• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Johns Hopkins Lupus Center

Show Search
Hide Search
  • About The Center
    • Meet Dr. Petri
  • Lupus Primer
    • Basics of Lupus
    • Causes of Lupus
    • Lupus Signs, Symptoms, and Co-occuring Conditions
    • How is lupus diagnosed?
    • How Lupus Affects the Body
    • Lifestyle and Additional Information
    • Lupus Disease Eduation Video Series
  • Lupus Tests
    • Antiphospholipid Antibodies
    • Lupus Blood Tests
    • Screening Laboratory Tests
    • Other Clinical Tests
  • Lupus Treatment
    • Lupus Medications and Treatment Options
    • Common Medications for Other Conditions in People with Lupus
  • Appointment Information
Home / Lupus Primer / How Lupus Affects the Body / Nervous System / Migraine Prevention Diet

Migraine Prevention Diet

About 20% of patients with lupus have migraine-like headaches. The following list outlines a program designed to mitigate such headaches. This list is taken directly from a handout prepared by Dr. David Buchholz, MD.

Foods to Avoid:

  • Caffeine: Coffee, tea (hot or iced), cola; even decaf coffee and tea may be a problem; try caffeine-free herbal tea
  • Chocolate
  • Cheese: Avoid all cheeses except American, cream, and cottage cheese. Avoid cheese-containing foods such as pizza and macaroni-and-cheese.
  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Chinese restaurant food, many snack foods and prepared foods, Accent and other seasoning products; MSG may be labeled as hydrolyzed vegetable/soy/plant protein, natural flavorings, yeast extract, Kombu, “broth,” “stock,” and others; read labels – note: “hydrogenated” is OK)
  • Certain Dairy Products: Yogurt, sour cream, and buttermilk.
  • Nuts: All, including nut butters (e.g., peanut butter)
  • Processed meats: Those that are aged, canned, cured, marinated, tenderized, or contain nitrates or nitrites; includes hot dogs, sausage, bacon, salami, bologna
  • Alcohol and vinegar: Especially red wine, champagne, and dark/heavy drinks; vodka is best tolerated; white vinegar is OK
  • Citrus fruits and juices: No oranges, grapefruits, lemons, limes, pineapples, or juices from these fruits. Vitamin C and citric acid are OK
  • Certain other fruits: Avoid bananas, raisins, red plums, canned figs, and avocados.
  • Certain vegetables: Avoid lima, fava, and navy beans, and pea pods, sauerkraut, and onions.
  • Certain bread products: No yeast-risen bread products less than one day old – such as those from bakery, doughnut shop, or home
  • Aspartame (Nutrasweet)

Over-the-counter Medications to Avoid

  • Caffeine-containing medications: Excedrin, Anacin, etc.
  • “Sinus”/decongestant medications: Actifed, Sudafed, Dimetapp, Sine-Aid, Dristan, and all other “sinus” and cold products that contain decongestants; plain antihistamines without decongestants are OK

Notes

  • The migraine prevention program may not be maximally effective until you have been on it for at least 1 month. Caffeine withdrawal may be associated with temporarily increasing headaches.
  • In some cases, this dietary program alone may not adequately control migraine symptoms. In such cases, avoidance of certain other medications (e.g., birth control pills) and addition of migraine-preventive medication may be advisable.
  • Even if you take migraine medication, you should follow this program. Without this program, migraine-preventive medication may not work to its full potential.
  • You should strictly follow this program until your migraine symptoms are adequately controlled. Then, you may wish to ‘experiment’ with an item you have been avoiding, one item at a time, so that you can assess its individual effect on your symptoms. If eating or drinking an item is associated with recurrent symptoms, you should continue avoiding that item. Dietary triggers can act 1-2 days after consumption.
  • Take a high-potency multivitamin daily.

Source

David Buchholz, MD. “Migraine (Headache) Prevention Program.” 2001.

Receive the Latest News from Johns Hopkins Rheumatology

Receive the Latest News from Johns Hopkins Rheumatology

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from Johns Hopkins Rheumatology.

Interested In

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Use of this Site

All information contained within the Johns Hopkins Lupus Center website is intended for educational purposes only. Physicians and other health care professionals are encouraged to consult other sources and confirm the information contained within this site. Consumers should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something they may have read on this website.

Primary Sidebar

  • Types of Lupus
  • Basics of Lupus
  • Causes of Lupus
  • Lupus Symptoms
  • How is lupus diagnosed?
  • How Lupus Affects the Body
  • Lifestyle and Additional Information

Dr. George Stojan sitting in a chair against a brick wall discussing Lupus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (“SLE” or “lupus”) can be overwhelming and mysterious at times. In this video series, Dr. Stojan of the Johns Hopkins Lupus Center shares an overview of this disease, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and lifestyle considerations.

Footer

Johns Hopkins Rheumatology

  • Johns Hopkins Rheumatology
  • Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center
  • Johns Hopkins Lyme Disease Research Center
  • Johns Hopkins Myositis Center
  • Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center
  • Johns Hopkins Sjögren’s Syndrome Center
  • Johns Hopkins Vasculitis Center

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
U.S. News and World Report Rankings Badge

Johns Hopkins Medicine

© 2023 Johns Hopkins Lupus Center
Patient Privacy