Natural Treatments for Vestibular Migraine

When I originally wrote this post at the beginning of creating The Dizzy Cook almost 5 years ago, I was at the edge of wanting to start a family. The thought of having a baby when you’re dealing with chronic migraine can be overwhelming, but I also didn’t want to give up on that dream.

Because I knew it would be difficult to start a medication I might have to wean off of quickly due to pregnancy, I pressed my neurologist to focus on a vestibular migraine treatment plan that would have a focus on things I could continue during pregnancy and postpartum.

If you’re also trying to get pregnant, the plan can depend on the severity of your migraine attacks. You should discuss with your OB-GYN the risks of medicating while pregnant. Mine was very open about the risk, but for some of her patients that experience life-threatening conditions like seizures, it’s important for their own health to continue medication.

For me, the best option was to only use acute treatments at certain times, but to rely heavily on natural remedies for vestibular migraine.

I’ve been incredibly lucky that I’ve done well without using a lot of medication for the majority of my vestibular migraine treatment (outside of my preventative timolol malate eye drops). Even the weaning process off medication wasn’t horrible, although I did experience some pretty significant side effects from coming off of birth control.

It was tough for a month or two, but eventually evened out back to a good baseline. I really buckled down on the supplements below and the HYH diet during that time.

There are a few other magnesium types that are great for magnesium deficiency and chronic illness. Malate is said to be good for people with fibromyalgia or CFS. For people taking high doses, magnesium glycinate is really great since it is bonded to the amino acid glycine as opposed to citrate which is bonded to citric acid.

Glycine itself supports digestive and mental health, as well as having natural relaxing properties. This makes it an optimum form of magnesium for those with migraines or neurological issues. This is a great natural solution for vertigo. I find Metagenics makes me a little more sleepy, but more relaxed than Pure Encapsulations. Because of this, I like to take it at night before bed.

Another good option is magnesium threonate, which studies have shown is good for mental clarity, memory, and overall brain health. This one can be a lot more expensive and difficult to find. Pure Encapsulations makes one called CogniMag. I have ordered the 3 below and found all have great results. CogniMag has been a staple for me for years now and it has helped SO much with brain fog. I think the berry blend they add to it is the key as I’ve tried other brands with not as much success.

Many brands, like the popular Calm drink, contain magnesium citrate or magnesium oxide. If you’ve ever taken magnesium and had an upset stomach after, chances are you’re taking the citrate or oxide version. It has a laxative effect on many people.

Taking high amounts of magnesium, like the levels needed for migraine treatment, can sometimes cause gastrointestinal distress. This is why glycinate and threonate are often recommended as they typically don’t cause this issue (but sometimes they do for certain people!).

Where to order:

For US residents, take advantage of my supplement store which gives you an amazing discount on all the brands below. You can also order these on amazon at full price.

• Magnesium Threonate – CogniMag by Pure Encapsulations
• Magnesium Glycinate by Pure Encapsulations
• Metagenics Magnesium Glycinate 
• UK ONLY Magnesium Glycinate by Pure Encapsulations

Because your body can only absorb so much magnesium orally, I like to supplement with topical treatments like magnesium chloride salts and spray or lotion. My favorite brand is Ancient Minerals and if you browse their products they have a few that are for sensitive skin. Sometimes magnesium applied topically can cause itching and redness. 

Vitamin B2 – My neurologist told me this is one of the best vitamins you can take for migraine prevention and has been scientifically proven that it works. There’s even a study on it preventing migraine for children. Like magnesium, people with chronic migraine may be B2 deficient.

What’s really interesting to me is B2 deficiency has side effects of digestive problems. I had struggled with digestive problems before my migraine attacks began, which I attributed to stress, but any issues I had have since cleared after starting the supplements and diet.

Studies have shown that Riboflavin can cut the number of headache days, as well as reduce the length and severity of migraine. It’s also relatively low cost and has minimal risk of side effects.

The only downside is it’s tough to find a capsule without gelatin in it, and some of the foods it’s found in can be migraine triggers like soy, almonds, and yogurt! 400mg a day is recommended for migraine patients based on studies. The below brands are gelatin free and are not a part of a “b complex”.

Recommendations:

• Bluebonnet B2
• Seeking Health Riboflavin – 400mg (discounted) – If you don’t want to take 4 pills, these capsules contain 400mg and are gelatin free. I personally used to take these.
• UK ONLY Solgar B2 Riboflavin

CoQ10 helps the cells in your body produce energy, and is an antioxidant as well. Your body produces it naturally, but it can also be depleted by certain medications or just be low in general. Studies have shown it can reduce the frequency of migraines.

It’s great for those who struggle with the brain fog, memory problems, and mental clarity that comes from migraine attacks. This supplement has a few more side effects to worry about, like dizziness and rashes.

I began my migraine journey with CoQ10 in 300mg, but switched to Ubiquinol under the advice of my Reproductive Endocrinologist when I began fertility treatments. This is strictly from the perspective that it helps with egg quality, however, I found it also helped my vestibular migraine attacks more than CoQ10 did. So if you’re not finding success with regular CoQ10, definitely give Ubiquinol a try.

Below are some recommendations for CoQ10:

• NOW CoQ10 Veggie Capsules
• CoQ10 from Pure Encapsulations (discount)
• UK ONLY Doctors Best Veggie Capsules

For Ubiquinol, I struggled to find a brand without gelatin. Restorative Formulations is the best bet for ingredients and price. Pure Encapsulations is also an option, but just so expensive.

