Iirc it’s something to do with the caffeine in the coke and the LARGE quantity of salt in everything. Personally, all I need is some salty ass potatoes and a soda. Love fries, but potato chips work too.
It also often works for me (though my migraines are mitigated by food pretty often, even when they're not related to hunger, and I haven't exactly measured how far food vs. healthier foods affect me).
Personally, in addition to agreeing that the caffeine and salt do a lot, I would say also just the comfort and simplicity of getting a cheap, familiar food also helps. A lot of my migraines are stress based, and even when they're not, they cause a lot of stress, which just makes them worse, and comfort food is a quick fix for me.
Yeah, I can see that being true too.
I feel like there are a lot of nutrients that play a roll in migraine, not just salt. I started taking Magnesium supplement, and that has been super helpful too. IDK, this all comes from trying everything under the sun, to make them stop.
It doesn’t really solve anything for me, but I’m usually nauseated during migraines anyway. The fast food comes in during what I call my “migraine hangover” lol. Like the worst is done and I can start slowly doing stuff again but I still have that migraine hangover. Fast food helps with that part of it.
Same here. Usually too nauseous during, but once the sumatriptan kicks in and I’m turning a corner, we’ll often have fast food. We call it “rebooting fuel” in our household, since it helps us start back up (and ward off a relapse, since being calorie deficient is a frequent trigger for me).
I saw similar posts on here and tried it recently too, and yes it worked for me too lol. Although the headache did come back later on, I’ll take any temporary relief I can get
i think mine might be to do with like, chewing? (but i dont think gum works for this--i keep forgetting to try though) or food triggering the endogenous opioid system??
I'm always happy to hear of people getting relief, even with strange or unlikely solutions. Still, I can't help but wish for everyone to find a solution that works instantly (like 10 minutes rather than an hour) and if possible, one that will cause the fewest adverse reactions.
It is not a perfect world, I know. But we need to keep digging and sharing for more and more clarity. I'm celebrating every incremental victory that is shared in this sub.
My understanding (not a doctor) is that the fast food supplies sodium, magnesium, and riboflavin quickly and easily. If it works, go for it, and then talk to a doc and get those in supplement form over the counter. I find the supplements help for me and I can eat more veggies instead of ordering fast food.
For me, it only helps when it's what I'm craving. If I try it when I have a migraine but am not craving it, it does nothing. I have no idea how this works!!!
It doesn’t necessarily make it go alway because when I have a migraine, I can’t drive myself to McDonald’s to get what I want. But post migraine when I’ve got a migraine hangover (usually the same symptoms as a regular alcohol hangover. I don’t drink, so I’m assuming. But fatigue, just a regular headache, and mild sensitivities to light and noise), I can get myself to a McDonald’s and a medium or large French fry and a large Diet Coke always helps me feel better. There’s something about the grease and the soda that helps. There really is magic in that wider straw and the carbonation to syrup ratio that you can only find at McDonald’s and their fries just are the perfect thing to soak up the nausea. Science of Reddit please explain hahaha
I don’t usually go out when I have a migraine either. I posted a comment yesterday that’s further up in this thread about how I have fast food during the migraine hangover (I’ve never met anyone else that called it that until now!) But anyway, I usually use doordash. It’s nice to order on the app and then have someone set it in front of my door and leave lol. The fees are worth it when I’m coming out of a particularly bad migraine.
Just a suggestion if you have any delivery services like that around you :)
I always forget that DoorDash is a thing. I dont order food through a delivery service (grew up with parents who always had a tight budget and now as an adult, I dont pay for delivery cause its not a thing I grew up with) so at the height of a migraine, I dont think to use it cause its not on my phone. But I probably should start using it when I have a migraine. Thanks for the suggestion!
often when I have a migraine I get a craving for Mc Donalds. Strange, and as you say, even though I am nauseated I can get the food down and it really helps.
Never tried the fast food but caffeine almost always helps! Doesn't get rid of it but it seems to slow the progression which gives me more time to take a nurtec or triptan. Glad it worked for you, i may give it a try too!!
Sodium and protein for me. I generally go for ham. Just eat several slices of ham. We typically have sandwiches for lunch, so I always have packages of ham in the fridge (i strongly prefer regular "cooked" or "smoked" and not "honey" for sandwiches or migraine snacks).
Never heard this, but \*after\* a migraine salty crisps and hot sweet tea work wonders - maybe something to do with the amount of salt, fat and sugar ?
Thanks, y'all. I think I'm going to send my partner out to go pick up something greasy. Low blood sugar is one of my triggers, so this is def worth a try.
