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Migraines and Caffeine

By Joy Healey

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 29Oct2008 Word count: 646 Viewed: 321 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Caffeine was formally identified as a possible migraine trigger in a study published in the well respected Lancet in 1979. Since then a variety of theories about caffeine and other substances found in caffeine containing products have been explored.

However, as with many other food intolerances, one person will have no reaction to a food while the next can suffer a severe reaction to the same substance. Consider the shellfish - a killer for some, a healthful food for someone else.

Caffeine is a double edged sword when it comes to migraines, as many believe it causes them - yet it is a major ingredient in many headache medicines as well. Many studies have been done on the efficacy of caffeine when used to relieve migraines; as a natural vaso-constrictor, it would seem that caffeine might help rather than intensify migraine pain. Several studies have shown that when caffeine is included as an ingredient in migraine medications, relief is faster and more complete(1).

In other cases, however, evidence would seem to suggest that the problem of migraines and caffeine hinges on a borderline addiction. Weekend headache or Sunday migraine often occurs when the usual daily routine is disrupted - or in other words, when a person sleeps in and misses their 6am, 7am and 8am cups of coffee. The body goes into withdrawal mode, and a migraine begins. Upon caffeine intake, the headache disappears.

In a study on the subject at the Princess Margaret Migraine Clinic, London in 1992, a set of migraine sufferers was chosen that showed a marked tendency towards high caffeine use during the week. Among the 151 patients, 33 were identified as having weekend migraine. Of these, every single one reported sleeping in late on weekends, and all consumed an average of 734 mg/day of caffeine.

In contrast, of the remaining 118 patients only 43% slept late on weekends, and of these the average caffeine was only 362 mg/day(2). This lends credence to the idea that it is the withdrawal from dependency that is the trigger rather than the coffee or tea being the cause.

Soda seems a slightly different story - a study done on adolescents who drank a liter of cola a day and suffered from daily migraines showed a marked improvement across the board when cola was cut from the diet. This led to the recommendation that children with daily recurring headache be researched as to caffeine intake(3).

The scientific studies are fascinating and useful, but however much we enjoy it, caffeine is a substance we can live without. The simple way to discover if it's a problem for you is just cut it out for a few weeks. If you suffer enough with your migraines, you might find the exclusion brings relief. However, do be aware that you're very likely to suffer an increase in headaches to start with due to the possible "withdrawal syndrome" discussed above. Consult your GP or health professional if you are concerned.

For coffee, tea and cola drinkers, instead of complete elimination, a gradual lessening of daily caffeine consumption may be the best way to remove the possibility of the excess or lack of it triggering a migraine. Speaking personally, I was a heavy consumer of coffee and suffered badly with migraines. I rarely get a migraine now and enjoy one cup of coffee per day, having found this an acceptable level which doesn't cause any me problems.

(1) Stephen J. Peroutka; James A. Lyon; James Swarbrick; Richard B. Lipton; Ken Kolodner; Jerome Goldstein Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, Volume 44, Number 2, February 2004 , pp. 136-141(6)

(2)EGM Couturier, R Hering, and TJ Steiner, Weekend Attacks in Migraine Patients: Caused by Caffeine Withdrawal? Cephalalgia 12(2):99-100 (Apr 1992)

(3) Hering-Hanit R, Gadoth N. Caffeine-induced headache in children and adolescents. Cephalalgia 2003;23:332-335.

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