Sunday, March 17, 2024
HomeFactsCan Vitamins Give You A Headache

Can Vitamins Give You A Headache

Supplements: Check The Dose

Can Menopause Cause Headaches?

Chances are, the unfortified foods you eat aren’t a problem. “It’s pretty hard to overdo it from food alone,” says Johanna Dwyer, RD, a senior research scientist with the National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements.

So you’ll want to think about the supplements you take and fortified foods or drinks.

“Most people don’t realize there’s no real advantage to taking more than the recommended amounts of vitamins and minerals, and they don’t recognize there may be disadvantages,” Dwyer says.

“If you’re taking a supplement, stick to one that’s no more than the daily value,” Dwyer says.

Talk with your doctor about any supplements you’re taking, including vitamins and minerals, and the dose you’re taking, too. That way, your doctor can help you keep doses in a safe range.

“If you’re taking a basic multivitamin, there’s no need to fear taking too much,” says Andrew Shao, PhD, senior vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group for the supplements industry.

“Most multivitamins have such a wide margin of safety that even when you’re combining them with fortified foods, it’s still not going to cause you to keel over,” Shao says.

Continued

B Vitamins Including B6 And B12

If you suffer from frequent headaches, an amino acid called homocysteine could be partially to blame. This compound is produced naturally within the body. High levels of it can cause many problems one of the most common of which is headaches.

Vitamin B can reduce homocysteine levels and stave off associated headaches.

Vitamins in the B family come from a wide range of protein-rich foods, especially meats. They can be found in beef, chicken, fish, pork and eggs. For those who wish to avoid meat, soybeans can be a suitable substitute.

Can You Take Too Many Vitamin Supplements

The Recommended Dietary Allowance is the amount of vitamin you need every day to stay healthy.

  • The Tolerable Upper Intake Level is the maximum amount you should take before you are at risk of an overdose or serious side effects.

The UL is not stated on the product label. You can find out the RDA and ULonline.

The RDA is much lower than the UL. If you stick to the RDA you should not run into problems.

Mostnutritionists feel that taking a multivitamin is unnecessary if you are eating a healthy diet, but there may be a benefit to certain vitamins in certain situations. A good example is the current UK advice to takeadditional vitamin D during the current pandemic.

It’s important to note that some vitamins should be taken together, and some at sperate times.

For example, calcium and vitamin D are taken at the same time, but calcium prevents the absorption of iron from the gut, so calcium and iron should be taken at separate times.

You May Like: How Often Can I Take Vitamin C

Why Wine Gives You Headaches And 4 Tips For Avoiding Them

helenecanada, helenecanada

Theres nothing like sipping a glass of red wine at a gathering of friends on a winter night. Its truly a lovely feeling. But that headache you get afterward? Not lovely at all.

Why do you always seem to get a red wine headache, especially when the person next to you has no issue at all? And what can you do to keep those headaches at bay? Some answers:

What causes a wine headache? Theres disagreement. Some people think the headaches are due to the sulfites either naturally present in wine or added to it by some winemakers as a preservative. But experts say sulfites, which can trigger asthma and allergic reactions, probably dont cause wine headaches.

The real culprit? Likely histamine, which dilates blood vessels, or perhaps tyramine, which constricts and then dilates them and both are naturally found in wine. Red wines, in general, contain more histamine than Champagnes or sparkling wines and those usually contain more histamine than white wines, Dan L. Keiller, MD, told the Wall Street Journal, in an in-depth look at the subject.

Some people lack the enzyme that helps metabolize histamine, which may make them more prone to wine headaches, Keiller noted. Others may experience a boost in blood pressure from tyramine, which is also found in aged cheese, smoked fish and cured meat, and that rise can bring on a headache.

What can you do to prevent it? Lets break this part down into tips:

How Do You Know If Youre Getting Enough Riboflavin

Banana Bag Oral Solution review: Does the drinkable ...

How much riboflavin you should be getting depends on your age and sex, but most healthy adults need a little over 1 mg per day , according to the National Institutes of Health‘s RDA, or recommended dietary allowance.

Most people get all the riboflavin they need from their diet, but certain medical conditions and dietary restrictions, like thyroid hormone deficiency or veganism, can put you at risk of riboflavin deficiency.

Recommended Reading: What Is Vitamin D3 For In The Body

Safety Of Supplements For Migraines

Most over-the-counter supplements are generally well-tolerated and safe, but here are some things to keep in mind:

  • Always check with your doctor before starting a new supplement. Some vitamins, minerals, and other supplements can interact with medications you may be taking. They could also aggravate an existing health condition.
  • Women who are pregnant should be especially careful about taking new supplements. Some are not safe for pregnant women.
  • If you have gastrointestinal issues, or youve had GI surgery, you should also talk to your doctor before taking new supplements. You may not be able to absorb them like most people do.

Also keep in mind that when you start taking a new supplement, you may not see results right away. You may need to continue taking it for at least a month before noticing the benefits.

If your new supplement seems to be making your migraines or another health condition worse, stop taking it immediately and talk to your doctor. For example, caffeine may help reduce headaches in some people, but may trigger them in others.

