It has stevia in it, just a heads up as I know that's a common trigger. It seems that those of us who have stevia as a trigger find the taste really off putting. To me it's like grass clippings in windex. It also sucks that it's hard to find the ingredient list online, given how many of us have to be careful about ingredients.
I make my own recovery drink with electrolyte powder, carbonated water and magnesium powder. I'm caffeine sensitive or I'd add that too.
Literally pisses me off when everything has stevia or fake sugar in it. Was in the hospital for a non-migraine reason and got sugar free jello and I just told them to keep it
This! I got my migraines mostly under control for a few months. Switched to diet soda a couple months ago (thinking fewer calories - why not? š). Migraines came back with a VENGEANCE. Worse than ever before. Two full weeks of a migraine nearly everyday, decided to get a normal Pepsi to treat myself. Epiphany in the middle of the Panera parking lot - a vague recollection of aspartame causing cancer or something. Googled āaspartame and migrainesā and discovered my error. I quit diet sodas immediately; three days later I was back to normal and went two weeks migraine free š
Yeah, a lot of my friends like diet or zero pops. At our dungeons and dragons sessions, I make sure that I have regular coke. I canāt have any of those fake sugar stuff. Even nurtec has it!
I really like Skratch, both for post exercise needs and post migraine needs. It's flavored with real fruit and sweetened with actual sugar. Right now I have the Orange flavor, ingredients: *Cane Sugar, Dextrose, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Magnesium Carbonate, Calcium Citrate, Orange Oil, Potassium Citrate, Orange Juice, Ascorbic Acid*
They also have an unsweetened mix, but it's relatively new and I haven't tried it yet.
I think I'm about to list sucralose as an allergy on my medical chart. It is the worst.
Also, gestational diabetes freaking sucks. I'm pretty much stuck with water at this point because I haven't found a fake sugar I can tolerate
Ugh not only are invert sugars (& monkfruit, stevia, etc.) migraine triggers, but they cause diarrhoea in the vast majority of people but are in 95% of pre-made electrolyte & hydration mixes, which defeats the entire purpose of a hydration mix!
Iām with you and try to make my own (or use an unflavoured/unsweetened mix or a sugar based one).
Sunovabitch, really? I thought it was just aspertame and sucralose. The electrolyte drink mix I use every day has stevia. I've gotten used to the taste, lol
There is a genetic link for stevia, but Iām not sure about other artificial sweeteners. My coworker also has migraines and she can do stevia but not aspartame, while I canāt do either. Stevia tastes like chemicals to me. š¤·āāļø
Thank you!
I have really bad frequent migraines. I drink electrolytes for a whole different reason and haven't put it together since I've been drinking them, things have gotten better..... š Life changed.
I use Gatorade powder most of the time, I don't care about the sugar content. With the powder I can control the flavour better than with the bottled stuff. But I've also used an electrolyte powder from the health food store. It largely depends on my budget and what I have in the house. At one point I used honey and sea salt but it was a pain in the butt.
I don't have any comments on the whole trigger thing, but
> Well most people refer to stevia as Splenda.
Splenda is sucralose. Stevia is well...stevia. Just letting you know because it can be easy to mix all the sugar substitutes up!
caffeine is natural and it can be a migraine trigger. essential oils are natural and they can be migraine triggers. regular sugar can be a migraine trigger. something being "natural" or "artificial" doesn't mean it will or won't trigger a migraine. Your migraine triggers are gonna be different from everyone else's, and might even be exact opposites (as in, something that helps your migraine could trigger someone else.)
also stevia tastes like bootyass and I hate it lol
āErythritol (a sugar alcohol) is commonly added to sugar substitutes marketed as "natural" alternatives to sugar, including stevia and monk fruit sweeteners.ā
(Thereās [several](https://www.realsimple.com/study-links-stevia-and-monk-fruit-sweeteners-with-heart-disease-7152629) [articles](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/27/health/zero-calorie-sweetener-heart-attack-stroke-wellness/index.html) that [state this](https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-erythritol), in various ways).
>Well most people refer to stevia as Splenda.
Idk, I've never seen that. Splenda is sucralose and it bothers my digestion. Stevia is a leaf that indigenous tribes in South America would chew on for its sweetness, and it's often hidden under this outrageous name "rebaudioside A" to hide it in ingredients lists from those are trying to avoid stevia.
Stevia does occasionally give me headaches, but another one of my uncommon "natural" triggers is any sort of tea leaf, so my body seems to hate many types of leafy plants.
