Kind of. Not entirely.
I've been experimenting a little bit when it comes to drinking. I know there must be some pattern that triggers my migraines related to alcohol, but I haven't quite figured it out yet.
In the past, I've been able to drink and drink with no problem at all. Not even a hangover in the morning. Then, over the past couple years, I started to develop an issue where I'd feel a migraine coming within an hour of the first sip, and I'd wake up in my death bed the next morning. And this was more than just a simple "
hangover" - I would be in severe pain, extra dehydrated, and vehemently ill for the majority of a day.
So I quit drinking. Period.
And it hasn't been awesome.
I'm not saying I want to go out and get plastered every weekend again - I got that out of my system my first year at a university (also likely why my liver seems to be fighting back at me now). But I'd like to be able to go out with friends and get a drink once in a while without the fear of a migraine ruining a pleasant evening.
I recently got back from vacation in
Key West (which was a
blast), and there was a lot of alcohol consumption going on around me. Key West is less about the beach and more about the bar life, and my parents, brother, and boyfriend were able to nurse beers throughout most of the week without an issue, so I thought, "Why not? Let's give it a shot."
I hydrated as best I could throughout each day, and ordered maybe one or two drinks throughout dinner and the evening. The first night I tried this went swimmingly: I ordered a mojito with our
Cuban dinner, and then another one at a bar we stopped at, drinking waters in between. No noticeable issues - not even the next morning!
The next night, we went on a pub crawl where we were given a ticket at each of the 5 bars we visited. This ticket allowed us one free specialty drink, beer, mixed drink, etc. The speciality drinks, because they were recommended to the crawl patrons, were expected orders and watered down. We had eaten before we got to the crawl, and I was careful to only sip on the drinks (generally didn't finish them), and watered myself between each one.
No good, no good at all. I left the night early with a migraine, and felt funky (but not actually sick) most of the night. That was the last time I tried drinking on the trip.
Last night, back in chilly MN, my boyfriend and I went out with a friend to do some catching up. I'd been drinking water and juice throughout most of the day, so I thought I'd give it another shot. We ordered an appetizer and I ordered a glass of white zin to go with. I noticed my alcohol tolerance has gone done over the past couple years (I was super buzzed for a bit), and a slight wine headache, but no actual migraine that required treating.
So a pattern that seems to be worth following so far:
- Eat before and while drinking
- Drink lots of water before, during, and after
- Sip slowly, not too much all at once
- Don't drink (even if it's small amounts) two days in a row?
- I never drink on a day I've already taken Imitrex - it doesn't even sound pleasant
These seem like really basic things that everyone should follow, regardless of issues with alcohol or not, but they are extra important for people with migraines triggered by alcohol. I'm not sure this is foolproof (likely not), but I'm going to keep giving it a shot (especially considering St. Patty's Day is right around the corner).
What kind of things do you do to prevent alcohol-related migraines?