Never assume that all vitamins, minerals, and other supplements are safe, or that theyre of the same quality. For example, taking too much can lead to headaches, nausea, coma, and even death.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist before deciding to try a new supplement brand or dosage.

Not all headaches are migraines. A migraine is a specific subtype of headache. Your migraine symptoms may include any combination of the following:

Avoid Foods That Trigger Migraines Containing Soy Sauce And Msg

Monosodium glutamate , which is found in soy sauce and as a food additive in many other foods, has been found to cause cramps, diarrhea, and a horrible headache in 10 to 15 percent of people who get migraine headaches. “Soy sauce as a migraine trigger is probably due to MSG, but soy sauce is also very salty, which can lead to dehydration, another possible headache trigger,” notes Rosen.

You May Like: What Vitamins Or Supplements Should I Take

Could Easing Your Headache Pain Be As Simple As Taking A Vitamin

Auras, blinding pain, nausea. If youve ever had a migraine, you know how truly painful and debilitating they can be. If you get them regularly, youre probably ready to try just about anything to stop them, from daily prescription medications to biofeedback sessions. Still searching for the perfect solution? Take heart: Good news may be on the horizon. New research is showing that relief may be possible by simply taking a daily vitamin D supplement.

Nutrients To Watch Out For

Heads UP – Episode 94: Vitamin Supplements and Migraine

Multivitamins generally contain three categories of nutrients:

  • Water-soluble vitamins. These can dissolve in water and dont usually accumulate in the body nor cause severe side effects if you take them in excess .
  • Fat-soluble vitamins. These dissolve in fat and accumulate in the body, reaching toxic levels and potentially causing havoc if you take them in excess .
  • Minerals. These are inorganic elements that can accumulate in the body and sometimes cause harmful effects if you take them in excess .

Some of these cause more side effects at higher dosages than others. The sections below highlight the nutrients from each category that may be particularly harmful if you take them at high doses.

Read Also: Is 2000 Mg Of Vitamin C Too Much

Special Points About Taking Vitamins

Beware of the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E, and K, which can potentially accumulate in the body and are more likely to cause toxicity.

Although vitamins K1 and K2 are safe, syntheticvitamin K3 is known to be highly toxic.

Water-soluble vitamins, such as most of the B vitamins, are easily excreted from the body every day in the urine. These vitamins are not stored in the same way and are less likely to ever cause toxicity.

Which Vitamins Are Recommended

The truth of the matter is that most people get all the vitamins they need from their diet. If your body has enough vitamins on board, if you take extra vitamins, you will simply excrete them in your urine and feces.

There is generally no need to take vitamin supplements. However, there are a few exceptions:

  • Folic acid Pregnant women are advised to take 400 mcg folic acid per day. This is to help prevent the baby from developing neural tube defects .
  • Vitamin D The current recommendation is for UK adults, at least, is to take 10 mcg per day of vitamin D. This is because low levels of vitamin D are very common. This advice was issued in April at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic because vitamin D is made in the skin in sunlight, and people were only advised to go outside to exercise for 1 hour per day. As the winter is now approaching and the days are becoming shorter, it may be wise to top up vitamin D levels, because all respiratory infections are more common in the winter months, and vitamin D plays an important role in our immune defense.

Read Also: How Often Should You Take Vitamin D

Previous Research Disputes Vitamin Ties

Most importantly, we need to remember that this is not the first time researchers have looked at vitamin levels as a possible cause or contributor to migraines. Theres been enough research done on vitamin D for people to conclude that there is no link between the nutrient and migraines. There is little support for other nutrients cited in this stud, as well.

Overall, this leads us to conclude that vitamin deficiency cant be a major contributor to migraines for many people.

Interactions With Medications And Supplements

Many medications for migraines can cause rebound headaches ...

Another cause of your headache after taking vitamins could be interactions with medications you’re taking or the effects of vitamin supplements on the absorption of other nutrients. For example, the National Institutes of Health reports that very large amounts of vitamin C can inhibit the absorption of vitamin B12. According to the National Headache Institute, B vitamins, including B12, lower the amount of the amino acid homocysteine, high levels of which can lead to headaches.

Low levels of vitamin D can also cause headaches. Certain medications, including carbamazepine, phenytoin, primidone, barbiturates and some HIV treatments can interfere with vitamin D, potentially leading to a deficiency. The best thing to do is make an appointment with your doctor to go over any supplements you’re taking and any medications you’re on to determine whether an interaction could be at the root of your problem.

Recommended Reading: What’s The Best Vitamin For Erectile Dysfunction

Why We Get Migraines

Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum, who specializes in treating patients with chronic pain and chronic fatigue, says he started learning about alternative therapies after contracting Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia as a medical student and learned, the hard way, that there were no effective medical treatments that truly helped these conditions. As for migraines, Teitelbaum says the American diet and attitudes toward sun exposure may be contributing to these terrible headaches.

