Connect
Headache when I drink water
For a little background, around my mid-20s I started having headaches whenever I eat certain things, like peanut butter or apples. I also started to experience bloating and stomach pain anytime I would go a couple of hours without eating. I've been tested for allergies and don't have any, had a routine checkup and everything was normal, and I had an endoscopy which didn't reveal any issues.
Recently I started developing headaches whenever I drink tap water. I switched to drinking purified water at my grocery store and felt fine at first. But after a few weeks, I started getting headaches whenever I drink that too. I tried other brands of purified and spring water, and so far the only water I haven't had problems with drinking is Dasani bottled water. I noticed some ingredients it contained I didn't see listed in some of the other waters I tried were salt, magnesium sulfate, and potassium chloride.
Any ideas why I would get headaches drinking other water? Could my water headaches be related to the food sensitivities I started developing in my mid-20s?
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Digestive Health Support Group.
Connect
Hi @erob98 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I am sorry to hear about your recent trouble with headaches.
When I first read your post, It made me wonder if you are having an interaction with the chemical BPA or Bisphenol A? Dasani bottles are known for being recyclable, but BPA free, while many other brands still have BPA in their product material.
Mayo Clinic does have information regarding it and you can read about it here
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/bpa/faq-20058331
While it may not be an "allergy" it may be a reaction to the exposure? This of course is just a personal opinion, so it might be best to discuss with your physician.
You did say you had some allergy testing. What all did they test for?
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionHi @amandaburnett. Thank you for your response. One of the other waters I tried was Deer Park 100% Natural Spring Water. From what I could find on their website, their bottles are BPA-free. I was tested for the most common food allergens like peanuts, eggs, shellfish, etc.
@erob98
How much water/fluid intake do you have in a day? too many fluids as well as too little can cause a headache.
Is water the only connection to the headaches? Tea? Coffee Sodas? Artificial sweeteners? Processed foods?
Where do the headaches strike the head? The temples, back of the head, top of the head, behind the ear… all over? Do they affect your vision? Your hearing?
ZeeGee
Do you have neck issues? Could be muscular.
Hi @fourof5zs
When I have enough Dasani bottles at home, I try to drink at least 4 glasses a day, but lately, it's been only 2 to 3 glasses.
I thankfully don't experience headaches drinking tea and I don't drink coffee or sodas. Artificial sweeteners, I'm not sure about, but I don't think so. I have headaches eating processed foods only if it's one of the foods my body doesn't seem to tolerate.
The headache starts in the back of my head behind my left ear and it usually travels to the sides of my head. I don't experience any vision or hearing problems during these headaches. Just an aching pain until it goes away after about 30 minutes to an hour.
Oddly, when I mix one of the purified water brands that give me headaches with cabbage to make cabbage juice, I can drink it and not have a headache.
Hi @debkl
I do have neck issues. I've wondered sometimes if that's why I began experiencing my headache and stomach problems. Maybe a few weeks or months after I had a minor bump to the head that affected my neck, these things started developing. I went to a chiropractor for a few years to readjust my neck, but I've still had neck problems since that day. But the water issue has been something that just started happening a couple of months ago.
@erob98
I have no idea what the water connection is. to your headaches.. A mystery for sure.
With the cabbage… cabbage has both magnesium and potassium. Have you had blood test done to check these levels? also vitamin d.. which cabbage does not contain, but I know from experience that lacking in any or all of these can cause headaches and body aches.
Occipital neuralgia could cause your headaches. A neck problem could be irritating that nerve. TMJ can also cause headaches in the area you describe.
You say you have stomach problems… what are they? Some stomach problems can keep you from absorbing your nutrients.
Still wondering how the water fits into any of this.
ZeeGee
Do you drink plain water faster than you drink other beverages? Could be muscles used in swallowing. Do you hinge your head back a bit when drinking water?
@fourof5zs
Hmm, interesting about the cabbage having magnesium and potassium just like the Dasani water does. The last time I went for a routine check-up I had blood tests, but I don't remember if they involved testing levels of magnesium, potassium, or vitamin D.
I looked into Occipital neuralgia just now. Some of the things I read sounded similar to what I experienced and some things sounded different. I had some imaging done on my jaw a few years ago and the doctor didn't see any signs of TMJ.
I experience burning pain on the left side of stomach with bloating when I go hours without eating. Thought it might be an ulcer and took different drugs that didn't help, and had an endoscopy that didn't find anything abnormal. I recently started taking probiotics on a daily basis and noticed I can go a little longer without eating and not experience burning and bloating.
Yeah, the water thing is the most random issue that's come up in the last few years of experiencing new health issues that I never had before my neck problems started.
@debkl
I do drink water faster than other beverages. I hinge my head back a little sometimes. In my head I'm thinking if it were a muscle problem, I'd experience my symptoms no matter what brand of water I drink.