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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> Caffeine
        
(Message started by: paulyboy on Nov 15^th, 2007, 6:06pm)

Title: Caffeine
Post by paulyboy on Nov 15^th, 2007, 6:06pm

Is Caffeine (Monster, drinks with taurine and other green tea juicers) a solution? Does it work for anyone?

Also, I may be the first person ever given imipramine (an antidepressant) for CH. Has anyone ever used it before?

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by midwestbeth on Nov 15^th, 2007, 6:17pm

Hi Paul,

To answer your question about the energy drinks.
Many of us, myself included, have had hits aborted by chugging an energy drink at the first twinge. Some hits are aborted, some aren't. The only thing you can do is keep on fighting the beast in your head with whatever you got.

Do you have 02? Read the oxygen link to the left. Many of us have had great success with 02.

Beth

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by ski2k on Nov 15^th, 2007, 6:51pm

Welcome!!

Yup... what Beth said! ;;D I, too, use energy drinks with Taurine and cafeine in them to abort CH. They seem to work great for me, and a LOT of others here. Drink it down quickly at the first sign of a headache for best results.
I've heard of antidepressant use in treating migraines, but personally am not familiar with it's use in treating CH. More common preventatives are Verapamil, Topomax, and Lithuim, to name a few.
Oxygen is probably the best weapon we have against individual cluster headaches. Used at the first sign of an attack, it can usually abort the headache within 10 minutes or so. But it must be used right!

Hope this helps some!

Adam

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by paulyboy on Nov 15^th, 2007, 11:39pm

You kidding me? An excuse to drink real coffee? I think the reason I got the darn headaches was cause I stopped 2 years ago...

I shall.. reluctantly.. stumble back to the caffeine fold.

Funny story, I initially thought the headaches were a caffeine withdrawl headache, so I stalwartly (word?) fought to reduce my intake so I could move on. After 3 more days of hell, I realized they werent going away. sigh...

[smiley=laugh.gif] more coffee, less booze. Thats what the cycles about.

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by sandie99 on Nov 16^th, 2007, 11:04am

Paul,
welcome! :)

Now, I won't touch coffee, but energy drinks and caffeine tablets are my friends in the fight againts ch. After taking lots of meds and got loads of side effects I gave all those up and use solely energy drinks and caffeine tabs to get rid of hits.

Wishing you lots of PF days,
Sanna

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by paulyboy on Nov 16^th, 2007, 11:12pm

wow? And thats reliable for you? amazing... do you use O2 at all? At this point, the caffeine seems to delay it a couple of hours. but maybe I need to drink four drinks a day? just kidding...

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by sandie99 on Nov 17^th, 2007, 10:51am

I'd try 02, but the last neuro I went to didn't believe in the power of 02 what comes to ch... ::) So far, energy drinks and caffeine tabs have been my best options. They have failed me only when I didn't get to them fast enough. Besides, energy drinks get rid of ch faster than the best painkiller neuros have given me. ;;D

BUT we all are different. What works for one, can help someone else, but what works for you the best... that's what you need to find out yourself. :) And I am concinced that there is a good treatment for each of us.

PF days,
Sanna

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by schaan on Nov 21^st, 2007, 8:15pm

strong strong coffee has been a godsend to me the last few years since i wasnt sure what i had or was causing this, someone reccommended coffee for headaches in general a few years ago and i just double brewed about 20oz and would slam it and tylenol and that would often abort or lessen my attack within an hour.

not always but usually.

now that i know what i have and have been prescribed other meds such as lithium and verapamil ( just started that today) and ergotamine , i use those, since almost all my attacks occur at bedtime or right after it makes it difficult to sleep with that much caffiene, but i do it anyway.

it works for me................
\

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by kcopelin on Nov 21^st, 2007, 11:36pm

melatonin works for alot of us at bedtime. I take 12-15 mg a night-and it doesn't matter how many energy drinks I've chugged that day, I still fall asleep.

PFDSN y'all
kathy

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by schaan on Nov 21^st, 2007, 11:53pm

fotgot that one
i take 6mg
do you have lethargy the next day taking 12-15?

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by swimchica623 on Nov 22^nd, 2007, 6:25pm

yup....i keep red bulls around for when o2 isn't convinient enough. so its my second choice, just cuz i dont want to be chugging caffiene all the time, o2 works better and caffiene doesnt seem to work that well for anything above about a 7 or an 8. I've used red bull and o2 together for really stubborn ones, rare ones that don't respond to o2 (works about 90-95% of the time for me) and when I'm home using the red bull I like to pour it in a cup with a bunch of ice, it tastes better when it is really really cold like that and it is easier to drink like that, I don't particularly like the taste. I think the extra coldness might make it more effective, too.

I've also noticed that when I'm really getting slammed that I tend to crave caffeine more than during lighter times. Maybe because I'm consuming it more or maybe there is something to that, who knows. CHers seem to be real coffee addicts though!

Good luck, hope it works for you!

Lisa

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by justthe2ofus on Nov 28^th, 2007, 9:13am

Gotta have my E. Drinks and Coffee...Everyday, all through out the day. The drinks helped to abort MANY ha's at the beginning of my cycle, but not so much now, during the worst part. I still use them to back off the daily shadows. Coffee is just a bonus for me, lol, I gotta have it loaded with sugar and creamer. ;)

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by MvT on Dec 24^th, 2007, 12:44am

they work some of the time or at least help and try taking kudzu right after ;)

Bawls Sobe Arush or rockstar

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by tigerman on Dec 24^th, 2007, 7:55pm

my doc gave me Amitriptyline(antidepressant,anti anxiety)&helps you sleep better.gave me prednisone to stop the cycle.My CHs have stopped,maybe my cycle was about to end?

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by monty on Dec 28^th, 2007, 10:24am

Imipramine and amitryptline (both tricyclic antidepressants) offer some protection against clusters and migraines. They are generally not the first choice for preventing, but they do help some people.

Title: Re: Caffeine
Post by MJ on Dec 29^th, 2007, 1:25am

on 11/15/07 at 18:06:27, paulyboy wrote:

Happy the imipramine helps your CH.

Imipramine and energy drinks doesnt sound like a combination I would want to try or even remotely reccomend.

I know very little about the drug. From what I did read, the combination has the potential to lead to devastating life events.

Consult with your prescribing doctor before combining the two. (if your still with us)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a682389.html