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Headaches, migraines, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, pseudotumor cerebri, caused by Poison/"Vitamin A" toxicity

Got headaches?  Migraines?  Did you know that they are both connected to Poison/"Vitamin A" toxicity?  Take a walk with me as I connect all of these together...first, you should know that "idiopathic intracranial hypertension" (IIH, see below) is medicalese for "increased blood pressure [hypertension] inside the skull [intracranial] that doctors have no idea about what is causing it [idiopathic]".  After you read the following, you might have an idea of a major possible cause!

Serum vitamin A concentration is elevated in idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10496276
"OBJECTIVE: The primary purpose was to investigate whether serum vitamin A concentration is associated with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). The secondary aim was to obtain pilot data regarding the amount of vitamin A ingested by patients and controls.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin A is an attractive candidate mediator of IIH as many of the symptoms and signs of hypervitaminosis A mimic those of IIH.

[...]

CONCLUSIONS:  Elevated serum retinol concentration is associated with IIH. Obesity, by itself, does not explain these higher levels. Patients may ingest an abnormally large amount of vitamin A, metabolize it abnormally, or be unusually sensitive to its effects. Alternatively, elevated level of serum retinol may reflect an epiphenomenon of another variable we did not measure or a nonspecific effect of elevated retinol binding capacity."

What is the main symptom of IIH, you ask?  Headache.

Headache prevalence and clinical features in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23695067
"Headache is a key symptom of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). [...] Our results confirmed the strong association between headache and IIH."

So now that we know that the key symptom of IIH is headaches, is IIH common in migraine sufferers as well?

Migraine headache in patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641834/
"Migraine is a neurological disorder that afflicts many people in the world and can cause severe disability during the attacks. The pathophysiology of migraine is complex and not fully understood. It seems that migraine is common in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH). However, the association between migraine headache and IIH is still unclear. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of migraine headache and associated factors in IIH patients. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 68 patients diagnosed with IIH underwent a medical history interview and a neurological examination. The diagnosis of migraine was based on the four diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Headache Disorders 3rd edition. Forty-five patients (63.2%) met the diagnostic criteria of migraine headache. There was no significant difference between patients with and without migraine headache in respect of their age, gender, body mass. This study revealed high prevalence of migraine headache in IIH patients; appropriate treatment can reduce their headache and prevent unnecessary treatments for IIH."

Headaches and increased intercranial [sic] pressure are listed as symptoms of Vitamin A toxicity, you say?

Vitamin A toxicity

https://www.dermnetnz.org/topics/vitamin-a-toxicity/
Signs and symptoms of acute vitamin A toxicity can include:

  • Gastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain
  • Neurological: dizziness, irritability, drowsiness, increased intercranial pressure due to cerebral oedema, and headache
  • Dermatological: rash or desquamation (peeling skin)
  • Coma and death

Signs and symptoms of chronic vitamin A toxicity can include:

Does it need an engraved invitation, or is it all clear enough?  When you're ready to stop your headaches, we're here.

Dr. Garrett Smith, the "Nutrition Detective"
Licensed Naturopathic Physician (NMD) in Arizona
NutritionDetective.com, home of the Love Your Liver program
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