Since I started this last cycle almost two months ago, triggered by MSG, I’ve been ultra sensitive to so many foods. I have to be very careful not to have any foods containing MSG. it’s in so many foods even organic foods that claim there’s no MSG in it. They call it something else like hydrolyzed yeast or natural flavor. “Natural flavor” is in so many foods. Sure it naturally forms during food processing so they take advantage of that and label it something else. I guess it’s to make their foods taste better than the competitions. If it doesn’t contain MSG it probably has Tyromine in it, found in wine, aged cheese, fermented foods, dried foods, as well as ripe foods like avocados, bananas, berries and beans. Food that sits in the fridge to long builds Tyromine, like leftovers. I’ve been eating foods that have been frozen soon after harvest like plain chicken and fish. Rice and fresh eggs, from my chickens, has been the mainstay of my diet for months now. If I slipup or try something I’m not sure of my nights are much more painful. Does any one else have these problems? Peace Hickory

Years ago this used to be a big topic of discussion here but there seems to be scant evidence that this is a common problem with CH--migraine, yes.

I suspect you will get the greatest agreement around alcohol and various solvents.

What Bob said.

Alcohol is the only "food" trigger I've had.

I know some migraine folk have their attacks triggered by MSG. My wife for instance. So we read all the labels for her to see if there is autolyzed yeast extract or other ingredients that supposedly = MSG in there.

For us, this info about hidden MSG came from something someone posted online, which I'm still not sure is completely credible, as I have the feeling there's the potential for a lil' bit of paranoia/hysteria there.

The only food sensitivity I've encountered is lack of! If I let myself get really hungry, it acts as a trigger when I'm on cycle. I'm a big fan of oriental food, which I've been told is awash in Msg's, and fortunately it's never caused attacks for me, on or off cycle.

Joe

For me MSG surely is a severe trigger. Alcohol is not. According to two larger studies[1][2] alcohol is not a trigger for 50% of the cluster heads. I suspect histamine and perhaps other biogenic amines to trigger attacks in my cluster head.
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For many/some cluster heads there does not seem to be any "trigger" at all.

Some collected information about CH + possible triggers:

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pf wishes,
Friedrich

References:
1.) Schürks M, Kurth T, de Jesus J, Jonjic M, Rosskopf D, Diener HC.: Cluster headache: clinical presentation, lifestyle features, and medical treatment. Headache. 2006 Sep; 46(8): 1246-54.
2.)  Can't find the other study right now.  :-[

Guiseppi wrote on Feb 28^th, 2010 at 5:35pm:

The only food sensitivity I've encountered is lack of! Joe

I think Joe nailed this one.  Keeping the tummy full is key.

Wish I could. Pretty much lose all desire to eat when in cycle. Still haven't gotten my appetite back and I'm on the tale end ( I hope! ).

2 benefits to being in cycle are i drop a few pounds because i also have a loss of appetite and i also make sure ill never be an alcoholic as of course i cant have any booze. i think i also drop a few pounds due to the no booze/beer/wine, etc. i used to think there were food triggers as well. i still think dairy for me can be an issue, but for the most part i agree that in my 20 years with CH all the food triggers, peanuts, msg, etc have been debunked. i try to stay away from msg just for good health, but u are right it shows up in so many different ways.

i gotta laugh about the "natural flavor" thing. isnt natural flavor in any food? i guess natural flavor is better than unnatural flavor. the food industry is a bit scary.

i do know someone bought me a bread machine once and the smell of the yeast, bread making smelled great but gave me the worst CH ever. I got rid of that thing immediately.

Have read all your input. Been trying to monitor my diet as well. Don't know yet if it's helping or not. Never had any food sesitivities before. MSG, aged cheese, artificial sweetners, chocolate, dried fruits, aged, canned and processed meat. Canned soup is loaded with sodium and MSG. Even in most commercial broths, so be careful even if you make your own. Fresh food is always best. I miss my Wine the most.   :'(   
Donna Mae

I’m finding it hard to believe that more people aren’t having this problem. Maybe it’s because so many of you have not tried an elimination diet, to feel the difference?

So the good news is I’m at the end of this cycle. I had three nights in a row without o2. So the other night we were having fish and chips and I had about 2 tablespoons of tarter sauce and the potatoes. I knew I was taking a chance but I was feeling good.  That night I got maybe three hours sleep and had to hit the o2 three times.

Last night I was back to fried rice(home made) and I had a good night. Today I had very little shadow, nothing a cup of coffee couldn’t clear up.

When I’m in cycle it’s not that I don’t’ get hit. I just don’t get hit so hard.

It may be worth you checking out what foods contain Tyromines and hidden MSG.

Ya, and what's with "natural flavor" I scares the sh-t out of me. So many foods list it as an ingredient. They are adding this stuff to our food. Look up MSG and see how many names it goes by. They’re coming up with new names all the time.

Peace, Hickory

I found out during my last cycle. I am currently in cycle and this is the worst one I have ever had.  But in 2008 I found out that during cycle any type of cheese will cause a CH for me. This cycle has been so bad I am thinking that any dairy is making it worse.
I have always had alcohol as a trigger but never anything else until a few yrs ago.  As is proven the beast loves to mutate and change whenever it can.

Over the years my triggers have changed.

I developed a full blown allergy to wheat about a year ago, since then when I eat anything made from wheat at all (including the caramel food coloring in pepsi, or anything with flour or modified food starch) I'm screwed. Huge trigger.  Other things I'm allergic to (certain antibiotics, etc) also seem to be triggers.

