- Migraine and cluster headaches are associated with low Vitamin D
- Adding Vitamin D both prevents and treats migraine, cluster and other headaches
- A random controled trial has proven Migranes to be reduced by vitamin D (50,000 IU weekly)
- Magnesium appears to be needed in addtion to Vitamin D to treat some types of headaches
(Lots more headache information below on this page)
Learn how Vitamin D is essential for good health
Watch a 5 minute video "Does Less Sun Mean more Disease?"
Browse for other Health Problems and D in left column or here
see also Supplementing and More in the menu at the top of very page
- wiki page:
- Cadmium liver problem 5 X less likely when vitamin D is greater than 40 ng – April 2018
- Widespread pain, arthritis pain and muscle pain are associated with low vitamin D – meta-analysis March 2018
- Headaches 3 X as often if Obese – March 2018
- Hypothesis - Dysfunction of Autonomic Nervous System is associated with low vitamin D – April 2017
- Migraines double the risk of strokes (both are associated with low vitamin D) – Jan 2018
- Children with headaches had less vitamin D – Oct 2017
- Headaches (chronic tension) 3X more likely to have low vitamin D – also muscle weakness and bone tenderness – May 2017
- Fewer headaches and other benefits of higher vitamin D – Jan 2017
- Acute Migraine 35 times more likely if low Magnesium levels – May 2016
- Migraine headaches quickly reduced with Magnesium – Meta-analysis Jan 2016
- Migraine headaches reduced with 50,000 IU vitamin D weekly – RCT July 2015
- Pain not reduced by vitamin D (only used 1,000 IU) - RCT Dec 2014
- Childhood migraine in Vitamin D deficient children reduced 6X by addition of daily 5,000 IU and amitriptyline – April 2014
- Migranes not reduced by those having a fraction of a nanogram more vitamin D (no surprise) – Jan 2014
- Hypothesis– Chronic headache and musculoskeletal pain both result from low vitamin D – Oct 2013
- Cluster headaches substantially reduced by 10,000 IU of Vitamin D in 80 percent of people
- Headache
- Headache 20 pcnt more likely if low vitamin D, even after adjusting for vitamin D problems – Nov 2012
- Migranes may be due to lack of lack of Magnesium in half of sufferers – May 2012
- Migraine and Vitamin D
- Vitamin D and Migraine – Nov 2010
- Headaches related to latitude and season – perhaps vitamin D - May 2010
- Headache with vitamin D may mean you need Magnesium
- Dark skin people in Norway 2X more deficient and have 3X more headaches if low on vitamin D – July 2010
- Headaches vary with latitude and season and perhaps vitamin D as well -May 2010
Migraine Headaches associated with metal excess/deficiencies - July 2015
Compared blood levels of 25 people with migraines to 25 people without GreenMedInfo
| Metal | Migraine | No Migraine | Ratio |
| Cadmium | 0.36 ug | 0.09 ug | 4X MORE if decrease |
| Iron | 0.97 ug | 0.48 ug | 2X MORE if decrease |
| Lead | 1.48 ug | 0.78 ug | 2X MORE if decrease |
| Magnesium | 10.6 ug | 34.5 ug | 3.5X LESS if increase |
| Zinc | 0.24 ug | 5.77 ug | 24X LESS if increase |
Download the PDF of the study from VitaminDWiki
Note also
- Vitamin D increases many metals in the body
Vitamin D increases mineral availability which protect against toxic elements - July 2015 - Magnesium deficiency has been long noticed in people with headaches
Migranes may be due to lack of lack of Magnesium in half of sufferers – May 2012 - Search PubMed for headache (magnesium OR zinc) 333 items as of July 2017
- search Google for migraine zinc deficiency 400,000 hits as of July 2017
- Nutraceuticals in Migraine: A Summary of Existing Guidelines for Use March 2016
includes riboflavin, coenzyme Q10, magnesium, butterbur, feverfew, and omega-3 - Nutraceuticals in Acute and Prophylactic Treatment of Migraine April 2016
". . .even when incontrovertible scientific evidence exists, many physicians remain distrustful of the evidence"
includes magnesium
Pages listed in BOTH the categories Headache and Magnesium
- Acute Migraine 35 times more likely if low Magnesium levels – May 2016
- Migraine headaches quickly reduced with Magnesium – Meta-analysis Jan 2016
- Cluster headaches substantially reduced by 10,000 IU of Vitamin D in 80 percent of people
- Migranes may be due to lack of lack of Magnesium in half of sufferers – May 2012
- Headache with vitamin D may mean you need Magnesium
- Can Missing This Vitamin In Your Diet Increase Your Migraine Frequency
She appears to take 50,000 IU weekly
Why do Humans have Headaches?
