The throbbing pain sensations associated with migraines make it extremely difficult to keep up with day-to-day tasks. The headaches, nausea, and dizziness, along with the throbbing pain, make migraines so dreadful. There are many medicinal options that can possibly treat migraines, but they often cause unwanted side effects or a series of rebound migraines.
If you suffer from migraines and have been struggling with finding a relief that isn’t associated with any side effects, we provide natural treatment options for migraines, including supplements and vitamins. However, what works for someone else may not always work for you and may even make things worse in your case. There are some vitamins that are known to help reduce the severity and the frequency of migraine attacks, but they too can have side effects.
Before you start following any treatment regimen for migraines, it’s essential that you consult a nutritionist and doctor who’ll develop a treatment plan tailored to your condition. Migraines are different for everyone. Different people have different triggers and severity of symptoms, and hence, there is no one-stop solution for all in the case of a migraine.
Vitamins and Supplements for Migraine Pain Relief
Today, the focus primarily lies in preventing and controlling migraines. The idea of treating migraine pain through a healthy diet comprising vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and healthy fats is getting quite popular.
There are still no full-proof preventive measures for migraines, but adding supplements to your everyday diet is highly recommended, provided that you don’t overdose on these supplements. You should ensure that your diet contains certain vital vitamins that are known to reduce the frequency of migraine-related symptoms. Although vitamin supplementation won’t make these symptoms go away for good, they’ll surely address vitamin deficiencies. Incorporating vitamin-rich foods in your detail puts you in a better spot where there’s a bright chance that your migraine pains will be prevented.
A healthy diet containing vitamins and other vital nutrients is extremely necessary to prevent the onset of migraine pain. You can reduce the severity and frequency of attacks by consuming more and more low-calorie, high-quality foods like vegetables, fruits, pulses, nuts, and beans. These foods target the formation of free radicals, which is what makes them helpful in providing relief from migraines.
We’ve listed some supplements which are proven to be effective for migraine; hence, they are worth a try. Let’s get to the point right away.
Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin B complex is a group of vitamins that offer protection against headaches and help address nutritional deficiencies that can impair normal body function and trigger migraine pains.
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Supplementing your diet with riboflavin has shown beneficial effects in people suffering from migraines. Research has been conducted on why and how this vitamin works efficiently for migraines. Vitamin B2 plays a vital role in the energy production cycle of the body and also participates in the production of carbohydrates and proteins. Trouble when this process breaks down is one of the reasons for the onset of migraines in some people.
Riboflavin is highly recommended for migraines due to its ability to reduce the duration and frequency of migraine episodes without any serious side effects. Although there is still limited data to support it, riboflavin is one of the treatments of migraines, chronic pain, and chronic fatigue syndrome. It affects how your body metabolizes energy. If you’re looking for wholesome supplementation that helps you with metabolizing energy better, Vitamin B is what you should opt for.
Riboflavin can also make up for the deficiency in the metabolism of mitochondrial energy that’s associated with migraine. Eating Riboflavin-rich foods and supplementing your diet with other high-quality vitamins can reduce the frequency of migraine attacks by improving energy metabolism.
Some common side effects of riboflavin (orange) supplementation are stained urine and headaches in some people, but apart from that, it’s considered absolutely safe.
Recommended Dose:
The recommended dose of riboflavin for migraine is 400 milligrams a day, which is a greater amount than what’s present in multivitamins.
Riboflavin-Rich Foods:
Meat
Eggs
Milk
Green veggies
Nuts
Enriched flour
Feverfew
Feverfew is a plant that resembles a daisy. It’s known to have beneficial effects for treating pain, inflammation, fever, and specifically, migraines.
Magnesium
People who have a magnesium deficiency may also get migraine attacks. Although there isn’t ample evidence that can link the use of magnesium and the prevention of migraines, it’s still known to help provide relief when it comes to acute migraine attacks when given intravenously.
Oral magnesium also reduces the intensity and frequency of migraines.
Some people with migraines have been found to have low levels of magnesium in their blood. Magnesium plays a role in controlling blood sugar, blood pressure, and the nerves and muscles that the body needs to function properly.
Magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfate can prevent the onset of headaches. If you ever have a migraine or even a headache, taking magnesium supplements won’t hurt.
Vitamin D
A lot of research is being conducted to see if Vitamin D could help in migraine prevention. Vitamin D, along with high-quality carbohydrate supplements, can have a positive effect on the severity and frequency of headaches. However, you should consult your doctor before taking Vitamin D supplements to better know the quantity of Vitamin D that your body needs.
CoQ10
CoQ10, short for coenzyme Q10, is a chemical compound that plays a vital role in the production of amino acids and proteins in the body. Despite the fact that there’s no direct link between CoQ10 and migraine, it’s said to effectively reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. Extensive large-scale studies are needed to be conducted to establish a definitive link.