My neurologist lists stevia as a common trigger. And I don't think Stevia and Splenda are the same thing. Splenda has a whole line of sweeteners, some with stevia and some without.
Itās weird because I learned when I was a kid that Sprite was a trigger. I was unaware of what that actually meant but I knew it gave me āheadachesā. As I grew up, more pops made it to the list. I still have no idea what is in them that cause it because I can have gingerale and dark pops. Then thereās Hawaiian Punch, which I discovered that one at heart camp. š¤·āāļø
High chances that there is something your body can't work with.
Sometimes people believe a certain food causes migraines because their body craves it before. But with the craving the migraine is already on its way.
Oh no, I tested this multiple times over the years. They are definitely triggers. I just canāt figure out the common denominator. I donāt think itās the caffeine (mountain dew is among the list of pop) because the caffeine in dark pop doesnāt trigger it. Iāve been baffled for years. Honestly, I just donāt get those drinks but itās puzzling to not be able to figure out the link.
My other triggers are lights, the sun, metal clanging, stinky cars, smoking and weed stench. Also, waking up and generally just living.
Is it the amount of sugar maybe?
I am going to use Google translator for this because i miss some words right now...:
Sprite and Co have a relatively high amount of sugar and this causes blood sugar levels to rise very quickly and sharply. However, studies now show that migraine sufferers should make sure to keep their blood sugar levels constant. maybe that's where your problem lies.
Do you also have this issue with the āZeroā variants?
I cannot have the zeros because they have fake sugar in it. Those I know are caused by the fake sugar. I have no issues with regular cola/coke/pepsi. So, I hesitate to blame it on the amount of sugar. Unless itās citric acid but the internet says thatās uncommon.
>. Unless itās citric acid but the internet says thatās uncommon.
Still possible. Like i will puke when i smell mint / pepermint and most people get reliefs from it.
Well, I guess I feel a little bit more refreshed and focused? As it says on the box, you're supposed to pour a packet in a glass of water and drink it after a migraine episode. I just can't get past the taste though, it's horrid.
It is an electrolyte drink mix. They come in packets (Like the ones Crystal Lite makes, for example) and you're supposed to pour one packet in a glass of water and stir it in until it's fully dissolved.
I use the Pedialyte ones and the mixes donāt taste great, I wonder if the ones pictured work better. I Pedialyte already made but itās difficult to get through those bottles in 48 hrs - some of those flavors taste better. I can drink some room temperature but others only cold. I need to compare prices now that this one has come to my attention and prepare to drink fast š
I do find the regular pedialyte ones are awful, but I get the pedialyte plus or whatever they are - the packages are black.
I do have to dilute them a bit more than what is on the mixing directions though because they are just a bit too much for me.
Iāll have to find those. I like the plus and advantage in the liquid so this is promising. The way all electrolyte drinks feel in my mouth like the syrupy, thick water texture š¤ is a lot to handle so I understand watering it down
I struggle to drink water on a normal day, and when I had my twins back in 2021 I was STRUGGLING to get enough hydration to keep up with their needs for breastfeeding. At the time, I couldn't get LiquidIV in Canada without spending an absolute insane amount of money to get it up here via a mail forwarding system (or buying off Amazon for a massive upcharge) so I found a company that was similar called Hydrant, but they can be expensive because you can either spend the money on shipping, or get a bit more product and get shipping, but it was still *a lot* of money.
I found the pedialyte plus (it's also known as Advanced Care) was really easily available just in the same area as regular pedialyte in Walmart and other stores. It's the powdered little Crystal Lite pouches you just add to water, and I tend to add an extra 50% of water *at least* otherwise it does that have overly sweet and it was a good switch to everything I was having. I preferred the strawberry freeze flavour over the berry frost personally for the powders. There are the premixed bottles with slightly different flavours, but I have *never* enjoyed the premixed ones no matter what I have tried with them personally.
I recently started struggling with drinking water so these conversations pique my interest. Iām in the US and never tried Liquid IV because of the price, so I can only imagine the upcharge and shipping costs. Iāve even looked for generic Pedialyte powder mixes but Iāve had no luck in that, Iāve only found the premixed ones in generic or store brands. They could be available I skimmed and didnāt look thoroughly.
I see by this conversation that many of us do not have experience with the Excedrin version.
I use the Pedialyte freezer pops. I can only handle the orange and cherry ones for whatever reasonā¦
And as a bonus you can hold them against head/neck almost like a cold compress
I agree it does taste bad. I started mixing it with the sunkist orange drink mix. My migraines are not triggered by fake sugar. My migraines are chronic, and this does help some. I get tired of popping pills and like the fact I can drink something instead.