Dr. Gominak, April 2014
Download her 119 page PDF from VitaminDWiki
She also has excellent ideas on Sleep Apnea and Vitamin D
Just 2,000 IU of vitamin D added to Simvastin reduced by 9 the # of migrane headaches days - Sept 2015
Simvastatin and Vitamin D for Migraine Prevention: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Annals of Neurology, DOI: 10.1002/ana.24534
Catherine Buettner MD, MPH1,*, Rony-Reuven Nir PhD, BSc2, Suzanne M. Bertisch MD, MPH1, Carolyn Bernstein MD3, Aaron Schain PhD3, Murray A. Mittleman MD, DrPH4 andRami Burstein PhD3
Objective: To assess efficacy and tolerability of simvastatin plus vitamin D for migraine prevention in adults with episodic migraine.
Methods: We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a 12-week baseline period and 24-week intervention period in 57 adults with episodic migraine. Participants were randomly assigned to simvastatin 20 mg tablets twice daily plus vitamin D3 1000 international units capsules twice daily or matching placebo tablets and capsules.
Results: Compared to placebo, participants using simvastatin plus vitamin D3 demonstrated a greater decrease in number of migraine days from the baseline period to intervention weeks 1-12: a change of -8.0 (IQR: -15.0 to -2.0) days in the active treatment group versus +1.0 (IQR: 1.0 to +6.0) days in the placebo group, P<0.001; and to intervention weeks 13-24: a change of -9.0 (IQR: -13 to -5) days in the active group versus +3.0 (IQR: -1.0 to +5.0) days in the placebo group, P<0.001.
In the active treatment group,
- 8 patients (25%) experienced 50% reduction in the number of migraine days at 12 weeks and
- 9 (29%) at 24 weeks post randomization.
In comparison, only 1 patient (3%) in the placebo group (p=0.03) experienced such reduction. Adverse events were similar in both active treatment and placebo groups.
Interpretation: The results demonstrate that simvastatin plus vitamin D is effective for prevention of headache in adults with episodic migraine. Given statins ability to repair endothelial dysfunction, this economical approach may also reduce the increased risk for vascular diseases among migraineurs.
Wall St Journal reviewed the study Dec 14, 2015
See also VitaminDWiki
- Statins and vitamin D
"Simvastatin/Ezetimibe 10/10 mg increased Vitamin D levels 37%"
What was thought to be tension headaches in 3 girls were treated by Vitamin D - Feb 2016
Vitamin D deficiency mimicking chronic tension-type headache in children
BMJ Case Rep. 2016 Feb 2;2016. pii: bcr2015213833. doi: 10.1136/bcr-2015-213833.
Prakash S1, Makwana P1, Rathore C1.
Department of Neurology, Smt BK Shah Medical Institute and Research Centre, Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
Headache, musculoskeletal pain and vitamin D deficiency, with possible inter-relationship, are common in the general population. We report cases of three premenarchal girls presenting with chronic tension-type headache and generalised body pain. The patients did not show any response to conventional therapy for tension headache. Investigations showed a severe vitamin D deficiency and biochemical osteomalacia in all three patients. The headaches and musculoskeletal pain responded markedly to vitamin D therapy. We suggest that musculoskeletal pain and headache together in a patient may be part of a single symptom complex, with vitamin D deficiency being the possible cause.
2016 BMJ Publishing Group Ltd. PMID: 26838301
- Chronic tension-type headache with vitamin D deficiency: casual or causal association?
2009 study by same author
Melatonin reduced the frequency of Migraine Headaches by 2.7 times - May 2016 (nothing about vitamin D)
- 3 mg of Melatonin Greenmedinfo
"Melatonin was superior to amitriptyline in the percentage of patients with a greater than 50% reduction in migraine frequency."
