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What Causes Pain At Back Of Head After Eating?

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Posted on Wed, 11 Mar 2015
Question: I get headache at the back after taking food.I have this for a very long time
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Rovena (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
detailed below.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome to Healthcare Magic.

I read carefully your query and understand your concern.

If this has been going on for a long time and every time you eat,then it needs evaluation to understand the cause.

There are some possible causes for such headache that should be taken in consideration including:
1)A condition called reactive hypoglicemia (postprandial hypoglicemia) which is a condition when the blood sugar is too low after food intake.This happen when you take foods very high in sugar that induces a massive release of insulin to use this amount of sugar and causing hypoglicemia.In this case you also may feel tired ,weak and the symptoms resolve for 30min to 1 hour.

2)Slight high blood pressure after eating salty foods.It would be great if you could measure your blood pressure when you have the symptoms.
A possible cause of such hypertension is Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland)

3)It might be a type of migraine headache triggered from certain foods .Known foods that can lead to a migraine headache include foods that contain tyramine like yogurt,buttermilk,blue cheese,sour cream or other foods like bananas,soy sauce,citrus fruits,chocolate etc.

4) Some times food allergies are responsible for such headache.Most common foods that can cause allergy are eggs,chocolate ,oranges,wheat.

I would suggest to run some tests to exclude some common causes:
-Complete blood count
-Thyroid function tests ( fT3,fT4,TSH)
-Blood sugar and Glucose tolerance test
You should do some diet changes :
-Avoid foods that contain sugar and very salty foods.Try to eat small frequent meals instead of 3 major meals.Eat slowly and drink plenty of water.

Try to do an elimination diet to understand if specific foods are related to
Avoid a type of foods (i.e diary) for some days and see if the headaches improve and continue with other types of food.Once discovered what causes your headache ,avoiding this food can be the treatment.


Hope it is helpful to you.
Let me know if you have any other question or doubt to clarify.I will be happy to assist you further.

Kind regards,
Dr.Rovena Murati
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Dr. Rovena (6 hours later)
Thanks for answering..which specialist should i approach for the above tests..
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Rovena (4 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
detailed below.

Detailed Answer:
Hello again!

You are totally welcome.

Your General Physician can order these tests and if there is something wrong he can address you to a Endocrinologist or to a Gastroenterologist depending on the possible cause.

Wish you all the best.
Take care.

Dr.Rovena
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Dr. Rovena

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2013

Answered : 1243 Questions

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What Causes Pain At Back Of Head After Eating?

Brief Answer: detailed below. Detailed Answer: Hello! Welcome to Healthcare Magic. I read carefully your query and understand your concern. If this has been going on for a long time and every time you eat,then it needs evaluation to understand the cause. There are some possible causes for such headache that should be taken in consideration including: 1)A condition called reactive hypoglicemia (postprandial hypoglicemia) which is a condition when the blood sugar is too low after food intake.This happen when you take foods very high in sugar that induces a massive release of insulin to use this amount of sugar and causing hypoglicemia.In this case you also may feel tired ,weak and the symptoms resolve for 30min to 1 hour. 2)Slight high blood pressure after eating salty foods.It would be great if you could measure your blood pressure when you have the symptoms. A possible cause of such hypertension is Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland) 3)It might be a type of migraine headache triggered from certain foods .Known foods that can lead to a migraine headache include foods that contain tyramine like yogurt,buttermilk,blue cheese,sour cream or other foods like bananas,soy sauce,citrus fruits,chocolate etc. 4) Some times food allergies are responsible for such headache.Most common foods that can cause allergy are eggs,chocolate ,oranges,wheat. I would suggest to run some tests to exclude some common causes: -Complete blood count -Thyroid function tests ( fT3,fT4,TSH) -Blood sugar and Glucose tolerance test You should do some diet changes : -Avoid foods that contain sugar and very salty foods.Try to eat small frequent meals instead of 3 major meals.Eat slowly and drink plenty of water. Try to do an elimination diet to understand if specific foods are related to Avoid a type of foods (i.e diary) for some days and see if the headaches improve and continue with other types of food.Once discovered what causes your headache ,avoiding this food can be the treatment. Hope it is helpful to you. Let me know if you have any other question or doubt to clarify.I will be happy to assist you further. Kind regards, Dr.Rovena Murati