Alcohol & Migraines: Can Drinking Cause a Migraine Headache?

More than half of those who experience cluster headaches say that alcohol is a trigger. A 2019 study surveyed people with migraine who drank alcohol. Of the 1,547 participants, 783 said that alcohol was a trigger, and 195 were not sure. Many different factors can contribute to a hangover as a result of drinking. Drinks containing more alcohol and congeners may worsen the chance of developing a headache.

Are females with migraine more susceptible to alcohol-induced attacks than males?

• Our Move Against Migraine Facebook group is full of mothers with migraine who can offer encouragement and support throughout your journey.
• The commonest type of alcohol-induced headache is the delayed alcohol-induced headache (DAIH), often referred to as a hangover headache.
• In addition to red wine, other alcoholic beverages, including beer, white wine, and liqueur, have also been reported as headache triggers.
• You might have heard that red wine is most likely to cause problems.
• Understanding your triggers, including how alcohol impacts your symptoms, is key to better management and fewer attacks.

Keeping a migraine journal that includes the type of alcohol consumed, time, and any other potential triggers can help you determine whether it’s in your best interest to avoid alcohol. The role of alcohol in triggering migraine attacks is unclear, and the research is limited. The best way to find out what triggers your migraine is to keep a journal.

What not to drink during a migraine attack?

Everyone reacts differently to natural treatments, so expert advice is key. Seeing a healthcare professional is key for those with migraine. Health groups say it’s okay to have up to one drink a day for women and two for men.

If you’re a chronic migraineur who has decided to have migraine from drinking a drink or two, a safe bet is leaving it at that. The only alcohol I can have is a wee bit of Irish whiskey in decaf ☕️. Any wine, beer, rum, tequila, vodka, etc. makes me very sick 😫 🤕🤮🤢. It lets you enjoy social events with less fear of migraine. It is always good to know which life-style changes might raise your alcohol threshold.Knowing this can help you handle social events better. Studies suggest that females with migraine may indeed be more susceptible to alcohol-induced attacks.

What Everyone with Migraines Should Know About Alcohol

One study found that alcohol contributes to migraine attacks in up to one-third of people diagnosed with the condition. Research suggests that experiencing an unpleasant effect from drinking alcohol may alter alcohol consumption. In fact, many headache sufferers abstain from alcohol or consume less than the general population. Several studies suggest that alcohol, especially red wine, may trigger migraine attacks. Or you might be fine until after your blood alcohol level returns to normal. This type of headache can happen to anyone, but people with migraines are more likely to get one.

Navigating Alcohol Consumption When Living with Migraine

• The same is true if you find that some types of alcohol trigger your migraine headaches more than others.
• If you think you may have migraine, these answers to common questions can help you further investigate this possibility with a doctor.
• Some research suggests that congeners play a role in hangovers, although factors such as inflammation also contribute.
• Just like food triggers, alcohol headache triggers are individual, varying from person to person.
• By learning how migraine and mental health impact one another and ways to manage both, you can improve your quality of life.

If you have any questions or concerns, please talk to your doctor. Those triggers don’t necessarily correlate with the volume of alcohol consumed, either. Migraine is a symptom of an underlying condition, and one of the elements of a migraine is a headache. A migraine is headache with other symptoms such as sensitivity to light and sound, nausea, vomiting, aura and more. We know that if we treat the underlying cause, we can make great strides in helping migraine patients live pain-free. Managing your overall lifestyle can also help in dealing with migraine symptoms.

Other criteria for a person to have a migraine diagnosis include nausea or vomiting and sensitivity to light or noise. Migraine is more common, affecting around 12% of people in the United States. Drinking alcohol causes the kidneys to excrete more fluid.

Remaining hydrated is one way to reduce migraine attacks, but the type of beverage you choose matters. Nonalcoholic beverages with little to no added sugar are the best drinks for migraine. These include water, electrolyte drinks, bone broth, and diluted fruit juices. According to the American Migraine Foundation, internationally, about 10 percent of people with migraine report a frequent link between alcohol and headaches. In some parts of the world, that number drops to as low as 1.4 percent.

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. We also examine the types of headache alcohol can trigger and the types of alcohol likely to cause more headaches. Finally, we look at ways to avoid headaches after drinking. The short answer is that while it’s possible for alcohol to cause a migraine attack, it’s often a bit more complicated. In some studies, about one-third of people living with migraine reported alcohol as a migraine trigger (at least occasionally).

While migraine is a common disease that affects 39 million Americans, no two migraine experiences are the same. Symptoms can vary from light sensitivity and dizziness to food cravings or body chills. Explore these Frequently Asked Questions about migraine symptoms to see if you might be experiencing migraine.

Each time you drink, write down the type of alcohol you have, the amount, and if and when you had a migraine. Include how you felt the prior 48 hours as well as any stress or anxiety you were under at the time. A migraine each time 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. If you’ve identified alcohol as a trigger for your migraine headaches, avoiding it altogether is probably best.

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Overall, physicians state that stopping drinking certain types of alcohol, like those with tannins, may lead to fewer migraine headaches. Savage-Edwards advises that if alcohol is found to be a trigger, then it’s best to avoid it. We asked the experts about the relationship between drinking and headaches to determine why and how alcohol specifically triggers headaches or migraine attacks. The migraines tend to start within three hours of consuming alcohol. Sometimes, migraines don’t plague patients until the next morning, just as their blood-alcohol content level is back to normal. Many people confuse this with a regular hangover until the intensity of the migraine sets in.

Track what you eat and drink, how much sleep you get, and other potential triggers (such as stress). You may find that alcohol triggers your migraine, or you may see that alcohol has no effect on your symptoms. Once you know what effect alcohol has on your body, you can make decisions about whether to drink at all — and, if so, how much to drink and when.