Migraines and allergy

Broadly speaking, the treatment of migraine consists of medication that is effective for the acute attacks, and medication that can be used...



I have had migraine headaches since I was 10-years-old. I get between one and three a month.

They cause light and noise sensitivity, irritability, and inability to think or concentrate. They are truly debilitating.

However, they have never caused nausea or made me vomit until recently.

I have had CAT scans and have tried to track my days to find the reason for the headaches. All to no avail.


My blood pressure is good, usually around 105 over 65.

Lately I had a migraine that lasted the better part of eight days.

What I want to know is why I am getting them, how I can prevent them, and if I cannot prevent them, is there any way to make them short lived?

I just started taking Imitrex because the pain has been so bad.

Could they be allergy related? The only thing I'm allergic to is penicillin.


What can I do?


You have clearly given a lot of thought to the problem, having suffered for many years, your headaches being thoroughly investigated.

Migraine is a real misery, affecting up to eight percent of the population, women twice as often as men.

When coming to a diagnosis of migraine, the patient's symptoms must be distinguished from cluster or tension headaches or pain arising from degeneration of the neck, sinusitis, ear problems, dental decay and conditions related to high blood pressure.

Broadly speaking, the treatment of migraine consists of medication that is effective for the acute attacks, and medication that can be used to prevent attacks of migraine.

Acute treatment includes the usually effective 'triptan' drugs, eg sumatriptan; simple painkillers and anti-sickness medication.

For people who are getting more than four attacks per month it is usually considered necessary to try to find a form of medication that will prevent the attacks from occurring.

There are now six or seven different classes of drugs that can be effective in preventing migraine.

Different ones suit different people, and it is usually clear after two or three months whether a particular drug is going to be helpful or not.

It is certainly possible for migraine to be allergy related. I remember a student of your age, who had suffered for several years from severe migraine headache.

Eventually it was decided that she should go on an exclusion diet, having mineral water initially and then gradually reintroducing different types of food to see if we could identify the cause.

All went swimmingly until she had her first cup of coffee. It wasn't coffee however at the root of her problem, but the artificial creamer used intermittently when she ran out of milk.

She placed a regular milk order, the creamer was consigned to the dustbin of history and a new headache-free existence began.

Your GP may be able to give you further information on exclusion diets.

Do not lose heart, and remember- even if your current treatment it is not successful, there are still a number of other drugs that can be tried to prevent migraine, and it is likely that at least one will suit you.

Yours sincerely

The NetDoctor Medical Team

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