If you suffer from chronic headaches, you would probably do nearly anything to prevent them. We know people who don’t drink wine or eat chocolate because doing so might trigger a migraine. One reader discovered quite by accident that a supplement could prevent chronic headaches.
Effects of Vitamin D Supplements:
Q. Years ago, a blood test indicated my vitamin D was low. My doctor put me on a supplement.
When I told her at the next visit that the vitamin D had cured my chronic headaches, she said, “I doubt it.” I didn’t doubt it.
All my adult life, I’d had headaches once every month or two. They were severe enough to put me to bed for half a day and usually lingered another day or two even with over-the-counter painkillers.
After I started taking vitamin D, I never had another one of those headaches.
Vitamin D Against Chronic Headaches:
A. New research confirms your experience. Finnish researchers measured blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in over 2600 middle-aged men (Scientific Reports, online Jan. 3, 2017). Those with the lowest levels were twice as likely to suffer chronic headaches as men with the highest levels.
We don’t know how higher blood levels of vitamin D might prevent chronic headaches. Your experience, however, suggests that supplementation might be a useful approach.
You’ll find more information about the consequences of low vitamin D levels in our Guide to Vitamin D Deficiency. It also describes the range of levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D that may be optimal. You may also be interested in our Guide to Headaches & Migraines for other ideas on how to prevent chronic headaches.
