A moderate risk of bias was assigned when the paper received positive answers between mentioned ranges. The assessments were conducted by three researchers (BB, PN and MS1) separately, then the fourth author (MWP) compared this data and made a final decision. To define this important issue, we have reviewed alcohol as a trigger of primary headaches and discussed the possible correlation of the results with the principal pathogenetic theories of the primary headaches.
- Additionally, keeping a diary to track your triggers and being mindful of other factors like stress and sleep can be helpful.
- These symptoms may begin within minutes or hours of drinking and vary widely in severity.
- As dehydration can cause headaches, staying hydrated when consuming alcohol is key.
- Only few studies 46, 48–50, 52 provided the data about the period in which alcohol drinking was considered and measured.
- It’s critical to have a support network of understanding people who can not only check in on you but also empathize with your experience.
- We know that if we treat the underlying cause, we can make great strides in helping migraine patients live pain-free.
Alcohol as a trigger factor
- Understanding the causes of alcohol-induced headaches can help individuals make informed choices about their alcohol consumption.
- Sleep deprivation can cause negative effects such as increased blood pressure or gastrointestinal discomfort.
- Seven articles used International Headache Society (IHS) criteria from 1988 46, 47, 50, 51, 56, 59, 60.
- Avoiding migraine triggers is one of the only sure-fire ways to avoid migraine symptoms.
Then, 142 conference abstracts, 100 reviews, four book chapters and 42 unretrieved studies were not taken into further consideration. Finally, 22 articles 26, 27, 36, 44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62 were retrieved for further analysis. A detailed description of the steps performed during study selection is presented in Fig. The exact mechanism behind this observation may indicate https://www.mobipower.ru/modules.php?name=Pages&pa=showpage&pid=24 that migraine leads to alcohol-avoidance rather than alcohol having a protective role against migraine. However, there is a need to conduct further studies related to primary headaches and alcohol consumption with low risk of bias.
- By recognizing that alcohol can cause blood vessels in the brain to expand, leading to increased blood flow and triggering headaches, individuals can take steps to minimize this effect.
- In two cases, questionnaires were supplemented by medical interviews 53, 61.
- People who have frequent migraine attacks may wish to consider migraine prevention medications such as topiramate (Topamax), divalproex (Depakote), propranolol (Inderal), or CGRP inhibitors.
- You can find additional support from people in your position and those who have already experienced pregnancy with migraine in our Move Against Migraine Facebook group.
What Can You Do to Prevent an Alcohol Induced Headache?
This data suggests that there may be a misperception that drinks containing alcohol cause migraine attacks. Still, in population-based studies in various countries, http://www.exploremyworldtravel.com/PortugalTravelGuide/portugal-accommodation-guide 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. Criteria to recognize habits for alcohol consumption was various in almost each study. Some of them assessed the drinking by daily alcohol intake 44, 45, 47, 48, 55, 58, 59, 62, part of them measured drinking within one week 44, 47, 51, 53, 60, 61 or month 36, 44, 47, 49, 51. Additionally, there were cases 56, 57 where division was based on never, current or past drinking.

How to avoid or treat alcohol-related headaches
Scientists are still trying to understand how or why alcohol acts as a trigger for some people who suffer http://medinfobooks.ru/book/756 from migraines. At present, most studies seem to link to headaches after alcohol to congeners, a byproduct of alcohol, most commonly found in darker drinks, such as whiskey, brandy and red wine. A second explanation for the results presented in our meta-analysis might encompass a certain protective role of alcohol with regards to migraine.


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. In fact, an inverse relationship between density and metabolic functioning of regional brain 5-HT system and alcohol preference was repeatedly reported in animal studies 69–72. This review was performed using a literature search on PubMed from 1988 (date of the first IHS classification) to December 2014. Search terms of “alcohol,” “wine,” “food trigger,” “dietary trigger,” “migraine,” “headache” were used.




