24 Comments on “Garlic and my headache”

1. Megan said at 5:29 pm on July 31st, 2002:

   All i know is that asparagus makes your pee smell bad. I learned that from Austin Powers yesterday. How sad.

2. grijn said at 5:29 pm on July 31st, 2002:

   my girl, Laura, gets extremely dehydrated from eating garlic, esp. real garlic all nice and chopped in big chunks.. me, not so bad, but i can feel it when i eat a bunch of it.. but hey, screw it. life is short, were relatively young, and garlic is just damn good for you. esp. roasted in tinfoil with a bit of olive oil and salt and yummyness.

   oh and she’s not really “MY” girl, I got her on loan from herself.

3. Chris said at 4:54 pm on July 13th, 2009:

   GARLIC can ABSOLUTELY cause headaches. And not only from eating it, but even smelling it can cause headaches. I’m suffering from one right now after just cooking with garlic – didn’t even eat it yet. I’ve had this reaction to garlic my entire life, though I stubbornly still eat it because I love the taste. YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!!

4. James said at 7:18 am on July 15th, 2009:

   I get terrible migraines after eating garlic. Most of my migraines I can treat, but migraines from garlic cause me to suffer no matter what I try. I’m trying to figure out why, this is how I found your post. There does not seem to be much information on it.

5. Michelle said at 8:52 am on July 18th, 2009:

   I ate two cloves of garlic last night and got the most severe headache.. i had to throw up. The reason I ate the garlic was to kill parasites if any. My friend had a parasite that caused many things, bloating, fatique, low energy, mood swings. She removed a big one. I was feeling some of these things so i went on line and they said garlic kills them. I eat sushi so I read statistics , I must have them. ANyway i am ot allergic to garlic at all but last night I reacted horribly ..could the parasites be the link to the nausea and extreme headache? I think so..

6. Luis Antonio said at 4:04 pm on August 5th, 2009:

   I’m so glad i found this info, cause i have told several people that i get a headache everytime i consume Garlic. Thanks people for the info, now to find out why?

7. Steve Woodhams said at 5:13 am on November 23rd, 2009:

   Garlic can cause a headache, sometimes severe in some people. I believe I am right in saying it is because garlic thins the blood.

   So as well as being good for people with circulation problems, it can cause problems for people with mildly high blood pressure, as increased blood flow CAN cause headache / migraine.

8. majhoul said at 5:13 am on December 10th, 2010:

   hi guys , i am so happy to know it is common but any one did get a good answer.
   i went to a doctor for this case and he said that i should not eat garlic.
   he gave me zantac ,damperidone and panadol.
   this was not comforting to me and i still look for answers how to overcome this and why it happen.
   i used to consume lots of garlic earlier with no problems why now?

9. Tom Nistler said at 1:47 pm on December 20th, 2010:

   Garlic can definitely cause headaches as I’ve had many until I realized garlic was causing them. Garlic does a great job expanding your blood vessels. If there is a nerve close by the expanded blood vessel, it puts pressure on the nerve and causes an excrutiating headache lasting 12 – 16 hours, which is no fun. Since I quit garlic, I’ve never had another one of that nature.

10. Lilly said at 5:14 pm on February 24th, 2011:

    Oh my God! So I’m not alone! I thought something is wrong with me. I wanted to eat garlic because I read how much it help the body fight germs and I need it these days. The moment I swallowed it, my body temperature went up and my head exploded. It hurts so bad! What is the cause??? Does it cause bloating, too? Cause my stomach isn’t very happy either!

11. Michelle said at 11:42 pm on March 6th, 2011:

    My 14 year old son got a severe migraine headache shortly after eating Papa John’s Pizza. He had fought me for the garlic dipping sauce. He has never had headaches or migraines before. Thanks for the info.

12. Patricia said at 10:51 pm on July 12th, 2011:

    garlic and onion’s can cause headache’s in anyone young or old, but not everyone, i suffer from headache’s every time i eat onion’s but garlic even just a small amount put’s me in bed for at lease 3 day’s, i stay away from it as much as i can, make’s going out to dinner hard because i have to ask if there is garlic in whatever i choise, sure wish there was cure, i love the tast and miss the flavor.

13. Gresham said at 3:25 am on September 2nd, 2011:

    I’ve been in and out of Doctor and Dentist’s offices for a little over a year now. They keep throwing drugs at me but nothing seems to work. I decided that I would just change everything that I do on a regular basis and see what happens. I had mentioned to my wife that I think it could be garlic or onions. I stopped garlic and onions and the headaches stopped. I did not want to believe this because I love the two so I made a really strong garlic and onion dinner last night… now I’m dying. Thanks for the blog, I’ll mention it to my Doctor.

