| From: Kat | 27/01/2000
11:55:00 |
| Subject: Caffeine and Migraine | post id:
30773 |
| I've noticed that conventional
analgesics don't seem to work on my migraines so I pretty much gave up
using them. However I noticed a couple of times during a really bad
headache if I have a cup of coffee or coke (usually coke seems to work
better) the migraine goes away very quickly. Is this a coincidence or does
something in coffee or coke ie caffeine actually help
migraines? | |
| From: James Richmond (Avatar) | 27/01/2000
13:52:00 |
| Subject: re: Caffeine and Migraine | post id:
30865 |
| Headaches often involve dilation
or constriction of blood vessels in the head (I forget which). Caffeine
causes the opposite effect (either vasoconstriction or vasodilation -
again, I forget which), which can help cure a headache. In addition, caffeine is mildly addictive. I know that I tend to get headaches if I don't get my regular caffeine fix. This is not uncommon among caffeine lovers. JR | |
| From: michael c | 27/01/2000
14:22:00 |
| Subject: re: Caffeine and Migraine | post id:
30880 |
| Hi James, In the headache part of a migraine it is vasodilation, the caffeine actually causes some more vasodilation. I expect the caffeine is mostly useful in the earlier vasoconstriction or "aura" occurs. In the migraine tablets the caffeine is there primarily to increase absorption of the other drugs (usually a vasocontrictor) in the gut, and I think the stimulant affect helps as well. Michael C J | |