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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Role of coffee
        
(Message started by: Dave on Oct 29^th, 2005, 1:40pm)

Title: Role of coffee
Post by Dave on Oct 29^th, 2005, 1:40pm

I've noticed that coffee can sometimes be helpful but also on occassion can be a trigger.

I have recently come to believe that coffee and the habit of drinking it daily may be a very, very bad thing for CH syndrome even though the effects are not always immediate.

Has anyone tried totally eliminating coffee (including decaf) and all caffeinated beverages? Did it help?

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by Redd715 on Oct 29^th, 2005, 1:54pm

Don't you take away my coffee....anyone who tries would pull back a bloody stump. It's as much of a daily medication for me as anything else. I drink it strong to start with, and I make double strong that all I need to do is pop in the micro...

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by pattik on Oct 29^th, 2005, 2:01pm

About eight years ago, I got off of caffein entirely (not for CH reasons) for about two years. Now I mostly drink tea. During my caffein-free time there was no improvement in the frequency or intensity of my cluster headaches. Just my [smiley=twocents.gif]
Pat

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by rextangle on Oct 29^th, 2005, 2:56pm

Well, it's a balancing act.... if you do too much, you'll get a rebound HA. But when I wake up sore in the morning, my 2 cups definitely clear it up, and then I can remember my name, the name of my wife, I stop wondering who's cat is sleeping on the bed, ....
My neuro had told me to quit cigs and coffee...
I wanted to tell her to quit talking shit and stop breathing.
That evil evil bitch!

COFFEE ROCKS!
REX

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by Jasmyn on Oct 29^th, 2005, 3:40pm

I believe that coffee:

Wakes-up tired braincells
Make meds work faster
Gives energy after lack of sleep
Is my friend ;)

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by jon019 on Oct 29^th, 2005, 5:13pm

Hi Dave,

Balance, titration, timing, dosage...

Can't I just drink a dang cup of coffee? Well, depends. If you are a clusterhead in cycle, better be careful.

Pure and simple, caffeine constricts blood vessels. Our heads are full of them and in cluster they don't behave.
Triptans, caffeine, ergotamines, O2, et al, they all constict those bad boys and stop (we hope, pray?) the crap we deal with.

For me, a cup of coffee at the right time might abort a hit or send the shadows packing. The body, however, is an amazing thing, it ADAPTS. Read the threads here and you will see how often what worked before just don't work no more.

Too much caffeine or at the wrong time and guess what,
rebound headache. Personally, I avoid it during cycles except as a med. My experience is that it is more effective in that situation after having avoided it. Only you will know what works best for you.

Regards

Jon019

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by kyt on Oct 29^th, 2005, 10:35pm

[smiley=sayyes.gif] to more coffee...

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by zanychef on Oct 30^th, 2005, 11:11am

i drink 3 pots of strong coffee a day never rebound and during or after a hit it helps me get back on track ;;D ;;D
DONT TAKE MY COFFEE AWAY!!! [smiley=bigguns.gif]
zany

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by Lastdaddy on Oct 31^st, 2005, 5:17pm

Coffee and pain meds are the only thing that are helping me this cycle, after an 8 year remission I'm not up on the newer meds out there. In the past coffe has sometimes worked for me and sometimes it hasn't. As I have yet been to see the Doc this time around , The coffee will have to suffice for now!! Another thing , being most of my really severe Bites happen 3 or 4 in the Morning, coffee is the fastest things for me to get my hand on. Since there is usually some in the pot I just throw it in the Mircowave for a minute to get it hot, by the end of the 1st cup I can feel it starting to diminish !!!

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by youngmichael on Oct 31^st, 2005, 9:01pm

I've never had coffee before, and I haven't drank any soda for a couple years now.
I'm 2 1/2 weeks into a cycle and it's getting worse each day. My guess is that caffein has little if any influence.

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by Dave on Oct 31^st, 2005, 9:55pm

Has anyone ever had an attack or shadows triggered by decaf coffee?

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by jon019 on Oct 31^st, 2005, 11:02pm

Yup, and a Kip 10 after no alcohol wine...

Jon019

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by floridian on Nov 1^st, 2005, 8:03am

on 10/31/05 at 21:55:17, Dave wrote:

Has anyone ever had an attack or shadows triggered by decaf coffee?

People who drink moderate to heavy amounts of coffee have elevated levels of TNF (tumor necrosis factor), which could feed into the immune activation seen in clusters (along with IL-1, IL-6, nitric oxide, etc). Moderate to heavy coffee consumption is also linked to an increase in Rheumatoid factor and Rheumatoid arthritis - not a direct concern in CH, but a sign that coffee can be inflammatory.

Tea does not have the same effect, and green tea can lower these inflammatory compounds. But when a CH occurs, coffee can be good.

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by Sandy_C on Nov 1^st, 2005, 9:09am

Three cups of coffee in the morning - then more caffeine for me, especially in the evening. Keeps me wide eyed and jittery all night long. Never seemd to make much difference in my CH hits whatsoever.

However, a nice piece of chocolate now and then doesn't hurt! ;;D - but only when out of cycle :'(

Sandy

Title: Re: Role of coffee
Post by Lastdaddy on Nov 1^st, 2005, 10:25am

Hi, Jon019 says Caffine constricts Blood Vessels, well about 20 yeqars ago a Dr explained CH this way to me: For some unknown reason the blood vessels in the head constrict , when the Blood flow tries to get through the constricted vessels that's what causes the pain we all experience. Not yet knowing what I was dealing with it sounded logical to me.As I've stated in an earlier post Coffee has worked for me in the past on a limited basis. After an 8 year remission and shortly after my current cycle began my wife remembered me telling her about that and suggested I try it, Lo and behold it's been working pretty good for me this time around.usually after the first cup I can feel the Beast climbing back into the hell from which it came !! I am 4 weeks into this new cycle, my Doc was on Vacation for two of those weeks so I've yet to see him, so untill I do and he prescribes something that works faster and better or untill the coffee stops working I wll keep the pot full Because most of the pain come within 2 hours of falling asleep !!