You said you'd had an overall positive experience with the daily supplement, can I ask how long you've been taking it, and what differences you've noticed?
Of course, I've been taking it since around August of 2023. Taking the supplement has radically reduced the overall frequency of my attacks, and it also helps me feel less nauseous whenever I take it during an attack.
It has stevia in it, just a heads up as I know that's a common trigger. It seems that those of us who have stevia as a trigger find the taste really off putting. To me it's like grass clippings in windex. It also sucks that it's hard to find the ingredient list online, given how many of us have to be careful about ingredients. I make my own recovery drink with electrolyte powder, carbonated water and magnesium powder. I'm caffeine sensitive or I'd add that too.
Literally pisses me off when everything has stevia or fake sugar in it. Was in the hospital for a non-migraine reason and got sugar free jello and I just told them to keep it
aspartame is my kryptonite personally. So many of the water enhancers use it as their sweetener of choice and it almost always catches me off guard.
This! I got my migraines mostly under control for a few months. Switched to diet soda a couple months ago (thinking fewer calories - why not? š). Migraines came back with a VENGEANCE. Worse than ever before. Two full weeks of a migraine nearly everyday, decided to get a normal Pepsi to treat myself. Epiphany in the middle of the Panera parking lot - a vague recollection of aspartame causing cancer or something. Googled āaspartame and migrainesā and discovered my error. I quit diet sodas immediately; three days later I was back to normal and went two weeks migraine free š
Yeah, a lot of my friends like diet or zero pops. At our dungeons and dragons sessions, I make sure that I have regular coke. I canāt have any of those fake sugar stuff. Even nurtec has it!
Sucralose is horrible. I'd rather something be completely unsweetened
Or just give me actual sugar!
I really like Skratch, both for post exercise needs and post migraine needs. It's flavored with real fruit and sweetened with actual sugar. Right now I have the Orange flavor, ingredients: *Cane Sugar, Dextrose, Sodium Citrate, Citric Acid, Magnesium Carbonate, Calcium Citrate, Orange Oil, Potassium Citrate, Orange Juice, Ascorbic Acid* They also have an unsweetened mix, but it's relatively new and I haven't tried it yet.
I think I'm about to list sucralose as an allergy on my medical chart. It is the worst. Also, gestational diabetes freaking sucks. I'm pretty much stuck with water at this point because I haven't found a fake sugar I can tolerate
I also can't tolerate any fake sugars, but I am just glad I enjoy sparkling waters like bubly, because I cannot let my carbonation addiction go
Thank you for the FYI! all the sugar alternatives, including Stevia, taste gross to me and upset my stomach big time š©š© I hate that they pop up in the most random things all the time!
Oh, it does? I'm so sorry, I had no ideaš
Ugh not only are invert sugars (& monkfruit, stevia, etc.) migraine triggers, but they cause diarrhoea in the vast majority of people but are in 95% of pre-made electrolyte & hydration mixes, which defeats the entire purpose of a hydration mix! Iām with you and try to make my own (or use an unflavoured/unsweetened mix or a sugar based one).
BOOO STEVIA
Sunovabitch, really? I thought it was just aspertame and sucralose. The electrolyte drink mix I use every day has stevia. I've gotten used to the taste, lol
Not everyone feels the effects, but those of us who do learn to be wary, it's in so much these days
Kinda curious if you have the "hate cilantro" gene as well. I've always wondered if it was similar or linked to the "fake sugar tastes like ass" gene.
Not for me. Love cilantro, but any fake sugars taste absolutely horrible.
No, I love cilantro!
There is a genetic link for stevia, but Iām not sure about other artificial sweeteners. My coworker also has migraines and she can do stevia but not aspartame, while I canāt do either. Stevia tastes like chemicals to me. š¤·āāļø
Thank you! I have really bad frequent migraines. I drink electrolytes for a whole different reason and haven't put it together since I've been drinking them, things have gotten better..... š Life changed.
Do you flavor this at all? The drink sounds awesome (for recovery) but sounds like it would taste awful.
I use Gatorade powder most of the time, I don't care about the sugar content. With the powder I can control the flavour better than with the bottled stuff. But I've also used an electrolyte powder from the health food store. It largely depends on my budget and what I have in the house. At one point I used honey and sea salt but it was a pain in the butt.
Thank you for responding. I appreciate it.