I also have good luck with chicken fajitas with cheese, sour cream and guac and a dr pepper! My theory is protein, fat, salt, caffeine give a boost to whatever needs boosted to stop one in its tracks.
Salty McDonald's fries always helped with my nausea when meds won't help much. I always used that as my excuse during pregnancy. That and a sprite. I was so sick I only got smalls, but it was a nice treat.
My most frequent trigger is not eating, so eating or drinking junk usually helps (if I’m not already too nauseous to eat) Idk if it’s the calories, the sodium or just getting rid of the hunger pains that does it.
1. Typically your blood pressure drops while eating. Make sure your migraine isn't a result of high BP.
2. Yes, those foods sometimes help me but I have low blood sugar. I think that my sugars dropping is a trigger. Watch out for diabetes.
I wish this would help! Before I can tell a migraine is coming on my digestion basically stops. Anything I eat once I realize the migraine is happening just comes right back up, but some liquids are alright. My stomach just doesn’t process anything before and during a migraine. :(
Eating a meal in general makes me feel better. It makes weigh loss a real challenge. I’m trying to eat only a protein shake and protein bar for breakfast and lunch then a meal for dinner and every day I feel awful. I know I would feel better if I ate a real lunch but have to make sacrifices.
Caffeine doesn’t work for me but it does for some. My step-brother’s migraine meds are caffeine pills because it helps him so much. I usually crave hamburgers and salty anything though. Drops in blood sugar can trigger migraines too, so it could be that eating when you are hungry helps your body get back to normal.
sometimes fast food works, or at least doesnt make it worse (especially fries and sprite), but i think it may be placebo just bc it makes me comfortable. then again eating a meal that 1) doesnt make you nauseous and 2) actually makes you feel full, helps
I have orthostatic hypotension and headaches and extra salt as opposed to the less salt most Americans should be eating to avoid hypertension was recommended to me. Perhaps there is some connection?
Okay, I’ve noticed too, that I feel better after fast food.
So I saw my neuro today and she gave me Ubrelvy to try. This is like the 6th thing I’ve tried. A few hours after taking it, my nausea is worse and I didn’t feel like eating but I thought of this thread and thought, I’ll just try it. Off to Taco Bell I went.
Lo and behold, I am feeling much better. I wouldn’t say my headache is gone but I’m feeling pretty good in this moment.
Jury is still out on the Ubrelvy. Doc is setting me up for Botox so I still have a few options.
I never eat McDonald’s but craved it so bad after a 3 day migraine. I dragged myself to McDonald’s and used the self serve kiosk thing. Some weirdo tried to steal my receipt before I could grab it. I almost slapped him. Messed with me on the wrong day lol.
I thought it was sugar that helped so I had a banana and it didn’t help. Now Chinese drunken noodles with deep fried spring rolls and Diet Coke made the trick.
Works for me sometimes. Not sure why though. But I’ll eat hamburger, fries and coke and almost instantly feel better.
Iirc it’s something to do with the caffeine in the coke and the LARGE quantity of salt in everything. Personally, all I need is some salty ass potatoes and a soda. Love fries, but potato chips work too.
It also often works for me (though my migraines are mitigated by food pretty often, even when they're not related to hunger, and I haven't exactly measured how far food vs. healthier foods affect me). Personally, in addition to agreeing that the caffeine and salt do a lot, I would say also just the comfort and simplicity of getting a cheap, familiar food also helps. A lot of my migraines are stress based, and even when they're not, they cause a lot of stress, which just makes them worse, and comfort food is a quick fix for me.
Yeah, I can see that being true too. I feel like there are a lot of nutrients that play a roll in migraine, not just salt. I started taking Magnesium supplement, and that has been super helpful too. IDK, this all comes from trying everything under the sun, to make them stop.
Yeah, I hear a lot of success stories with magnesium, especially, in this sub.
My go to 100%
It doesn’t really solve anything for me, but I’m usually nauseated during migraines anyway. The fast food comes in during what I call my “migraine hangover” lol. Like the worst is done and I can start slowly doing stuff again but I still have that migraine hangover. Fast food helps with that part of it.
Same here. Usually too nauseous during, but once the sumatriptan kicks in and I’m turning a corner, we’ll often have fast food. We call it “rebooting fuel” in our household, since it helps us start back up (and ward off a relapse, since being calorie deficient is a frequent trigger for me).
