Migraines & Alcohol

[jimi]

Until I was 40 I never had a hangover in my life (not from want of trying!) but over the last few years I've increasingly suffered from severe headaches even with a moderate amount of alcohol .. sadly this is a distinct handicap to an active social sailing life .. what should I do :-(

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[ccscott49]

Get a new head? Coz you aint gonna stop drinkin'

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[bedouin]

I find that headaches, like reality, are brought on by an excess of blood in the alcohol stream.

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[iangrant]

Same symtoms for me I'm afraid Jim, I just stick to beer now and the world is a better place - ever since I ended up in casualty after a session on lager, red wine. port rounded off with 1/2 a bottle of captain morgans spiced rum.. now that really hurt

Ian

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[ccscott49]

Well said that man! I've been offshore for 10 days now and I've had a headache everyday, no booze out here! Mind you I've also had a pain in the neck everyday!! He goes off today!

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[ParaHandy]

you'll feel better when you've got your bonnet back ...



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[BlueSkyNick]

Drink plenty of water, preferably fresh and not out of the sea !!

<hr width=100% size=1>I started out with nothing and still have most of it left.

 

[ParaHandy]

ian
have you tried Macallan's 10yr whisky? i've drunk a lot (an awful lot) without any serious ill-effects and not much of a hangover either whereas beer needs cooling, carrying etc etc ... just a thought


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[chas]

Are you getting enough sleep?

 

[GeorgeP]

Easy - don\'t stop drinking.

/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[Sybarite]

I understand that hangovers come from the impurities in alcohol, not the alcohol itself.

Neat vodka produces the right effect - in moderation of course.

John

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[wishbone]

I don’t know where to start!
There are a whole range of migraine causes,
which affect every one differently.
The last real migraine that I had was over a year ago
that made me bed ridden for nearly two days, and I am
a very strong and active person.

If you want to do a self diagnose, you must remember
Every thing you ate drank etc prior to the attack, stress
Is a common cause, also sinus blockage can be a problem.
I have only had a few very mild attacks in the last year and
I am still experimenting with foods etc. some smells can
Trigger them. Look at food combinations.

Good luck I’ve been there and got the tee shirt!

Wishbone
Rolling, rolling, rolling keep them doggies moving!
Where’s me chuck wagon gone?


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[wishbone]

Sorry I know it may sound daft but also
Atmospheric pressure changes!!!

Wishbone
Rolling, rolling, rolling keep them doggies moving!
Where’s me chuck wagon gone?




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[qsiv]

I was told never to eat on an empty stomach, as it could make you most unwell.

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[Twister_Ken]

Re: Migraines & Caffeine

Seriously (yes, there's a first time for everything) are you sure that it's booze?

I discovered some 15 years back that I am sensitive to caffeine. If I drink strong cofee and carry on drinking it I am OK. If I don't drink strong coffee, I am OK. But if I have a cup or two, but no more, within 12 hours I get a very nasty headache that can last up to 48 hours. This is well documented medically (a Google search for caffeine induced headaches has just come up with over 7000 references). It can be made worse by some analgesics which you might take to control the headache becasue they also contain caffeine.

I actually discovered my sensitivity sailing, drinking Nescafe at sea as opposed to the withches' brew we had at work.

It's worth checking out, especailly if your alcohol sessions coincide with lower than normal (for you) caffeine intake.

That's why I now only drink tea or an occasional decaffeinated coffee, and steer clear of colas, Red Bull, etc.

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[Rowana]

Re: Migraines & Caffeine

I'm the same. Too much coffee and I have a blinder of a headache. I only had 2 cups all the time I was with NigelB and the rest of the time it was tea. Lemonade, coke or any other mixer with my drinks also has the same effect, but I can drink whisky and water for much longer - usually until my stability is questionable!

Much prefer dark rum and Crabbies though ! !

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[kilkerr1]

Re: Migraines & Caffeine

Exactly the same with me. Was a 2-cafetieres-day-day girl then decided to cut down. Well, stop. So I did, totally. The next morning woke up unable to see for the illegal rave going on in my head. Retired to bed, got husband to phone in work to say I was dying and crawled under duvet to ride out the storm with a large pack of painkillers. 3 days later nothing had changed, and I'd also spent some time with head firmly stuck down toilet.

By this time I was convinced I either had a brain tumour or was having a very long drawn out stroke and was not long for this world. Dragged my self to the GP, who listened to my story patiently, picked me up from my huddle under his desk where I was banging my head against the wall, handed me a hanky and said "Have you given up coffee recently?". "Er, yes, " says I, through sniffles "but I'm dying of a brain tumour. Can't you just cut my head off?" "No. Go home, have a cup of coffee and see how you feel." Crawled out of GP's on hands and knees, got home, had coffee. Within half an hour the hordes dancing in my head had exhausted themselves and gone to sleep. Amazing.

Husband has always said that coffee is the Devil's own child (note to self: listen to husband more often), and tho' I still love it, I treat it with respect. GP said caffeine is one of the most common causes of migraines. So - back on the booze, chaps! /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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[ccscott49]

Re: Migraines & Caffeine

Try dark rum with real jamaica ginger beer, "dark and stormy" wonderful stuff!

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[jimi]

Thanks .. I suffer from sinus problems quite a bit (acquired during my surfing days) so that is a very likely source .. also whilst suffering the smell of tobacco smoke is intolerable (even from 100yds quite seriously!)

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[AOWYN]

Check carefully which drinks do it to you. I found that after years of being able to drink IPA it suddenly started giving me migraines. Now I can't drink any bitter. Similarly, certain red wines, eg any shiraz, and the old pain and blindness comes even on only one glass.

I don't know a cure, but luckily good gin, decent vodka and better quality wines, without shiraz grape can still make life better. A good test on the beer front is guiness, because for all of its natural goodness image it is a very "refined" drink with no live yeast left in as far as I can tell, and with beer it is definately the yeast that does it.

good luck.

B
PS Why is that whenever one posts a request for help/info there is always a body of people with nothing better to do than reply for the sake of taking the p***?

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