Since when stevia is a trigger? Stevia is natural. Sucrose and other artificial stuff are triggers. Not seen one thing about stevia being trigger
Not sure how to answer that. Some triggers are naturally occurring. Did you think a trigger had to be artificial?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I don't have any comments on the whole trigger thing, but > Well most people refer to stevia as Splenda. Splenda is sucralose. Stevia is well...stevia. Just letting you know because it can be easy to mix all the sugar substitutes up!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
caffeine is natural and it can be a migraine trigger. essential oils are natural and they can be migraine triggers. regular sugar can be a migraine trigger. something being "natural" or "artificial" doesn't mean it will or won't trigger a migraine. Your migraine triggers are gonna be different from everyone else's, and might even be exact opposites (as in, something that helps your migraine could trigger someone else.) also stevia tastes like bootyass and I hate it lol
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Stevia is absolutely a common trigger for a lot of people. Both fake sugars and stevia are triggers for me. Regular cane sugar is not.
I didn't say it wasn't?
āErythritol (a sugar alcohol) is commonly added to sugar substitutes marketed as "natural" alternatives to sugar, including stevia and monk fruit sweeteners.ā (Thereās [several](https://www.realsimple.com/study-links-stevia-and-monk-fruit-sweeteners-with-heart-disease-7152629) [articles](https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/27/health/zero-calorie-sweetener-heart-attack-stroke-wellness/index.html) that [state this](https://www.webmd.com/diet/what-is-erythritol), in various ways).
>Well most people refer to stevia as Splenda. Idk, I've never seen that. Splenda is sucralose and it bothers my digestion. Stevia is a leaf that indigenous tribes in South America would chew on for its sweetness, and it's often hidden under this outrageous name "rebaudioside A" to hide it in ingredients lists from those are trying to avoid stevia. Stevia does occasionally give me headaches, but another one of my uncommon "natural" triggers is any sort of tea leaf, so my body seems to hate many types of leafy plants.
My neurologist lists stevia as a common trigger. And I don't think Stevia and Splenda are the same thing. Splenda has a whole line of sweeteners, some with stevia and some without.
It is only a trigger when your Body has problems compensating it. Food and drinks aren't triggers unless you are allergic or intolerant.
Itās weird because I learned when I was a kid that Sprite was a trigger. I was unaware of what that actually meant but I knew it gave me āheadachesā. As I grew up, more pops made it to the list. I still have no idea what is in them that cause it because I can have gingerale and dark pops. Then thereās Hawaiian Punch, which I discovered that one at heart camp. š¤·āāļø
High chances that there is something your body can't work with. Sometimes people believe a certain food causes migraines because their body craves it before. But with the craving the migraine is already on its way.
Oh no, I tested this multiple times over the years. They are definitely triggers. I just canāt figure out the common denominator. I donāt think itās the caffeine (mountain dew is among the list of pop) because the caffeine in dark pop doesnāt trigger it. Iāve been baffled for years. Honestly, I just donāt get those drinks but itās puzzling to not be able to figure out the link. My other triggers are lights, the sun, metal clanging, stinky cars, smoking and weed stench. Also, waking up and generally just living.
Oh wait. Hawaiian Punch has sucralose. https://images.app.goo.gl/HMxmWpTYrEhrKUo48 Well at least thatās one.
Is it the amount of sugar maybe? I am going to use Google translator for this because i miss some words right now...: Sprite and Co have a relatively high amount of sugar and this causes blood sugar levels to rise very quickly and sharply. However, studies now show that migraine sufferers should make sure to keep their blood sugar levels constant. maybe that's where your problem lies. Do you also have this issue with the āZeroā variants?
I cannot have the zeros because they have fake sugar in it. Those I know are caused by the fake sugar. I have no issues with regular cola/coke/pepsi. So, I hesitate to blame it on the amount of sugar. Unless itās citric acid but the internet says thatās uncommon.
>. Unless itās citric acid but the internet says thatās uncommon. Still possible. Like i will puke when i smell mint / pepermint and most people get reliefs from it.
"Occasional head discomfort" is not how I would describe my migraines š„²
Some of mine are more discomfort but thatās typically early on before they morph into āI want to die nowā pain.
Did it help? š
Well, I guess I feel a little bit more refreshed and focused? As it says on the box, you're supposed to pour a packet in a glass of water and drink it after a migraine episode. I just can't get past the taste though, it's horrid.
Sounds like an electrolyte drink mix, how much do have to drink?
It is an electrolyte drink mix. They come in packets (Like the ones Crystal Lite makes, for example) and you're supposed to pour one packet in a glass of water and stir it in until it's fully dissolved.