More:6 things every migraine sufferer should know

Unfortunately, the American diet has lost about half of its vitamins and other noncaloric nutrients because of food processing, Teitelbaum says. This is why we are seeing people be both obese and malnourished at the same time for the first time in human history! In addition, vitamin D deficiency is rampant because of the misguided advice to avoid sunshine. Sunshine is critical for health, and research is suggesting that the advice to avoid sunshine may be contributing to tens of thousands of deaths. The proper advice is to avoid sunburn not sunshine!

Is It Safe To Take Vitamins

A2016 review in the Advanced Pharmaceutical Bulletin reviewed all the good quality randomized controlled trials on the use of vitamins between 1993 -2015. The authors concluded that taking high doses of vitamins A, E, D, C, and folic acid did not always help prevent disease, and in some situations could be harmful. They proposed that vitamins should be only issued under the control of a trained pharmacist. Read on to learn which vitamins might be dangerousand when?

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant. Antioxidants are important molecules as they have many anti-cancer effects in the body. However, their effect is complex and too many can be harmful.

In many studies wherevitamin E has been given to patients to try to reduce the incidence of cancer, cardiovascular disease, or death, there has been no significant benefit.

Some studies have looked at the effect of vitamin E to prevent prostate cancer, or lung cancer, have even found this led to a small increase in risk.

It seems that there are risks associated with takingvitamin E at high doses.

Recommended Reading: How To Test For Vitamin D Deficiency At Home

Deviations Not That Extreme

We also need to remember that although the above levels of nutrient shortage sound significant on their own, they have to be taken into context with the general existence of low nutrient levels in the overall population. Various studies have indicated that the 40% low riboflavin levels cited in this study are likely comparable to the population at large.

And for vitamin D, the levels may be likely below the national average. Some research suggests that up to 77% of Americans have low vitamin D levels, so it shouldnt seem significant that 68% of people with headaches were found to have low vitamin D.

What Other Supplements Does Cove Offer

Worst Foods to Eat with Migraines (Dietary Triggers)

Riboflavin isn’t the only supplement with strong clinical evidence showing it can help block migraines before they start: Magnesium and CoQ10 can also help cut down your headache days. To get the most impact out of all three, try Beam, a first-of-its-kind migraine supplement from Cove that combines clinically-effective doses of all of these nutrients in one daily powder packet. You can also order riboflavin, magnesium, or CoQ10 supplements individually through Cove. Get started here.

Are you feeling like a riboflavin expert yet? That may have been a lot to take in, but to sum it all up, riboflavin is a relatively safe, research-backed treatment to reduce your migraine frequency. Plus, itâs safe to use with prescription preventive medications.

The information provided in this article is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should not rely upon the content provided in this article for specific medical advice. If you have any questions or concerns, please talk to your doctor.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Read Also: When To Use Vitamin C And Retinol

How Else Can I Get Riboflavin

For people who need more riboflavin than they can get from food, supplements are the best choice. Keep in mind that if youâre using riboflavin for migraine treatment, the supplements you can get at the pharmacy may not make the cutâtheyâre usually 100-200 mg doses, but youâll need 400 mg of riboflavin for migraine prevention.

Getting a supplement that combines riboflavin with another vitamin is a great way to kill two birds with one super healthy stone, but not all multivitamins are created equal. Magnesium and Coenzyme Q10 can enhance riboflavinâs preventive benefits, but thereâs less evidence for the effectiveness of other additives, like butterbur and feverfew.

What Happens If I Overdose

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. An overdose of vitamins A, D, E, or K can cause serious or life-threatening side effects. Certain minerals may also cause serious overdose symptoms if you take too much.

Overdose symptoms may include stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, loss of appetite, hair loss, peeling skin, tingly feeling in or around your mouth, changes in menstrual periods, weight loss, severe headache, muscle or joint pain, severe back pain, blood in your urine, pale skin, and easy bruising or bleeding.

Also Check: How To Use Skinceuticals Vitamin C

Multivitamin Supplements Causing Headaches

Multivitamins are sold over the counter and may include herbal supplements or minerals. Although they aren’t considered a medication, multivitamins may cause side effects such as nausea and stomach upset. Vitamin supplements are not regulated by the FDA and as such have not been deeply studied no list of the side effects from taking them accompanies the packaging. Some people may experience headaches when using multivitamins, or if too many have been taken. Consult with your physician before taking a multivitamin supplement.

Excess Vitamin A Side Effects

Vitamin B12 deficiency: Headaches are one of the symptoms ...

As a fat-soluble vitamin, extra vitamin A is stored in the body unlike excesses of water-soluble vitamins, which are excreted in urine. Natural forms of the vitamin from food sources aren’t likely to cause a problem, but large amounts of pre-formed vitamin A from supplements can cause headaches, along with dizziness, nausea, coma and death.

The daily value for vitamin A is 5,000 IU, and it’s easy to get this amount from a daily diet rich in fruits, vegetables and protein. If you add a supplement, you may go over or way over the DV. The upper tolerable intake the amount at which serious side effects may occur is 10,000 IU. If you’re taking a vitamin A supplement, check the label and speak with your doctor about whether excess vitamin A could be causing your headaches.

Read more: The 12 Most Overrated Supplements

You May Like: What Is Vitamin D 2

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular