MSG and headaches
Many patients tell me that monosodium glutamate (MSG) gives them headaches, but we never had a scientific study to explain or support this observation. A study by Brian Cairns and his colleagues in the November issue of journal Pain reveals possible mechanism by which this happens. The researchers found that rats given MSG had an elevated level of glutamate in their muscles and that MSG made the muscles more sensitive to pressure. Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that promotes pain transmission in the nerveous system and therefore the authors concluded that MSG could increase pain sensitivity in humans as well. The bottom line, if you are prone to headaches or have chronic pain, stay away from MSG.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am sure it will help many other migraine sufferers.
I wanted to briefly share my story with chronic migraines and MSG. In addition to fibromyalgia, I have had chronic migraines since my teens (I’m currently 49). I did not get diagnosed with migraine until my 30s because I rarely had nausea with my headaches, so doctors always called them tension or TMJ headaches. Personally I think I had/have all three (sometimes at the same time). Within the past 3-4 years, the migraines started to get worse and were almost daily. I found a good neurologist and we tried Magnesium and botox. Botox helped, but I then found myself out of work with no insurance. For a couple of years, the only work I could find was W2 contract, which did not have benefits.
So, I started looking into other ways to treat my migraines. I have always been sensitive to MSG (and I would get sick from MSG when I did not expect exposure… I realize there are arguments that MSG sensitivity is similar to an opposite placebo effect). I listened to a pod cast (I wish I could remember whose it was) about MSG. I learned that MSG only has to be labeled as MSG if it is being used as a flavor enhancer. If it’s being used as a preservative, there are about 70 different terms that are used. So, basically MSG (or substances that cause a similar reaction as MSG) can be found in 95% of all processed and packaged foods! That was enough to get me to drastically change my diet.
I cut out all processed foods. I read labels on everything. I use the lists on this site to help me determine what I should avoid (https://lifespa.com/sneaky-names-for-msg-check-your-labels/ ). It’s far more expensive to eat non GMO, organic, whole foods; however, I feel better all around.
In addition to changing my diet, I started taking more supplements, many of which I learned from your blog. I started taking Migraine Stop, which combined magnesium with passion flower, B2, and cramp bark. About a month ago, I was looking at the magnesium content in the Migraine Stop and saw that one of the forms of magnesium was Magnesium Citrate – and in parenthesis it stated that this was magnesium bound to citric acid. The red flags started waving.
Citric acid is something I avoid in food since most of it is not taken from actual citrus fruits, but from black mold that has been fed sugars to produce the citric acid. I immediately stopped taking the Migraine stop and bought Magnesium Malate, in addition to the Doctor’s Best Chelated Magnesium that I had been taking along with the Migraine Stop. Between the 2 magnesiums, I’m now taking a total of over 3 grams a day, and keep some on hand to take when I do have a migraine to help with the abortive. I also take vitamin B2 and Passion Flower. (I did email the company asking where they sourced their citric acid, but never got a response; therefore, decided it was better to stop taking it and get the other ingredients. It’s also a lot cheaper this way since Migraine Stop is about $50 a month.)
As a result of cutting out the citric acid from the Migraine Stop (which was about a month ago), I have twice gone 6 days without a migraine twice. And, the last time I had a bad migraine was thanks to the extreme pressure changes as a result of Hurricane Michael (I’ve come to accept that I will never be able to avoid the weather triggered migraines).
I wanted to pass along this information so your patients who are MSG sensitive will know to also pay attention to citric acid.
In addition to the supplements I’ve mentioned I also take a high quality Fish Oil (I do not eat fish), CoQ10, Curcumin (and make sure I take it with the fish oil), Boswelia, Bacopa, Ashwagandha, Resveratrol, and a Vitamin B Complex. I also take 50,000 iu of Vitamin D weekly. I can honestly say that in the last 6 months, which is about the timeframe that I made the dietary changes and added the supplements, I feel better overall, I’m getting migraines less frequently, the migraines I do get respond better to the Imitrex, the rosacea (which would flare with most of my migraines) is not detectable (unless I have an alcoholic drink, which is very rare), and my fibromyalgia flares less frequently.
Thank you for this blog. Thank you for caring enough about those of us who suffer with pain to take the time to educate us. Thank you for providing a forum in which we can learn and share and ask. Too many doctors are over worked and controlled too much by insurance companies that they have lost the ability to care. Thank you for not being one of those.