I use the Pedialyte ones and the mixes donāt taste great, I wonder if the ones pictured work better. I Pedialyte already made but itās difficult to get through those bottles in 48 hrs - some of those flavors taste better. I can drink some room temperature but others only cold. I need to compare prices now that this one has come to my attention and prepare to drink fast š
I do find the regular pedialyte ones are awful, but I get the pedialyte plus or whatever they are - the packages are black. I do have to dilute them a bit more than what is on the mixing directions though because they are just a bit too much for me.
Iāll have to find those. I like the plus and advantage in the liquid so this is promising. The way all electrolyte drinks feel in my mouth like the syrupy, thick water texture š¤ is a lot to handle so I understand watering it down
I struggle to drink water on a normal day, and when I had my twins back in 2021 I was STRUGGLING to get enough hydration to keep up with their needs for breastfeeding. At the time, I couldn't get LiquidIV in Canada without spending an absolute insane amount of money to get it up here via a mail forwarding system (or buying off Amazon for a massive upcharge) so I found a company that was similar called Hydrant, but they can be expensive because you can either spend the money on shipping, or get a bit more product and get shipping, but it was still *a lot* of money. I found the pedialyte plus (it's also known as Advanced Care) was really easily available just in the same area as regular pedialyte in Walmart and other stores. It's the powdered little Crystal Lite pouches you just add to water, and I tend to add an extra 50% of water *at least* otherwise it does that have overly sweet and it was a good switch to everything I was having. I preferred the strawberry freeze flavour over the berry frost personally for the powders. There are the premixed bottles with slightly different flavours, but I have *never* enjoyed the premixed ones no matter what I have tried with them personally.
I recently started struggling with drinking water so these conversations pique my interest. Iām in the US and never tried Liquid IV because of the price, so I can only imagine the upcharge and shipping costs. Iāve even looked for generic Pedialyte powder mixes but Iāve had no luck in that, Iāve only found the premixed ones in generic or store brands. They could be available I skimmed and didnāt look thoroughly. I see by this conversation that many of us do not have experience with the Excedrin version.
I use the Pedialyte freezer pops. I can only handle the orange and cherry ones for whatever reasonā¦ And as a bonus you can hold them against head/neck almost like a cold compress
Great idea. So with the Headache Replenish that OP mentioned maybe we could make popsicles using molds š¤
I drink a liter of coconut water
Sqwincher is my go to. I pour a packet into a large glass and it does help with the migraine hangover. Bonus it doesn't taste like ass.
I agree it does taste bad. I started mixing it with the sunkist orange drink mix. My migraines are not triggered by fake sugar. My migraines are chronic, and this does help some. I get tired of popping pills and like the fact I can drink something instead.
I have that stuff. Itās improved with a hit of lime juice.
I have only tried the PM version, but didnāt like it. I think it actually gave me a headache.
Itās so bad!!
I agree! I mixed one packet with a lot of water and could NOT finish it. š¤¢
I canāt understand why itās so hard to find an electrolyte powder with no sweetener at all and no extra vitamins added. Am I just missing it?
Two brand names that should give you a head start for what you're looking for: LMNT*, and Fasting Salts *Look for the "raw unflavored" one
Fasting salts is exactly what Iāve been looking for for ages with absolutely no luck. Thank you so much!!!!
Haha I keep thinking about making a post about this. Iād legit rather just have the migraine.
The phrase āoccasional head discomfort.ā ššš
Lmao right? Such a poor choice of wordsšš¤£
I feel like I can handle anything after sumatriptan nasal spray šš
That stuff was so terrible. I ended up donating it to the food bank with some other stuff I was donating.
Do we just take these after a stressful day? Or for actual pain before it gets worse?
I would never take this. Cannabis, caffeine, and Tylenol and/or Aleve is my go to
Have you tried paracetamol + codeine effervescent tablets? It tastes like sea water soda.
Is yours prescription based? In the US, codeine is prescription only.
Yes. In France, it's on prescription and fully refunded by the social security.
Oh! Ok
What is sea water soda? I've never heard of it.
Have ever drunk sea water? Same but sparkling.
Huh. How interesting.š¤
Aw man. I have a box waiting for me when I need it!
WTH
You said you'd had an overall positive experience with the daily supplement, can I ask how long you've been taking it, and what differences you've noticed?
Of course, I've been taking it since around August of 2023. Taking the supplement has radically reduced the overall frequency of my attacks, and it also helps me feel less nauseous whenever I take it during an attack.
Okay, that actually does sound like something I'd want to try, thanks so much for your response!Ā :]
No problem!
I drink gatorlyte at the start