"Melatonin 3 mg is better than placebo for migraine prevention, more tolerable than amitriptyline and as effective as amitriptyline 25 mg"
12 Proven Natural Therapies to Prevent and Relieve Migraines GreenMedInfo May 2016
- "The World Health Organization in 2007 estimated that migraine headaches are responsible for more lost years of healthy life in the U.S. than multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, ovarian cancer, and tuberculosis combined."
- "A meta-analysis of 21 studies found intravenous magnesium significantly relieved acute migraine within as little as 15 to 45 minutes. Oral magnesium also significantly alleviated the frequency and intensity of migraine."
Deficiencies of young Migraine patients - June 2016
Riboflavin, CoEnzyme Q10, Folate, and Vitamin D Deficiency in Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Migraine Patients
Hagler, S.E.1; OBrien, H.2; Kabbouche, M.2; Kacpierski, J.2; Hershey, A.1; Powers, S.W.3; Green, A.2
1Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA; 2Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, OH, USA; 3Headache Center and Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH; University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Results:
Riboflavin was measured in 7691 patients starting in December of 1998 (mean age 13.1 ± 3.4 years). The mean level of riboflavin was 16.6 ± 20.8 nmol/L (2-531.6) with 15.4% below the reference range and 40.9% with a level of 10 or less (the level at which we recommend supplementation).
CoQ10 was measured in 7116 patients starting in March of 2003 (mean age 13.1 ± 3.4 years). The mean level of total CoQ10 was 0.63 ± 0.26 mcg/mL (0.14-5.815) with 30.1% at or below 0.5 (lower limit of reference range) and 71.2% at or below 0.7 (the level at which we recommend supplementation).
Vitamin D was measured in 4569 patients starting in September of 2009 (mean age 13.4 ± 3.4 years). The mean level of vitamin D was 26.8 ± 10.9 ng/mL (4-95) with 88.9% at or below 40, 68.2% at or below 30 and 3.0% at or below 10.
Folate was measured in 121 patients starting in January, 2015 (mean age 13.4 ± 2.8 years). The mean level of folate was 22.2 ± 10.6 ng/mL (3.4-79.6) with 63.6% with a level of 20 or less. When only those patients with a diagnosis of migraine with aura (n=36) were examined, the mean level was 22.6 ± 11.6.
- - - - -
Note: This does not indicate if increasing any would reduce Migraine headaches
Note: It did not mention Magnesium nor Omega-3
Migraines, riboflavin, CoQ10, Vitamin D, and Magnesium - Mercola Sept 2016
The Vitamin Deficiency That Can Cause Migraines Mercola
- "Migraines are responsible for at least $20 billion each year in medical costs and lost work productivity."
- "Researchers took baseline levels of riboflavin, vitamin D, folate and coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). A high percentage of the children, teens and young adults had mild CoQ10, vitamin D and riboflavin deficiencies.14
- "Interestingly, they found young women and girls were more likely to experience a CoQ10 deficiency and boys were more likely to suffer from vitamin D deficiency."
- "The Association of Migraine Disorders recommends trying magnesium supplementation for at least three months to experience results. They also discuss supplementation with riboflavin and CoQ10."
- Green light makes Migraines worse, blue light reduces them
- Includes a video interview with transcript
Omega-3 helped reduced the # of migranes per month 80% vs 33% - RCT Jan 2017
- A double- blind, randomized, and placebo-controlled clinical trial with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (OPFA ɷ-3) for the prevention of migraine in chronic migraine patients using amitriptyline
Publisher wants $54 for the PDF
Download the PDF via ResearchGate from VitaminDWiki
Weekly headache 2X as likely if low vitamin D - Jan 2017
Science Daily 250 men aged 42-60, < 20 nanograms of vitamin D
article on Migraine Headaches in the New York Times - Sept 2017 (nothing about Vitamin D nor Magnesium)
Giving Migraine Treatments the Best Chance
- "Despite being the seventh leading cause of time spent disabled worldwide, migraine “has received relatively little attention as a major public health issue,”
- . . ."one woman in 25 has chronic migraines on more than 15 days a month."
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