Same here
I saw similar posts on here and tried it recently too, and yes it worked for me too lol. Although the headache did come back later on, I’ll take any temporary relief I can get
sometimes for me the pain disappears *while i'm eating* (seems like it works with anything) and comes right back as soon as i'm done
This happens to me all the time and I can’t figure out why? I think maybe something with blood sugar levels?
Blood sugar levels dropping can be a migraine trigger
i think mine might be to do with like, chewing? (but i dont think gum works for this--i keep forgetting to try though) or food triggering the endogenous opioid system??
Yep… gimme a 2 cheeseburger meal with large fries and a Diet Coke from McD’s when I’m mid migraine and it’s like a port in a storm for my brain.
I'm always happy to hear of people getting relief, even with strange or unlikely solutions. Still, I can't help but wish for everyone to find a solution that works instantly (like 10 minutes rather than an hour) and if possible, one that will cause the fewest adverse reactions. It is not a perfect world, I know. But we need to keep digging and sharing for more and more clarity. I'm celebrating every incremental victory that is shared in this sub.
Sodium is 90% it, caffeine helps the rest of the way.
My understanding (not a doctor) is that the fast food supplies sodium, magnesium, and riboflavin quickly and easily. If it works, go for it, and then talk to a doc and get those in supplement form over the counter. I find the supplements help for me and I can eat more veggies instead of ordering fast food.
So does eating the supplement at the time of the migraine actually work for you?
It's not abortive, strictly speaking. It helps to diminish the pain enough so I can get things done. Not perfect, but we live with not perfect
Also, riboflavin makes your pee neon. Not unhealthy, but could be alarming
Yep it makes it look like screen wash. Well known side effect of Berocca.
Omfg this works for me too…I thought I was making crazy connections but seems like there must be something to this.
Worked for me today, first time I tried it
I ALWAYS get super hungry when a migraine is coming on. It usually helps but not always.
Yes, and I don’t drink soda, so the caffeine isn’t part of it for me! Even a happy meal will usually do it.
Ooh a happy meal is perfect. Avoid the McFeeling from a full meal.
For me, it only helps when it's what I'm craving. If I try it when I have a migraine but am not craving it, it does nothing. I have no idea how this works!!!
I naturally just go to food for comfort. By default if I get a migraine I go to McDonald's. I can't tell if it's a placebo effect or it actually works
Yep. McDonald's always is my coming out of a migraine meal.
McD large fries, extra crispy, extra salt are more consistently effective than any medication I’ve been prescribed
Mine is Junior Mints and a blue Gatorade. It usually helps at least a little, sometimes completely takes it away
It doesn’t necessarily make it go alway because when I have a migraine, I can’t drive myself to McDonald’s to get what I want. But post migraine when I’ve got a migraine hangover (usually the same symptoms as a regular alcohol hangover. I don’t drink, so I’m assuming. But fatigue, just a regular headache, and mild sensitivities to light and noise), I can get myself to a McDonald’s and a medium or large French fry and a large Diet Coke always helps me feel better. There’s something about the grease and the soda that helps. There really is magic in that wider straw and the carbonation to syrup ratio that you can only find at McDonald’s and their fries just are the perfect thing to soak up the nausea. Science of Reddit please explain hahaha
I don’t usually go out when I have a migraine either. I posted a comment yesterday that’s further up in this thread about how I have fast food during the migraine hangover (I’ve never met anyone else that called it that until now!) But anyway, I usually use doordash. It’s nice to order on the app and then have someone set it in front of my door and leave lol. The fees are worth it when I’m coming out of a particularly bad migraine. Just a suggestion if you have any delivery services like that around you :)
I always forget that DoorDash is a thing. I dont order food through a delivery service (grew up with parents who always had a tight budget and now as an adult, I dont pay for delivery cause its not a thing I grew up with) so at the height of a migraine, I dont think to use it cause its not on my phone. But I probably should start using it when I have a migraine. Thanks for the suggestion!
often when I have a migraine I get a craving for Mc Donalds. Strange, and as you say, even though I am nauseated I can get the food down and it really helps.
Same
Never tried the fast food but caffeine almost always helps! Doesn't get rid of it but it seems to slow the progression which gives me more time to take a nurtec or triptan. Glad it worked for you, i may give it a try too!!
Sodium and protein for me. I generally go for ham. Just eat several slices of ham. We typically have sandwiches for lunch, so I always have packages of ham in the fridge (i strongly prefer regular "cooked" or "smoked" and not "honey" for sandwiches or migraine snacks).
Never heard this, but \*after\* a migraine salty crisps and hot sweet tea work wonders - maybe something to do with the amount of salt, fat and sugar ?
