Feb 13, 2009 7:00 pm US/Eastern
For Some, Valentine's Day Migraines Unavoidable
Chocolate, Perfume, Wine All Can Trigger Headaches; Doctor: Advise Loved One To Buy Something Else
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
In case you've forgotten Saturday is Valentine's Day and chances are you're thinking of giving your sweetie chocolates, or maybe perfume.
But for some people those gifts could turn a romantic dream day into a nightmare.
Ah, Valentine's Day -- where cupid works his magic on couples with a little help, of course, from chocolate, or perfume and wine at a romantic dinner.
But instead of romance, these traditional Valentine's gifts can spell disaster for people with migraines.
"I start out feeling very nauseous, and I get a piercing headache usually on one side of my head," Amy Lapa Stochel said. "It's very hard to concentrate."
It turns out the very things that make Valentine's Day romantic for most people, read like a list of migraine triggers.
"The classic list of food triggers include chocolate, aged cheese, nuts, MSG-containing foods," said Dr. Larry Newman of Roosevelt Hospital Headache Institution. "Some people have problems with NutraSweet or other artificial sweeteners. Red wine and any alcoholic beverage can do it."
This can make things tough for Stochel's husband, Steven, although it can have a silver lining.
"We don't have to buy roses on Valentine's Day, which could be a little hefty especially in this, in this economy," Steven Stochel said.
Newman gives all his patients migraine medicine to take as soon as a headache strikes, but he said the best approach is avoiding triggers -- which may require a little diplomacy with your loved one.
"Be up front and say, 'Listen, please don't get me these things. Let's not do this. Here's something that we can both enjoy, and it won't ruin my day,'" Dr. Newman said.
"I said there's other nice things," Amy said. "Cards work really well. They don't smell bad. Just having him around."
Just remember that forgetting or ignoring Valentine's Day can cause a different kind of headache, one that medicine won't fix. Oh, and there's one sure gift that has never been shown to trigger migraines -- jewelry.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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