It has been found that the level of CoQ10 in the blood is low in people suffering from certain diseases. It’s yet to be confirmed if supplementing this compound in the diet can have any positive impact. Just like riboflavin, the CoQ10 is a part of our body’s metabolism. The main source of this compound is quinine, an amino acid that’s present in many vegetables, fruits, seeds, grains, and nuts. Most people suffer from migraine pain at least once in their lifetime as a result of quinine deficiency.
A small study was conducted according to which migraine patients, given CoQ10 once a day, reported that their attacks were prevented.
Melatonin
Melatonin is an important compound that is formed naturally in the body. It’s a hormone and has anti-inflammatory characteristics. It plays a major role in the regulation of the sleep cycle. It’s reported that melatonin can help reduce the frequency of migraine attacks. It’s found to be more tolerable than amitriptyline that’s often prescribed for migraine pain relief. Amitriptyline can have side effects. Melatonin, on the other hand, is inexpensive, available over the counter, and has a very low rate of side effects, which is less than 0.5%.
According to some studies, people with chronic migraines usually have low levels of melatonin, which establishes a link between the two. Another study compared melatonin with amitriptyline for migraine pain relief, and melatonin proved to be more effective. Melatonin is also found to have lesser side effects. The best thing is that it works well with the body. Melatonin may interact with certain medications, so always discuss it with your doctor before you start taking it for your migraine attacks.
Before Taking New Supplements
The results from numerous studies support the positive effect of vitamin supplements on migraine pain. However, it’s still quite early to say anything for sure. Some supplements may have a negative interaction with other dietary supplements and medicines, so make sure you’ve consulted with your doctor before starting your vitamin supplements to prevent migraine attacks.
Most of the time, you can address migraine pain just like you would treat a regular headache through home treatments. But if the pain doesn’t get better, you should stop with the pain-relieving medicines and look for other natural cures. Natural means have minimal side effects, are inexpensive, and can help prevent migraine pain from relapsing.
A recent study showed that people who don’t get relief from migraine pain through existing medications should look into the possibility of being vitamin deficient. Discuss it with your doctor and see if your migraine attacks are due to a deficiency of any essential vitamins.
Safety of Vitamins and Supplement for Migraine Relief
If you think everything that’s natural is absolutely safe, you need to re-think because not all natural things are always safe. You should discuss with your doctor before you start using anything, even if it’s a natural migraine remedy. Below are some measures to avoid any complications with supplements.
▪ Never assume that all minerals, vitamins, and other supplements available commercially are of equal quality and safe. If you’re planning to try a new supplement, consult with a nutritionist, pharmacist, or doctor first. Some minerals, vitamins, and supplements may have adverse drug interactions with any of the medicines that you’re already taking, which could worsen your condition. The situation can be worse if the FDA doesn’t recommend a particular supplement to be used for treating and preventing migraines.
▪ Remember that FDA doesn’t check supplements for safety and efficacy, so always check the labels and do research on your end to ensure that you aren’t putting your health at any risk and the product has been tested for efficacy, purity, and safety.
▪ If you’re pregnant, you need to be extra careful. You should never try any new supplements without consulting with your doctor first.
▪ If you’ve got any existing conditions, discuss with your doctor to see if the vitamin supplements have any potential effects that could worsen your condition. Just because someone else is using it doesn’t mean you can too!
▪ You may not be able to see the results of vitamin supplements immediately. It’ll take time. You’ll have to keep using it for at least a month to get noticeable results. If your migraine worsens or you notice any other health issue, stop using it right away and discuss your symptoms with your doctor. Just like caffeine helps relieve a headache in some people and causes nausea, exhaustion, and dizziness in others, vitamin supplements affect everyone differently.
Prevention of Migraines
Every migraine attack is associated with a throbbing, pulsating headache that can put a damper on an otherwise good day. Migraine sufferers prefer natural options to get relief from migraine pain as medicines may help in the short term but may produce side effects or rebound migraines. Side effects of migraine medicines include nausea, vomiting, headache, and dizziness.
There are many vitamin and mineral supplements available in the market that can help with migraines. Although the scientific evidence is limited, there is some proof that supplements that contain minerals, vitamins, and other nutrients in high quantities can help with migraine relief. Traditional remedies for migraines are based on long-term use rather than short-term use for immediate benefit.
A migraine remedy is said to be successful if it reduces the frequency of attacks per day by 50% over a period of 3 months. Your doctor may prescribe medicines to help you with dealing with a migraine or may suggest medicines to prevent a single migraine attack become a recurring problem.
If you wish to learn more about natural migraine remedies, visit Natural Chiropractic Care today. You can also book an appointment with our nutritionist to help you with a treatment and nutritional plan based on your condition to help you get the maximum relief in the shortest time.