Another study, in Austria, found that people who drank beer were atlowerrisk for a migraine the next day. This work considered the alcoholic drinks and other triggering factors taken the day before onset of headache. If, after keeping track, you become convinced alcohol is the problem, then it’s now time to identify the symptoms. A common misconception is that overconsumption of alcohol is what triggers headaches. As many migraine sufferers can attest to, sometimes it just takes one glass of wine or even a sip. Alcohol can trigger headaches, including migraines, cluster headaches, and tension-type headaches. In fact, around 30 percent of people who experience recurrent migraines report alcohol as a trigger.

Many people may also develop headaches due to the dehydrating effects of alcohol. Like food triggers, the likelihood of a particular type of alcohol triggering a headache is probably different from person to person. If you suffer from migraines, talk with your doctor about how alcohol may affect you. In addition to red wine, other alcoholic beverages, including beer, white wine, and liqueur, have also been reported as headache triggers. Brandy, red wine, and rum have the highest levels of congeners, while gin and vodka contain fewer of these chemicals. However, a 2019 study found higher rates of vodka consumption among drinkers with frequent migraine attacks.

Is alcohol or another component of the drink the headache trigger?

I’ve never gotten a headache from hard liquor unless I drank too much–then I had a hangover. Alcohol-induced headaches can be treated with an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as Tylenol or Advil . In addition, it is essential to drink water or a hydrating electrolyte drink like Pedialyte or Gatorade. Alcohol-induced headaches can last for a few hours, though they may linger for the rest of the day. Spierings EL, Ranke AH, Honkoop PC. Precipitating and aggravating factors of migraine versus tension-type headache. Migraine is complex, and other neurological conditions may cause migraine-like symptoms. For this reason, it is important to see a doctor about migraine symptoms or chronic headaches, with or without drinking.

In a forward-looking study published in 2007, Austrian researchers examined a large number of factors related to migraine. After an advanced data analysis, they found limited importance of nutrition, including alcoholic beverages in the precipitation of migraine. This work considered alcohol and other nutritional factors taken the day before onset of headache. You might want to replace your cocktails with mochas, but the NHF also cautions against using caffeine as a pain relief technique. While caffeine-heavy drinks like coffee can actually help some headaches — they narrow your brain’s blood vessels, which can relieve pain — you can also experience mild withdrawals if you skip your daily green tea. If you think red wine is causing your headaches, try keeping a food journal to help you pinpoint your unique triggers.

When an Alcohol-Induced Headache Strikes

A more recent 2019 study also highlighted histamines as a culprit for migraines. Alcohol not only contains histamines, it can also cause your body to create them. It is not fully understood why this is, but some studies point to the toxic effects of chemicals in alcoholic beverages, like congeners, as a possible culprit. The amount of alcohol it takes to trigger a headache can depend on factors such as body weight, gender and ethnicity. Some people get a headache after drinking even the smallest amount of alcohol. Until further research is conducted, alcohol is identified as a trigger for these painful, often debilitating headaches.

If you are struggling with alcohol and/or drug addiction and need help, we are here for you. Population surveys show that recreational drugs, such as MDMA/ecstasy, may also provoke headaches in a high percentage of users. However, young adults commonly use these drugs in combination with alcohol, making it difficult to identify the actual trigger. And does alcohol cause migraines it doesn’t always take a full glass of alcohol to cause a migraine. For some, a migraine can start after just a few sips of an alcoholic drink. It all depends on your sensitivity to alcohol and whether you’re already prone to getting migraines. Alcohol-induced migraines also come with symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and sound.

Histamine infused by vein is a time-tested way to provoke a migraine attack. However, there are many other symptoms of a so-called “histamine intolerance” that are not characteristic of a migraine attack. The fact that antihistamine drugs do not prevent red wine headaches further fails to support histamine as a critical trigger. Various retrospective studies show that a high percentage (about one-third) of migraine patients refer alcohol as a trigger factor. However, this factor is frequently reported at about 10%, which is a percentage more plausible. No significant differences appeared between the migraines with or without aura and between migraine and tension headache. Some studies on the alcohol habits in migraine patients show a low percentage of drinkers in migraine patients. This was supposed to be due to previous experiences of alcohol as headache trigger, but one study does not agree . Certainly, if a less alcohol preference in migraine patients will be confirmed in large controlled studies, it merits a correlation with 5-HT system, which is involved in migraine pathogenesis in some way.

Some components of alcoholic beverages such as tyramine, phenylethylamine, histamine, sulfites, flavonoid phenols, have been considered possible triggers for migraine. This is due to their presence in various alcoholic drinks, and the belief the drink is capable of triggering migraine. However, this is not verified as studies are either negative or lack adequate proof to support their causal role. However, an Italian study seems not to support this explanation. In this study, only a very small percentage of non-alcohol consuming female migraineurs reported that alcoholic drinks were a trigger. They concluded that this fact could not explain the large difference in alcohol does alcohol cause migraines consumption between migraine and the general public. A small study from 2001 found that 16 people with wine intolerance who took antihistamines (anti-allergy meds) before drinking red wine had no notable improvements from the treatment. The researchers concluded that there’s no correlation between wine sensitivity/intolerance and the drink’s histamine content. Science hasn’t been able to prove the exact cause of red wine-induced migraine, but alcohol in general and certain compounds in red wine are linked to causing migraine attacks and headaches. Chances are high that if you suffer from frequent migraines , you’ve probably considered tracking your triggers.

Other high sulfite foods may be to blame

Of the 1,547 participants, 783 said that alcohol was a trigger, and 195 were not sure. People who experienced migraine with alcohol were more likely to have migraine with aura and to experience more migraine days and more frequent attacks. Another explanation could be that you’re not getting enough water. “Dehydration, which is another symptom of withdrawal, can also be the culprit,” Dr. Weinstein says.

Here’s how to spot the symptoms of silent migraine and what to do if you think you may be experiencing this condition. Get your blood sugar levels back up by fueling up with some carbs. A glass of orange juice and some eggs and toast should get the job done. The game gets straight to the point, forcing people to ingest massive amounts… Headachejournal.onlinelibrary.wiley.com needs to review the security of your connection before proceeding.

Migraine without aura

At this time, the blood alcohol level is falling and reaches zero. A delayed hangover headache can be experienced by anyone, but people with migraines are more susceptible. Almost 90% of the migraine patients who reported alcohol as a trigger for their migraines experienced symptoms in less than 10 hours, regardless of the type of alcoholic beverage consumed. Therefore, the researchers concluded that alcohol-triggered migraines occur quickly after the consumption of alcoholic drinks Sober House in general. Different studies report different findings on which type of wine triggers the most migraine attacks. For example, a European study found that 11 percent of migraine sufferers pointed to red wine as the most common culprit. However, a French study showed that 54 percent of the alcohol-induced migraine attacks came after drinking white wine. Histamine, which may be responsible for triggering migraines, is found in far higher quantities in red wine than in white.

Without a consistent cause-and-effect situation, though, it could be a number of factors — not just alcohol — that are triggering your migraine headache. If you do notice a pattern, especially with particular types of alcohol over others, you may choose to avoid the offending drinks. Alcohol is identified as an occasional trigger in about a third of people who experience migraine headaches, but it’s only a consistent trigger in about 10 percent of migraine sufferers. Migraine patients consider many foods capable of triggering migraines. In fact, lists of triggers induce the migraineur to equate their migraine attack with a food just consumed. This is similar to crediting a new symptom to a drug they are taking at that moment. Drinking alcohol can trigger migraines in some people, possibly as a result of histamines contained in some alcoholic beverages. Your immune system also releases histamines during an allergic reaction.