Hey Mamas - I've got a question. Of course it's the weekend and I can't call my doctor until Monday. I've been diagnosed anemic and am on my first month of iron pills. Last month, my monthly cycle brought a 5 day AWEFUL headache. I wasn't sure if it was allergies, my cycle or something else. I just started again and it has come with a headache. I'm thinking it may have something to do with the anemia. Any suggestions to help - any foods I should eat that may help? Pain meds do nothing for it. Thanks for any help you can give.
Iron and Herbs liquid by Floradix, available at Whole Foods and health food stores, is amazing. The Iron in it is from food sources so it is easy to absorb and non-constipating. You feel the difference the day you take it. The price has gone up a lot since it was on the Oprah show.
Good morning J.,
go to 408193.heartland.net no www click on product. Then look fo Essentials for Life.I use to be anemia and that took care of it without any side effects.It will take care of all you nutrition problems. Good luck and God Bless.
J. G
I started having awful headaches associated with my cyle -- and started reading about my problems (on my headache-free days) I discovered I was having a progestrone drop and started using a rub on cream from day 10 to day 26 - 28 of my cycle. (counting the day I start as day 1)
I use Arbonne Phyto-Prolief - $34 for a 3 month supply. I'm down to having about 1 headache per year now, instead of one or two a month. If you'd like, I'll send a pamphlet and ordering information. I've been using it several years now, and am VERY pleased with the results. I'll need your snail mail address -- send to ____@____.com
A. Evans
I have a friend who is a naturopathic doctor. She told me to start cooking in a iron skillet because a small amount of iron is released into the food. Also, if you check Albertson's website they have the nutritional information for the entire produce section so you can choose the foods with higher iron content. :)
J., You mentioned that the headaches come when your cycle comes so the anemia may not be the culprit. I would take tylenol or advil or some other ibrurofen pills when you get a headache while on your cycle and keep taking the iron pills as prescribed.
My guess is that there isn't a direct correlation between taking the iron and your headaches. One thing to consider is that anyone with anemia should really be screened for celiac disease (anemia tops the list of symptoms). You can get tested on your own here:
www.enterolab.com
Magnesium can be extremely helpful for headaches (and muscle cramps) as it helps muscles to relax. And, I think there is some interaction between iron and magnesium, which may cause the iron to bind with/use some of the magnesium, thus causing the headaches while on iron - i.e., the iron may be depleting your magnesium.
BUT, you still need the iron and likely would benefit from adding Magnesium. There's a good brand called Natural Calm that you can take at nite to help sleep. The majority of Americans are deficient in magnesium. One reason is this obsession that we need more calcium and those two balance one another. So, anyone that takes (or consumes) alot of calcium should also take magnesium.
Dear J.,
First, I suggest that you check your blood pressure. High BP can cause bad headaches. If that's the problem, and your BP is incredibly high, go straight to an emergency room, so they get it down. Assuming that's not the problem, in addition to over the counter headache meds, you might try my "headache torture treatment", as my husband calls it. Lay down with your feet up and cover yourself with a blanket to keep your body warm. Put a heating pad (set on low) behind your neck and a chill pack (or a package of frozen peas) on your forehead and over your eyes. If you can't stand to do both at the same time (the hot and cold), just do the cold. Now for the good part--pretend you are on a tropical island. The warm sun is shining on your body, but your head is under a palm tree (warm body, cool head). Try to relax.
I also suggest Excedrin Migraine. I think it's the best OTC headache med. One word of advice--it has tons of caffeine in it, so take it early in the day, not late.
I hope this helps, at least temporarily, until you can talk to your doctor.
The "Headache Queen",
Deb D
HI J., I am anemic too. I did not like the SlowFe iron pills. So I make sure to drink lot of tap water, broccoli,kale, beans, yogurt, cheese. Best of health to you!
J., I feel your pain. I too am anemic (have been my whole life) and do get terrible headaches during my cycle. I have combination of Thalacymia Minor (type of inherited anemia) and iron deficiency; my blood does not absorb iron the way it should. All of the women in my family on my mom's side suffer from this. In our case, no amount of iron helps us b/c it doesn't get absorbed. My cousin was on iron shots for years... never helped. My sister has even gotten transfusions. I just live with it. I even "drank" liquid iron in pregnancy to no avail. When I get the headaches, I take the regular medicine... nothing really helps. Usually just sleep will ease off the pain. Also, menstrual migraines is a common problem for women. I often debate whether or not what I have is from the anemia (obviously losing blood complicates anemia and makes the symptoms worse, including headache, fatigue, and low appetite) or if it is menstrual migraines, or both! Just know that you are NOT ALONE.
