sweetners are suspect except Splenda, which is a sugar derrivative. Any beverage that says "Lite" probably has some type of artifical sweetner, so read all your labels. By the way, didn't help me, wasn't one of my triggers.

Leigh Ann
Posted 2/7/2006 3:10 PM (GMT -7)
Aspartame is not a trigger for me, but I am extremely allergic to it and all artificial sweetners. I have to really watch my labels on all foods - you would never imagine how many foods have artificial sweetners. It took me 5 minutes one night to find a pack of gum at Target!
Posted 5/12/2009 5:57 AM (GMT -7)
I thought I'd better update this thread after re-discovering it!

I had initially thought that cutting out Aspartame was the reason that my migraines stopped, however, I now know that it was the pregnancy hormones that prevented them, as they re-appeared after the birth!

Never mind. I'm still on the hunt for the elusive preventative treatment, as you'll see if you have a look at my blog!

Lou x
Posted 5/23/2009 7:42 PM (GMT -7)

CRANKY 1 said...
I believe all artificial sweetners are suspect except Splenda, which is a sugar derrivative.
Leigh Ann

Hi everyone,

I don't normally post here. I have Crohn's disease, and post in that forum from time-to-time. I wandered here into the migraine section to help out a friend.

But anyway, about non-caloric sweeteners. Are you aware of stevia? It's not artificial, it's a natural plant and there's no processing at all. Despite the claims by Splenda, it's also a chemical sweetener. I've grown stevia myself and just dried the leaves and sprinkled on whatever I want to be sweet. Most people won't grow their own, but there are plenty of commercial suppliers who sell a stevia extract. I'm not recommending any particular brand - just google if you're looking for an online supplier. Most healthfood stores carry it. I know that Wal-Mart sold it for awhile, but it disappeared from their shelves last time I looked.

Here's the Wikipedia page on stevia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

Hope this is of interest to some of you.

best regards,
Robert
Posted 5/30/2009 6:36 PM (GMT -7)
We found the same problem with Splenda / Sucralose. Let him have one cookie we found out later had splenda, migraine within an hour. A shared couple of gummy bears with splenda, migraine with aura within the hour. A piece of gum that doesn't list 'sucralose' until toward the end of the ingredient list, migraine within an hour. It never fails to bring on a migraine, even in small amounts.

He once was in a biology class where the teacher had them rank sweetners from most to least sweet, one was splenda, he didn't make it to the next class, migraine in the nurse's office. And I'm telling you it takes an effort to avoid it, you have to read labels all the time. Spenda is the brand name for the sweetner sucralose. 100% double-blind certain it is a migraine trigger in our son.
Posted 5/30/2009 9:33 PM (GMT -7)
Louey- Pregnancy tends to curb migraines in about two-thirds of women who have migraines realted to their menstrual cycle. If only we could make our bodies "think" we are pregnant all the time :-)

 

Dadofpainboy-does your son have head pain following SUGAR...or just sugar substitutes?

Posted 5/30/2009 9:39 PM (GMT -7)
Thanks for asking. In our case, he can have usual amounts of sugar such as in cookies or candy without effect. Even occasional chocolate doesn't provoke a headache. He's had aspartame without having a headache as well. But never once has he had sucralose / splenda without getting a migraine.

We remember he was at a school summer camp and was nutso about the blue jello in the cafeteria. An hour after dinner he'd be in the ER with a migraine. Second day at camp, second helping of blue jello at dinner, second visit to the ER. You guessed it, later on we found the blue jello was in the diet section, he didn't know or care and it was made with splenda.
Posted 5/30/2009 10:00 PM (GMT -7)

Poor little guy!

I'm a little foggy headed tonight and have a thought/question but seem to be having a hard time getting it out right! ha ha

OK, I'm wondering if it is splenda/sucralose that is ALWAYS a trigger or if its in addition to other (more easily hidden) triggers. Basically each migraineur has a threshold and each trigger will add up and once we reach our threshold a migraine begins.

Let's pretend at trigger #4 you get a migraine...

DAY ONE: I wake up at 6 am without enough sleep (trigger 1-lack of sleep) I eat bacon and eggs (trigger 2-from the bacon) I am getting ready to start my menstrual cycle (trigger 2-hormones) and I EAT SPLENDA (trigger #4..........ahhhh MIGRAINE)

DAY TWO: I eat splenda but I avoid all other triggers...no migraine (or maybe less intense?)

Just wondering if he has additional triggers?

Posted 6/8/2009 9:13 PM (GMT -7)
I have been aware of the link between artifical sweetners and migraines for about 12 years. I went on the Atkins diet and my migraines were out of control! Well wouldn't you know that I need my caffiene and diet coke and artifical sweetner go hand and hand. Since then I have learned that there is a disease called PKU in which the body cannot process artifical sweetners so anything with it must be on displayed on the package so look for it. Even things like jello shots at parties must be avoided bc more than likely its used from sugar free jello and will result in a headache... if not the alcohol!
Posted 6/9/2009 9:54 AM (GMT -7)
Regarding the sucralose / Splenda and other triggers:  We've been at this for a few miserable years and eliminated all the potential trigger foods and products, adding them back and watching and so on.  One thing we are good at is keeping track and following directions.

The only 100% no matter what migraine trigger is Splenda / Sucralose.   It beats all the preventive drugs, reduces the effects of the abortive drugs, and in short is 'fast pass ticket to the vomit comet / dark bedroom express'.   No matter the time of year or day or weather or presence of or lack of other things.    The only other trigger above 70% of the time is the 24 or so hours in advance of a sustained and average-to-above decline in barometric or air pressure in advance of a weather change.   Not while the change happens, but before it starts to happen until more or less a bit before it 'bottoms out'.  Right up there also is the 18 hours or so before high hot late summer winds -- not during the winds, but a bit before and as they start up (no rain).

We suspect other things, like orange juice that has some of the rind-oil mixed in it, MSG and soy sauce, some but not all kinds of chocolate (still trying to work that one out, might be 'dutch' chocolate is bad, not sure).   But nothing else has the 100% every-time no matter how little the amount migraine trigger effect we found except sucralose / splenda.    Scary stuff too because it can be in toothpaste withou being mentioned,  or listed in the small print at the end of a big ingredient list.

For what it's worth in our case the pain is like someone banging a hammer in time with the heartbeat against a screwdriver aimed a trace above the right eyebrow.   Almost never moves.   Rarely also felt like an echo in the same spot on the left side.  Almost always with aura, now adding vision loss and numbness.   Loads of fun.

 

Post Edited (DadofPainboy) : 6/9/2009 1:14:46 PM (GMT-6)

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