14. amit said at 10:07 am on October 14th, 2011:

    Hi all

    Garlic is well known for its flavour enhancing quality as well as several medicinal uses. It has been claimed by many many folks that it cures cancer. However garlic supplementation is to be used with caution as it is a very potent herb contatining sulphur compounds. One study 3 years ago by a doctor ( Bob something) said that it kills brain cells and slows the brain. However, even i think i get headaches from it so for now i am stopping it as a daily med…( i guess i will take something else to help my cholestrol). prolonged use over a few days of raw garlic can also cause diarrhea( it may kill even the good bacteria in tummy) . Use it in moderation unless you have a med condition which can be really reversed with garlic.

    good luck! and best wishes!

15. emma king said at 4:51 pm on October 15th, 2011:

    I love garlic and I eat it most nites with my partner,last nite we ate quite a lot with our dinner and now I am suffering so bad with a migraine couldn’t understand what was causing this pain,now I know its garlic its such a strange and painful feeling in my head,definitely not like any normal headache. Thanx for the help guys!! XX

16. Tanis Hignell-Bowman said at 6:10 am on January 15th, 2012:

    I get really bad headaches, after reading the comments above, I think garlic could be the cause.
    You mention garlic causes the blood vessels to swell, causing sever pain in the head. I eat a lot of garlic and suffer with sever headaches on a regular basis. The headache feels like I have blocked sinuses and causes severe pain above my eyes and temples. I had my sinuses checked, the doctor said there was nothing wrong.
    The only tablet that relieves the pain is Imigran, I understand these pills reduce swelling of the blood vessels.
    I also use shalotts in salad dressing, could this also contribute to my headaches.
    Regards
    Tanis.

17. Ian G said at 3:06 pm on January 29th, 2012:

    Hello
    I used to only get the problem when I ate stupid amounts of garlic over multiple meals.
    Lately less seems to mess.
    Nothing medicinal cures it for me.
    Latest, got it from making beef mince on Friday – threw in two pots of BOGOF sauces – so no idea how much garlic – Saturday from 2am onwards piercing migraine and deadly nausea.
    At daybreak, forced myself to go walking in fresh air, a can of ginger beer helped the nausea a bit, branded paracetemol and ibuprofen migraine cure at £7+ no help.
    Sunglasses did most good – even when cloudy, or indoors.
    On way home popped into health food shop, bought some feverfew, popped a couple with some strong beer in pub – tactic was to drink a few so as to ensure a deep slumber – feverfew shaved about 20% off of migraine.
    Waiting for bus, people complaining how cold it was (about 3C), I’d had my coat open all day and was giving out heat like a furnace.
    Sleep was so deep that I missed Brighton beating Newcastle in FA cup – shows how much I needed to close my eyes.
    Now two days later and still have slight headache.
    I love garlic, but I won’t eat it knowingly any more.
    Cheers
    Ian

18. Johnny Rocko said at 3:38 am on February 9th, 2012:

    To reduce the chance of a galic induced headache cut the garlic in half lengthways, take out and discard the green(ish) central root. Use as normal but do not let the garlic burn.

19. michelle said at 6:46 pm on February 15th, 2012:

    My head is throbbing! Thanks garlic, I know it was you!!!

20. Tina said at 12:15 am on February 17th, 2012:

    I love Garlic and suffer from Migraines!! I am in denial that its actually the garlic!! I get a 3 day migraine if I eat garlic dishes from a restaurant… not sure why I am convinced it a persavative used with the garlic. Usually if I taste it the next day I will get a migraine. But when I use fresh garlic, or the minced garlic in a jar, or the garlic salt at home…..no problems. I have been trying to find out what chemicals/ingrediant they use but no luck! my migraines last a full 3 days yet I can’t not eat garlic. I sprinkle it on everything!!

21. Lynn said at 10:27 pm on March 8th, 2012:

    OMG I get terrible headaches all the time. I just have to sleep for two days. I was thinking it was pre-menopausal or something. I was really trying to track it, take health food supplements, just trying everything. Now tonight my husband made spaghetti with a ton of garlic in it. I still keep tasting it. And go figure a major headache is coming on. Oh man, I can’t sleep for the next two days, I’m too far behind at work. Yikes. At least now I know what might be causing these headaches. Thanks everyone!

22. Harley said at 1:53 am on March 9th, 2012:

    I Love garlic but it gives me horrible migraines when I eat an overload when I’m trying to cleans or fight a virus. In moderation its fine

23. Shawn said at 5:38 pm on April 7th, 2012:

    I guess this is the answer to my little problem. So from now on don’t eat too much of it with my steak and it should be ok, I hope! I love the taste of garlic, but I do not love the headaches that almost always seem to appear after eating it in large quantities. Thank goodness for the internet.

24. Prettygirl Box said at 3:37 pm on April 10th, 2012:

    So glad to know what has caused these terrible headaches…….garlic!! I will miss you, but the headaches has to gooooo!

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