Fragrances and Migraines....Help!

I am not a doctor or qualified in any other field of medicine. If not wearing fragrances on a particular day stops the migranes that day, it suggests to me a direct reaction from breathing them in (or possibly from having them on your skin) rather than any kind of slow build up. Maybe it is an alergic reaction? I don't know anything about migranes and how they are caused. Maybe if you experiment carefully you can find particular frags which don't cause the reaction (maybe it is particlar ingredients, maybe try some completely natural and some completely synthetic) but at the end of the day if it is affecting your life so much maybe its best just to stop wearing them. I really enjoy fragrance but wouldn't put up with this sort of trouble for them. Good luck with this.

From the Headache Center of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA.
Address all correspondence to Leslie Kelman, MD, Headache Center of Atlanta, 5671 Peachtree Dunwoody Road, Suite 620, Atlanta, GA 30342.

(Headache 2004;44:1019-1023)
Abstract

Objectives.This study assesses osmophobia and taste abnormality for the first time in a large sample of migraine patients.

Methods.Seven hundred and twenty seven migraineurs were evaluated. Osmophobia, taste abnormality, and perfume or odor trigger were graded from 0 to 3.
Leslie Kelman MD (2004)

Osmophobia and Taste Abnormality in Migraineurs: A Tertiary Care Study
Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain 44 (10), 10191023.

Results.In patients with data, 24.7% of 673 patients complained of osmophobia (12.5% occasional, 7% frequent, and 5.2% very frequent) and 24.6% of 505 of taste abnormality (13.5% occasional, 6.1% frequent, and 5.0% very frequent). Perfume or odor trigger of acute migraine occurred in 45.5% of 724 patients (22.7% occasional, 10.2% frequent, and 12.6% very frequent). Perfume or odor trigger was associated with osmophobia in 61.5% and taste abnormality 62.1%. Osmophobia without taste abnormality occurred in 28.3% and taste abnormality without osmophobia in 40.3%. A greater percentage of females than males had osmophobia (25.7 vs. 17.5), taste abnormality (25.4 vs. 17.9), and perfume or odor trigger (49.3 vs. 22.1), all P< .0001.

Conclusions.Osmophobia and taste abnormality occur in about one quarter of migraineurs during an acute migraine attack while perfume or odor trigger migraine in almost 50% of patients. Osmophobia and taste abnormality in the acute migraine attack, as well as perfumes or odor as a migraine trigger, are more common in females than in males.

from wikipedia:
"Osmophobia or olfactophobia refers to a fear, aversion, or psychological hypersensitivity to smells or odors. The phobia generally occurs in chronic migraine sufferers who may have odor triggered migraines. Such migraines are most frequently triggered by foul odors, but the hypersensitivity may extend to all odors. One study found as many as 25% of migraine sufferers had some degree of osmophobia.

Some migraineurs treat their migraines with some success using pleasant odors, such as mint or lavender."

Not an expert on this, but from the medical database I checked there seems to be a number of studies on odor/perfume and migraine. Perhaps you should ask your doctor about this.

For me, there are certain triggers, with tonka bean in large amounts being one of them. Too much straight amber can also do it, as can some cocoas. I just have to try each frag out and suffer through the consequences to find which ones do and which ones don't give me headaches. (For me, it's been well worth it, and I've pretty much got it all figured out now.)
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You should probably avoid department store fragrances for now. That usually solves it. Try some niche brand perfumery (or have you already?). Many niche/artisan houses don't use the irritating synthetic chemicals that are present in most designer brands. Most designer brand fragrances are a chemical soup with very little, if any, natural aromatic material. Not that they don't smell good, but sometimes our bodies go "what the #&*@ is this stuff?" and react... like getting a headache.

Most department store fragrances will give me a headache if I'm around them for too long (not a migraine though, I've never had one). That's one reason why I avoided fragrances for so long... then I got exposed to real French perfumery and realized that niche and artisan fragrances almost never cause problems.

Plus you get the added benefit of smelling unique because almost noone you know will have the same fragrance.

For years I would have migraines and made no connection to my colognes causing them. I now have a nice list of frags that guaranteed to knock me on my ass:

Horizon
Safari
CK One
CK Be
Kenzo
Blue Jeans
Cool Water
Herrera for Men
Eternity
Hollister Jake

Is there one ingredient that these share in common? Maybe I could nail that down and then know what to avoid in the future. Thanks.

I think migraine and overspraying go hand in hand.

I would be interested to read how much you spray...

I know several people who have gone through this same thing. Over-exposure to certain chemicals used in fragrances can definitely cause this, but other things can too. The best way to ascertain whether it's from the fragrances is to stop wearing them for a week and see what happens. Try to wear less, as well.


If you feel better after that, then try wearing niche house/natural brand fragrances only for a while. It would be very difficult for fragrances from companies like Santa Maria Novella to cause headaches, but typical frags from department stores can induce them immediately in some people.

One girl I know was told by her doctor to avoid fragrances for a year and a half... which she had to do in order to get over her reaction to them. Bad news for her, because she worked in a fragrance shop. After a year she could start working with fragrances again, but couldn't wear the more synthetic ones on herself without symptoms returning.

Even a light whiff of the ones I posted seem to start the pain. I also thought that I might be over spraying, but it seems like the cure (for me) is to never spray in the first place.

Issey Bleue is one of the most toxic frags ever created. I noticed it in your collection. I posted a reference to a list of toxic frags awhile ago and will try to find it again. Oakmoss and tonka are known to cause some adverse reactions.

oopps. misspost.

Having people compare Unforgivable to Imperial gives me a migraine.......j/k
I am fortunate enough that I can smell fragrances for hours and not get a headache, my brother in law gets headaches from fragrances really quickly.....

I don't think i have had migraines from fragrances yet, but then again i never overspray...

You've posted this a while ago i wonder what your condition is now and if there was some kind of diagnosis for what you really had...was it really just the fragrances that trigger the migraines?

In any case, i hope you are feeling better.

cheers