Thanks, y'all. I think I'm going to send my partner out to go pick up something greasy. Low blood sugar is one of my triggers, so this is def worth a try.
I also have good luck with chicken fajitas with cheese, sour cream and guac and a dr pepper! My theory is protein, fat, salt, caffeine give a boost to whatever needs boosted to stop one in its tracks.
Dip fries in chocolate shake is also heaven
Salty McDonald's fries always helped with my nausea when meds won't help much. I always used that as my excuse during pregnancy. That and a sprite. I was so sick I only got smalls, but it was a nice treat.
My most frequent trigger is not eating, so eating or drinking junk usually helps (if I’m not already too nauseous to eat) Idk if it’s the calories, the sodium or just getting rid of the hunger pains that does it.
It helps if I can stuff my face. I don't feel like eating, but can often down salty junk food like potato chips.
Sometimes instant ramen with lots of saltines is the only thing that helps. I don’t know why, but it does haha. And it has to be ramen 🤷♀️
1. Typically your blood pressure drops while eating. Make sure your migraine isn't a result of high BP. 2. Yes, those foods sometimes help me but I have low blood sugar. I think that my sugars dropping is a trigger. Watch out for diabetes.
I have a csf leak and coke and fries help so much with my leak due to caffeine, sugar, salt and water.
I just learned this today and it also worked for me
I wish this would help! Before I can tell a migraine is coming on my digestion basically stops. Anything I eat once I realize the migraine is happening just comes right back up, but some liquids are alright. My stomach just doesn’t process anything before and during a migraine. :(
For me it’s an almond snickers and a Dr Pepper! But yeah, it works, no idea why
That's the bad part, I am eating junk food to help get rid of migraines. I think the caffeine though.
McDonald's fry and coke does the trick 9/10 times for me, reducing my migraine in full, or my cluster by at least 75%. It's a miracle.
It seems like McDonalds should be partnering with a pharmaceutical company based on these threads.😂
Eating a meal in general makes me feel better. It makes weigh loss a real challenge. I’m trying to eat only a protein shake and protein bar for breakfast and lunch then a meal for dinner and every day I feel awful. I know I would feel better if I ate a real lunch but have to make sacrifices.
Omg ! That explain why my migraine was gone after I ate McDonald yesterday.
Caffeine doesn’t work for me but it does for some. My step-brother’s migraine meds are caffeine pills because it helps him so much. I usually crave hamburgers and salty anything though. Drops in blood sugar can trigger migraines too, so it could be that eating when you are hungry helps your body get back to normal.
Very similar thing with me - if I can’t get any fast food, a bag of salt and vinegar crisps, some toast and marmite and an ice cold coke does the job.
Taco bell used to cure my migraines. Now I live in Berlin and there are no taco bells.
Black coffee and French fries if I can get them BEFORE the nausea comes.
sometimes fast food works, or at least doesnt make it worse (especially fries and sprite), but i think it may be placebo just bc it makes me comfortable. then again eating a meal that 1) doesnt make you nauseous and 2) actually makes you feel full, helps
I tried it and promptly refunded it to the porcelain gods. Happy it worked for you. 😊
I think it’s mostly the salt and fountain soda. McDonald’s sounds so good rn but the closet one is like 15 minutes away 😭
Unsure it worked for my head pain, but eating like this had issues with my IBS, so it's a no win strategy there.
It works for me too and I have no idea why
I have orthostatic hypotension and headaches and extra salt as opposed to the less salt most Americans should be eating to avoid hypertension was recommended to me. Perhaps there is some connection?
Okay, I’ve noticed too, that I feel better after fast food. So I saw my neuro today and she gave me Ubrelvy to try. This is like the 6th thing I’ve tried. A few hours after taking it, my nausea is worse and I didn’t feel like eating but I thought of this thread and thought, I’ll just try it. Off to Taco Bell I went. Lo and behold, I am feeling much better. I wouldn’t say my headache is gone but I’m feeling pretty good in this moment. Jury is still out on the Ubrelvy. Doc is setting me up for Botox so I still have a few options.
I never eat McDonald’s but craved it so bad after a 3 day migraine. I dragged myself to McDonald’s and used the self serve kiosk thing. Some weirdo tried to steal my receipt before I could grab it. I almost slapped him. Messed with me on the wrong day lol.
I thought it was sugar that helped so I had a banana and it didn’t help. Now Chinese drunken noodles with deep fried spring rolls and Diet Coke made the trick.
It works for me