Comments on: Migraine triggers: The Onion

By: ibrahim

ibrahim — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:09:36 +0000

whcich content in onion make the problem?

By: Lisa A.

Lisa A. — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 08:04:07 +0000

Raw onion that has been exposed to the air for awhile causes migraines for me, so I have always assumed it is due to a chemical change that comes with oxidation. If I want to use raw onion, I make sure to cut it a very short time before eating it. It seems as though raw onion that is mix with vinegar as soon as it is cut is also not a problem, even if I eat it the next day (e.g., in a salad). Cooked onions are okay.

By: Christopher

Christopher — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 05:04:42 +0000

Onions are a trigger for my classic migraines as well. The scent of raw or cooking onions is enough to bring on a migraine. I usually become nauseous and lose spots in my field of vision at the onset of a migraine. I have found that if I notice the symptoms quickly enough, I can sometimes get fresh air outside and stave off a full blown migraine attack.

By: Lyn Plude

Lyn Plude — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:56:39 +0000

I have found over the years that I am more affected by RAW onion than I am COOKED onion. That said I am sure that all onion including cooked can get me if I eat to much of it. I find many foods bother me so I try to just leave them alone. Unfortunately my favorite treat in the world is CHOCOLATE and I can’t touch it without expecting pain in my head well before the night is over!

By: Julia

Julia — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:21:24 +0000

Interesting. I have to admit, I clicked on this link because I thought it was going to take me to an “Onion” article (you know, the hilarious fake news site), but I stayed to read the article here because it resonated with me. I’ve been having more and more migraines lately, and I’m trying to figure out what might be going on. Because I’m more in tune with my symptoms right now, I noticed one day when I was chopping up onions that their strong smell seemed to be triggering a migraine. It wasn’t really dramatic, but it was certainly something. I was already feeling like one might be coming on, but it was still in the very early stages, and I think smelling the raw onion made me leap over to the full-blown-migraine stage pretty quickly. This article is the first I’ve heard of any connection between onions and migraines. For sure, I’m going to be keeping track of onions in my diet from now on. I suspect that the true trigger, if there is one, is the smell though. I have a lot of scent-triggers, now I guess I can just add onion to that list. Thanks for the great site, I’m looking forward to reading more through it now that you caught my attention with the onion article.

By: Judy Humphrys

Judy Humphrys — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:24:55 +0000

I know that onions are one of my triggers. Dr David Buchholz, M.D., author of Heal Your Headache: The 1-2-3 Program for Taking Charge of Your Pain, suggested cooking with shallots instead of onions. I have made this switch and have found that it seems to help. I avoid onions when I eat in restaurants as well. I prefer not to take over-the-counter NSAIDs since they are known to bring on rebound headaches.

By: BritishK

BritishK — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 13:44:13 +0000

My personal cure for avoiding headaches with onions: I have had headaches as long as I can remember. I realized that onions were the culprit when my mother told me that a vadalia onion tastes as sweet as an apple. Tthe moment I bit into it, I got an instant, horrible headache that kept me down for about 3 days. It was then that I became more aware that it was onions that was causing my headaches. What helped me, with a bit of experimentation, since I love onions and have realized that onions/ onion powder are hidden in many restaraunt dishes and items like peanuts and cheese crackers, etc, is that I take an ibuprofen or another pain medication shortly before I know I will be eathing something containing onions. This keeps me from getting headaches and now I can feel free to eat out or eat food that contains onions. I went from someone who had headaches on a constant basis to someone who gets them very seldom. Maybe this will help you as well.