Caffeine – just how good (or bad) is it?
Caffeine – just how bad it it? Or is it not so bad at all? That’s a matter of great debate, and it’s not easy to answer. Generally, it’s on the list of "usual suspects" when it comes to headaches, but it can also be used to stop headache. More on headache and caffeine here.
I’d like to hear your opinion on this personal story about migraine and caffeine. Though I hope most of you aren’t taking as much caffeine as this person was, it raises some interesting questions. What surprises and concerns me the most is that no doctor seemed to even consider that the caffeine might be a problem! Check it out…
via: MyAddiction.com
25 January 2008 @ 12:07 pm
I have chronic headaches and love caffeine. I have suspected the two may be connected. I’ve read this book: http://www.caffeineandmigraine.com/.
I’ve gone on decaf for a couple of months and completely caffeine free for a month and it didn’t help. I love the taste of coffee so the time on decaf was much easier than the time completely caffeine free. Regardless, seeing no results made me reluctant to continue denying myself something that sometimes helps and at least gives me a little bit of comfort. I suppose I should give it more time but my impression is that if these things don’t work in a month or so, they probably won’t work.
25 January 2008 @ 4:39 pm
You may be right, although I noticed that the man in the video said that “within 6 months” he found relief. Many preventative drugs take 3 months for a decent trial, so maybe more time is needed…
18 September 2012 @ 9:58 am
A word about caffeine:
Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor which means it may help to shrink dilated vessels. That is why it is added to the combination drugs used to treat migraines, and also when migraineurs have a cup of coffee or glass of coke at the onset of an attack, it may help to abort it. As well, caffeine is a stimulant and besides giving us a spurt of energy, it increases peristalsis (movement of food through the gut), which can help increase absorption of oral medications, decrease bloating, feelings of fullness and nausea and vomiting. Downside is that can cause rebound headaches. For this reason many sources recommend we keep consumption to a minimum.