Seeking support from friends, family, or support groups can be helpful in maintaining a balanced approach. It’s important to note that alternative therapies may not work for everyone, and their effectiveness can vary from person to person. Consulting with a healthcare professional experienced in cluster headache management is essential before trying any alternative therapies. They can provide personalized guidance and help determine the most suitable treatment options for effectively managing cluster headaches.

Association between alcohol intake and migraine attack

Before consuming a cocktail, ask yourself if it is worth developing a headache over and ruining your celebration or holiday. If you develop a cocktail headache, stop drinking alcohol and go somewhere you can rest comfortably. Drink lots of water to rehydrate your body and help flush the alcohol from your system. Note that to qualify as a cocktail (or delayed alcohol-induced) headache, the pain must start within three hours of drinking.

Can Alcohol Cause Migraine Attacks?

People who get hangovers that trigger a migraine may also wish to avoid alcohol with high levels of congeners. Some research suggests that congeners play a role in hangovers, although factors such as inflammation also contribute. One hypothesis is that red wine causes migraine due to high levels of certain compounds called flavonols, particularly quercetin. This compound might inhibit the body’s ability to break down alcohol, leading to the buildup of a substance called acetaldehyde, which could result in headaches. Alternative migraine therapies can work alongside traditional treatments to reduce migraine attack frequency and lessen the impact of symptoms.

Tension headache

The alcohol in the blood increases more quickly with liquor than with beer. For example, if a person drinks liquor before beer, they are likely to feel the effects of the alcohol sooner. Tension-type headaches are one of the most common types, affecting more than 70% of people. They cause mild to moderate pressure or pain that usually affects both sides of the head. Experts are unsure exactly how alcohol may cause one type of headache over another. It may be that people have individual differences in brain receptors that influence the brain’s reaction to alcohol.

Every day, participants reported alcohol intake, lifestyle factors, and details about each headache. We constructed within-person fixed-effect models adjusted for time-varying factors to calculate odds ratios for the association between 1,2,3,4, or 5+ servings of alcohol and headache the following day. We also calculated the adjusted risk of headache the following day for each level of intake. However, research has demonstrated that all types of alcoholic beverages can trigger migraines. A study in the European Journal of Neurology found that while red wine was the most frequently reported trigger, other alcoholic drinks were not far behind. Understanding how alcohol can impact migraine headaches is crucial for managing this condition effectively.

Try to stick to just a glass or two and eat enough for the food to soak up some of that alcohol. Perhaps inflammatory Alcohol Use Disorder mechanisms and the known vasodilatatoric effect of alcohol are the link between hangover and migraine. The final analysis was therefore based on 20,000 realizations, 10,000 from each chain. Plots of iterations versus sampled values for each variable were inspected to check model convergence.

This knowledge equips individuals with the tools necessary to navigate social settings and enjoy alcoholic beverages responsibly while minimizing the potential impact on migraine symptoms. In primary analyses, we included any type of headache, and in sensitivity analyses, we restricted to headaches classified as likely to be a migraine headache. In all analyses, we included the calendar day when headache symptoms began as the headache day and excluded all subsequent days with the continuation of headache symptoms.

• While anyone can experience DAIH, people with migraine are more susceptible.
• Among these, 787 were ≥18 years old who tracked ≥90 days with ≥75% adherence.
• It may be worth considering some treatment options to help you manage your symptoms.
• A MEDLINE search from 1988 to October 2007 was performed for “headache and alcohol”, “headache and wine”, “migraine and alcohol” and “migraine and wine”.
• It can help you identify patterns over time and help your doctor identify if you are experiencing migraine.

Alcohol-induced migraine is different than a hangover, which is caused by overconsuming alcohol. Migraine episodes triggered by alcohol consumption typically happen within about an hour. Delayed alcohol headaches or hangovers generally take hours to start, such as the following day after a night of drinking too much. To prevent an alcohol-related migraine headache, try sipping your drink slowly or avoiding triggers.

How I Uncovered Emotional Suppression as a Migraine Trigger

While they share certain similarities in terms of alcohol and migraines symptoms, there are also distinct differences between the two. Additionally, the consumption of alcohol can play a role in triggering both cluster headaches and migraines. When it comes to cluster headaches, there is a significant association with alcohol consumption. Many individuals report experiencing cluster headaches after consuming alcohol, particularly beer or red wine. While the exact reasons behind this link are not fully understood, several potential mechanisms have been proposed.

Headaches After Quitting Alcohol: How Long Do Withdrawal Symptoms Last?

Many studies in different countries show that alcohol is a headache trigger in high percentage of migraine subjects, both in the general population 15–17 and headache clinic population 18–22. About one-third of the patients (mean 34%) report alcohol as a trigger (Fig. 1). However these are retrospective studies, and until recently only a prospective study based exclusively on the subjective patients information exists 23. Recent studies show that alcohol acts as a trigger at least occasionally in a percentage similar to that of the previous studies (37%), but as a frequent/consistent trigger in only 10% of the patients 22,24. Curiously, in some countries, the percentages of alcohol or wine as migraine triggers were negligible, 6.1 25 and 1.4% 26, perhaps depending on the degree of alcohol habits.

Many different factors can contribute to a hangover as a result of drinking. Drinks containing more alcohol and congeners may worsen the chance of developing a headache. Migraines typically begins slowly and may increase in severity if left untreated. They involve throbbing pain that generally occurs on one side of the head. As a result, a female’s blood alcohol concentration tends to be higher, making it more likely for females to experience headaches and hangovers. The demographic data, measure of alcoholic consumption, and smoking status of the participants were considered as the potential confounders.

• However, the only guaranteed way to avoid alcohol-induced migraines is to abstain from drinking altogether.
• Then consider joining our Move Against Migraine support group on Facebook so you can connect with others who live with migraine.
• It is known since antiquity that wine could be a trigger for migraine.
• Avoid alcoholic and sugary drinks when you have migraine, especially during an attack.

Assessment of risk bias

Additionally, there were cases 56, 57 where division was based on never, current or past drinking. More accurate calculation with amount and various types of alcohol was also conducted in studies 26, 27, 45, 54. Only few studies 46, 48,49,50, 52 provided the data about the period in which alcohol drinking was considered and measured. Nineteen studies used questionnaire methods to assess drinking 36, 44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59, 61, 62. In two cases, questionnaires were supplemented by medical interviews 53, 61.