B-Complex Vitamins And Migraines

B-Complex Vitamins And Migraines

Pounding pain on one side of the head, nausea, tingling in the limbs, blind spots, or flashes of light – these are all migraine symptoms; one of the most debilitating types of headaches known to man. Migraines affect more women than men and can be triggered by a number of factors. Moreover, the severity and frequency of these headaches depend on each individual’s body composition and lifestyle.

That’s why migraines have baffled scientists for years – they can’t put their finger on a specific type of cure to treat migraines or, better yet, prevent them entirely. Therefore, they have looked at drugs that are meant for other ailments and put them to work on migraines. It proved to be a step in the right direction but had some restricting conditions.

For example, to treat them once migraines hit, you need to take over-the-counter or prescribed medications to stop the pain and alleviate the symptoms, but since they’re originally non-migraine, they tend to have serious side-effects.

In addition, if you want to prevent migraines, there are more than a handful of ways to go about it – meditation, acupuncture, massages, regular moderate exercise, scheduled eating, and sleeping routine and herbal treatments.

Researchers also found that those suffering from vitamin deficiencies, especially vitamin B group, are more likely to suffer from migraines.

All B vitamins are water-soluble which means our bodies don’t store it; they’re excreted as soon as they’re metabolized. That’s why most people are vitamin B-deficient.

Studies show that taking high doses of vitamin B can help decrease the recurrence of migraines almost twice as fast as other types of preventative treatments. The trick is to find how much vitamin B each person needs according to his or her genetic makeup.

Generally speaking, everyone needs 2 mg of folic acid, 25 mg of vitamin B6, 400 mg of vitamin B2, and 400 micrograms of B12, but it could vary according to your personal needs.

However, there are certain medications that don’t go well with vitamin B6 especially, so talk to your doctor before taking vitamin B6 supplements to treat your migraines. In addition, some people can’t fully absorb vitamin B12; in that case, injections may prove helpful.

Riboflavin (vitamin B2) has been found to lessen the severity of migraine attacks, and it barely has any side effects at all, except for turning the color of your urine to bright yellow – which compared to the migraines, isn’t a bad exchange.

Medical experts recommend that you break down the daily dose of 400 mg into half. “Take two 100mg tablets at a time twice per day,” says Clifford Segil, D.O., a neurologist at Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

Conclusion

Migraines can turn a productive day into a painful, exhausting day. They can enfeeble you and wear you out. However, luckily once you get to fully know how and when your migraines start, you can start looking for ways to put an end on them entirely.

Taking vitamin B complex supplements is safe and cheap, and has great results when it comes to preventing migraines, abating symptoms, and stopping them once they start.