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. Additional sources were identified via manual search of bibliographies, references lists, and previous peer reviews.
- For example, if you experience migraines and notice that alcohol triggers your migraine headache, then taking one of your migraine therapies (for example, a triptan) at the start of your headache may be best.
- With over two decades of experience, The Providence Projects has emerged as a beacon of hope for those seeking to break free from the shackles of alcohol addiction.
- Around 25% of people who have migraine episodes experience auras, and only some of them have transient aphasia, making this a relatively uncommon symptom.
- Continue reading to learn more about alcohol use and heart health.
- This includes being careful about the amount of alcohol you consume and paying attention to how and when your migraine symptoms flare up in relation to drinking.
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
Because the risks of drinking outweigh the benefits, it’s not advised to start drinking for potential health reasons. In this case, researchers concluded that for some people, binge drinking increased the immediate risk of a heart attack. While the list is by no means exhaustive, it can serve as a starting point in helping you to understand why alcohol causes migraines you may feel the way you do after drinking if you are someone who takes these medications. It’s recommended to consult with a health care provider prior to taking any medications to discuss potential drug interactions. You can also consult the medication’s warning label to understand whether it should be avoided in combination with alcohol.
Red Wine Migraine and Headache: Why Red Wine Makes You Feel Not So Fine
We now know that migraine is a brain disease, not a disease of the blood vessels as it was once thought to be. Distribution of daily alcoholic beverages consumption (total daily quantity and by type of alcoholic drink), for all person‐days, within‐person means, and within‐person SDs. Variable alcohol intake had 10.6% missing values on day‐1 and 11.6% on day‐2; migraine on day‐2 was missing in 7.4%. Same‐day alcohol intake (Yes/No), and quantity of each type of alcoholic drink had 4.7% missing values. Nausea and/or vomiting is just one of many symptoms a person living with migraine might experience. Because migraine is a highly nuanced disease, it is important to learn about all possible symptoms that may appear before, during or after a migraine attack, including less common ones such as aura.
Does alcohol trigger a headache?
Since red wine has more tannins than white wine, tannins are a commonly called-out culprit for those fateful migraine episodes. The level of histamines, tannins, and sulfites in red wine may also cause headaches and migraine. Like other alcohols, red wine can dilate blood vessels in your brain, which can provoke a headache.
- E is for eat healthy, well-balanced meals at least three times a day and stay hydrated.
- Because the risks of drinking outweigh the benefits, it’s not advised to start drinking for potential health reasons.
- Although alcohol intolerance can affect anybody, those of East Asian origin are more likely to inherit the genetic mutation that causes alcohol intolerance, making them more susceptible to developing the condition.
- Most studies point to red wine as a common headache culprit, particularly in people with migraine.
- In most cases, these symptoms resolve on their own once the migraine episode is over.
- Alcoholic drinks (ADs) have been reported as a migraine trigger in about one-third of the migraine patients in retrospective studies.
- It could also help to drink water as you’re drinking – dehydration is a very common migraine trigger and alcohol is a diuretic, meaning that it causes your body to remove fluids quicker than usual through your urine.
- Drinking alcohol is a trigger for migraine in some people – one study found around a third (33%) of people who get migraines are sensitive to alcohol.4 Others react to hunger, or certain foods.
- In addition to red wine, other alcoholic beverages, including beer, white wine, and liqueur, have also been reported as headache triggers.
- Taking painkillers too often can trigger serious medication-overuse headaches.
- Migraine is very common, affecting one in five women, one in 16 men, and even one in 11 children.