While on the topic of brain fog and mental clarity, maca has been a huge help for me during a period of time with vestibular migraine. It’s is a root vegetable from Peru that’s abundant in several vitamins and minerals which support the endocrine system.

While it’s mainly known for its ability to help balance hormones and improve sexual dysfunction, its energizing properties can also help with memory recall.

As I was transitioning off birth control and my hormones were trying to regulate, I put about 1/2 tsp of powder in my smoothie every morning. It really helped my hormonal migraines clear in about 2 weeks. The fact that it promotes fertility is a nice bonus!

Maca can be tough to digest, especially if you’re not used to it. I suggest keeping doses low at less than 1 teaspoon, or trying gelatinized maca which is supposed to be more gentle on the stomach. Gelatinized refers to the process and does not mean that it contains “gelatin” that’s derived from animals. Try it in a smoothie like this sunbutter maca smoothie.

If maca is interesting to you, you may also want to look into chasteberry as well, which can be helpful with hormone regulation. I personally took the Metagenics chasteberry.

• Powdered Maca
• Gelatinized Maca
• UK ONLY Maca

Vitamin E

My neurologist Dr. Shin Beh mentions in Victory Over Vestibular Migraine that 400IU of vitamin E daily the week of your period can be helpful for preventing menstrual migraine attacks. I’ve found this to personally be incredibly helpful as well.

In a study done on 72 women, 400IU vitamin E was given 2 days before the start of the menstrual cycle and 3 days after. After 2 months, patients reported an improvement in photophobia, phonophobia, and nausea, with significant differences in pain severity and functionality.

• Life Extension 400IU (contains gelatin)
• Deva Vegan Vitamin E 400IU (no gelatin)

Ginger Turmeric Tea Recipe – When things got really bad, my husband would make me a migraine fighting ginger turmeric tea. What’s nice is the flavor is more mild than a prepackaged tea and it’s easier on the stomach. You could also try these Ginger Turmeric Shots.

Use a turmeric root about the size of your pinky finger and ginger root half the size of what you used for the turmeric. Microplane both into a steeping container. Steep in hot water for 7-10 minutes. You can strain out the little bits and pieces if you’d like. Add a tiny bit of black pepper, which aids in the absorption of the anti-inflammatory curcumin in turmeric, and a little bit of honey to taste.

Need something cool? Try my anti-inflammatory smoothie recipe which readers say is the best migraine smoothie! It’s been known to bust an attack or bring down pain levels significantly, while being a way to get some food without making you feel more ill.

It’s not uncommon for vestibular migraine to cause anxiety or sleep issues. I struggled with it heavily after the birth of my son. Studies have shown that tryptophan can help with migraine prevention as well as anxiety relief and sleep.

This was a supplement I tried under the advice of my doctor, however, there are some medications it can interfere with. If tryptophan supplements aren’t for you, there are ways to incorporate it into your diet naturally through foods like chicken, turkey, cheese, and oats.

Massage Therapy and Chiropractic

I did try out acupuncture for a few weeks, and I can’t say I had overwhelmingly noticeable results. For me, it wasn’t worth the cost to keep up. I noticed a much larger difference by scheduling a massage therapy session at least 1-2 times a month. While it’s expensive, I feel like it’s worth it in my cost/benefit analysis. It relaxes my neck muscles, promotes healing and mental clarity, allows me to fully relax, and is an all-natural treatment. I consider it my “preventative medication”. 

My biggest recommendation is to find a massage therapist that you connect with. When looking for one, ask if they see patients with migraine and if they perform reflexology. My massage therapist performs acupressure, reflexology, deep-tissue, and occasionally cupping during my session. She also wraps my head to make it feel more secure and we do various grounding techniques for any increased dizziness.

For chiropractic care, it’s important to do research and go with your gut feeling. A lot of chiropractors will claim they can cure your migraine attacks. Some of my readers have reported success with Atlas Orthogonality. I personally don’t feel safe doing neck adjustments.

Some neurology clinics even have chiropractic care available as an affiliate or on-staff. I saw a larger improvement using regular massage therapy over chiropractic care, but these things can be entirely personal.

Green Light Therapy

• Allay Lamp – This lamp emits a specific wavelength of green light that’s been studied to reduce the severity of migraine attacks and light sensitivity. 
• Migraine glasses can help reduce symptoms. Avulux in particular uses green light therapy (discount is THEDIZZYCOOK).

Mental Health

For an acute treatment, there are breathing techniques and affirmations you can use to get through. Telling yourself that you are safe, using visualization, or cognitive behavioral therapy can all be helpful tools. There are many free resources on Youtube, but I recommend finding a therapist who can work with you one on one.

Multivitamins and Prenatal Vitamins

My prenatal vitamin journey has been a doozy. My OB-GYN gave me a few multi-vitamins to test out so I can find one I like that works well with my migraines. Who knew it would be so difficult to find prenatal vitamins without additives?

I switched from Pure Encapsulations PreNatal to MamaBird PreNatal because after going through recurring miscarriage and infertility, genetic testing showed I had the MTHFR gene. This means you cannot absorb folic acid properly, and need folate or methylfolate versions. I switched from MamaBird to Ritual when MamaBird changed the formula that was working for me. Ritual gave me awful fishy burps.

With George, I settled on Seeking Health Prenatal and the only thing I hated about it is it’s 6 pills a day! When I was pregnant with Lila, I went with Thorne Prenatal and was very happy with it.

For a general multivitamin, I recommend Pure Encapsulations ONE. A lot of followers do well with it.