Before I developed a wheat allergy I could eat anything I wanted except wine.

My guess is that your triggers aren't the foods specifically, but your mild allergy to the foods. 

Everyone's triggers are different though, and the longer you have this the more they seem to morph. Even which medications work/don't work changes.

Katy

I have been in a mostly horrific cycle since June 09...have O2,Imitrex..was on Verapamil but it caused my liver enzymes to skyrocket so can't take that..have a full arsenal of things but nothing works the same every time...anyway

I have stopped ALL dairy products...diet soda and have been reading labels re MSG and other "additives"..on nights that I had had chocolate on one,a glass of milk on another and canned tuna on another I woke up at about 2 or 3am with a KIP 10+...I thought I would die..I wished I would die...

Since making these diet changes I have had an unbelievable decrease in headaches and severity..so I'm so glad some people are talking about diet because I believe there is a a deffinite link for some ...I am reading everything I can find on this the latest being an "alkaline" diet seems to be effective in controlling them...anyway I thought I would share my experience..I have a 40+ yr hx of Cluster/Migraine type ha's recently re= evaluated by a neurologist....

Glad to have found this board.....Pat

Shaggy the crumudgeon would say something like, "just get used to the crazy food triggers and adjust with each cycle"!

Sensitive Shaggy would maybe say the same thing, but food really does trigger and I think the triggers can change over time.  My last small cycle I wouldn't really touch apples, but oranges were very soothing.  The smell of catnip started a cycle once, but I don't avoid it now.  Eating chocolate before an attack has made me hurl during the attack.  It all changes for me.

Lately I have noticed that a small sip of water during my cycle will trigger an attack just like it did years ago in school.  I usually drink a lot of water, but during my cycle when drinking water I drink a lot at one time.  Add that to the list of strange triggers.  All very mysterious. 

The Oregonian (newspaper) came out with an article claiming that Oregon Myrtle triggers attacks.  I love that smell and smell it every chance I can when in its habitat.

The moral of the story is find what is your trigger and avoid.  If it changes then adjust with it. 

--Shaggy

Katherinecm wrote on Mar 10^th, 2010 at 10:32pm:

My guess is that your triggers aren't the foods specifically, but your mild allergy to the foods.  Everyone's triggers are different though, and the longer you have this the more they seem to morph. Even which medications work/don't work changes. Katy

Some new research results about migraine:

Diet restriction in migraine, based on IgG against foods: A clinical double-blind, randomised, cross-over trial

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The full text (OnlineFirst PDF) on that page is free full text until March 31st, 2010.

pf wishes,
Friedrich

It's kinda funny. I was told for over 15 years that what I had were migraines because my HA had so many traits of migraine like the food sensitivity, nausea, sensitivity to light and sound, no droopy eye or runny nose. When I read about a study of 30 people who were tested for their food sensitivity and how it affects their migraines I have to take it with a grain of salt. How many of those people are misdiagnosed clusterheads. Many of us were told the same thing for years, that what we got were migraines. It wasn’t until I found this site that I found people who were experiencing the type of pain I was.

It seems hard to tell the difference between Migraines and Clusters. When I started with this pain almost twenty years ago I would kip 5-6 most times, sometimes 7. They wouldn’t wake me up at night. If I got one and was able to get to sleep it would go away. I would only get them while I was awake, mostly triggered by smells or just life. As time went on they changed. They started waking me up and would kip 9+. Now my cycle lasts 4-10 weeks with up to 6 hits a day. The pain is the same just more intense.

"A Rose is still a Rose by any other name."

As for the food problem as long as I avoid foods high in tyromines, or that contain any form of MSG the hits aren’t as bad. At least that’s how it woks for me now. Peace, Hickory.

I've never had a food trigger that I'm aware of, other than alcohol, if it's a food.  I do notice that when trying to go to sleep, I will notice a chemical smell. When that happens, I know whats coming.
Smoke cigars as they are a lot cheaper than cigarettes. I would smoke a portion and put it out to smoke some more later. Had a bad habit of putting the butt in my shirt pocket, and the odor would trigger a rip roaring headache. Smoking didn't bother me, just the odor of that cigar butt. I tried to remember not to put the butt in my pocket but would forget. Now I wear shirts without pockets. End of problem. Now if I could just quit smoking altogether.

I had my first reaction to MSG about 18 years ago, and I bloated up like a stuck pig. None of my clothes would fit and I found out that I had gained about 20 pounds within 36 hours. It didn't trigger a CH. So far I still stay away from MSG as best as possible. Even had Campbell Soups send me a list of their products with it (a lot, sadly). One of my triggers, like the gentleman above, is getting hungry. So I keep my mint oreos and generic frosted flakes in my car. Plus having them out there keeps me from bingeing, as I am also a diagnosed bulimic (since I was an early teen). I only allow myself 3 of those oreos a day and a little bit of the FF. Just enough to take away the hunger a bit. (I still have regular small meals thruout the day, fyi). Everyone needs to have about 6 small meals a day, according to most doctors. Good advice I guess. I even gave up all carbonated sodas last June (09) and about 99% of pasta. That didn't help the CH. Just my waistline (down 2 pant sizes). But for the past 2 years have had CHs last up to 2 months continously. Average is 1 month. then a week break then another month on. fun isn't it?