Caffeine

Has anyone stopped caffeine in hopes of improving your migraines? I sometimes wonder if this triggers my migraines. I have a fairly steady caffeine intake and actually always thought that helped ward off migrianes. You know all of the OTC migraine meds normally have caffeine in them.
My neurologist recently told me I should limit my caffeine intake. I honestly cringe at the thought of weaning myself off. I have so many migraines I have to deal with (Hormonal, Barometric). I really don't even want to think of a caffeine withdrawl headache or any other kind for that matter.
Just curious on what your thoughts are on this.
Also, I have never experience the aura that I see so many people talk about. My migraines generally always start on one side of my head just about my eyebrow. Once that side is gone I almost always have one on the other side. Rarely ever do I have both sides at once. I am on IMITREX currently. I have been on to many to list but have also been prescribed topomax. I cannot tell that it does anything except kill my sex drive and make me slow in the head.

I stopped caffeine for 1 l/2 years at one time. I was only on 1 cup per day though. Quiting did nothing. I went back to my 1 cup.

There is a continuous stream of info coming out about the health benefits of coffee. All the stuff our parents said about it was dead wrong along with many health food nuts I have known over the years. So unless I could link it to my migs I would never stop drinking it.

I tryed it for awhile but still had the migraines.

I have usually between 10 and 14 oz a day of coffee. I find that if I don't have it, the pain is more severe. Some people I know this is a trigger but for me it knocks it down so I'm not reaching for my pills quite so quickly.

When I started with the headache specialist, I told him my intake and he didn't have a problem with that amount. Later on he flipped out about it but that was after I had already cleared it with him and he was a bit of a spaz. But then I stopped really listening to him when he stopped listening to me - I no longer see him as it's not worth it (he only made me sicker).

i didn't like coffee and never drank it at all til 45 years of age. my migraines started at 29.

i used to be paranoid about the HARM i was doing to myself with drinking a cup or two per day, as i also used to be a "healthfood nut" and wanted to be pure and holy. but i needed the caffeine to get me through the day.

i've given it up for lengthy periods of time, and it did nothing to my migraines. so now i drink it if i want it, and usually it's one cup in the morning to jazz me up. dianne

Caffeine is the only recognisable 'food' trigger for me. Guaranteed migraine, so I've not touched the stuff (knowingly) for 12 years. Occasionally something chocolate/coffee/tea-based will sneak into food that I don't know about and it's a sure-fire way to take a few days off work!

However, I do know of others that get severe migraines if they try to cut their caffeine intake, so it definitely plays a part there too. Another migraine mystery!

Caffeine does not play a part in my migraines at all. In fact, it actually helps speed up the aborting of one.

I think the whole food etc thing is overblown....but that just from my own perspective.
I have had so much stress trying to determine triggers and not found anything in 20 years that makes the slightest difference.

Caffeine....well the odd cup of tea, coffee gives me indigestion, but that is the only reason I dont drink it.
The OTC I take (Excedrin alike) is apparently going to give me MOH at the very least, but even taking them at bedtime, which I dont make a habit of but have done...they don't keep me awake. And the same drugs without the caffeine in don't work.

I agree, unless you can be sure caffeine, or anything else for that matter, is hurting you, life is tough enough with migraine, dont deprive yourself...

Pen

I agree with Pen on not denying yourself something you enjoy unless you are really sure it is the culprit. You might be surprised. I decided to shuck the whole thing and do what I want and my migraines aren't any different than they ever were, so I might as well be enjoying some of the little pleasures of life.

Caffeine is a definite trigger for me. A full cup of coffee will mean a migraine two days later about 3/4's of the time. It can also relieve a migraine at times. I try to stay away from it as much as possible. If I use coffee to abort a migraine I only drink 1/3 of a cup and that will work, if it is going to work. I don't want to use it every day, because I believe it is addicting and it causes more harm that good in the long run. Sugar has similar effects and I believe I am extremely sensitive to both sugar and caffeine.

Thanks everyone! I appreciate your input.

I've been completely off caffeine since Feb at the suggestion of the headache specialist. It's a total pain in the butt to avoid caffeine. It's also very expensive, as my abortives get ordered in compoud form without caffeine and therefore are not covered.

I've not noticed any change in my headaches since quitting.

I'm going to ask my doctor if I can restart it to see if there is any change.

Based on my experience, changing levels of caffeine intake can be a trigger for me.

I've found that if I drink much more than I am use to, it can trigger a migraine.

I have always loved coffee, especially espresso.

But a long while back, at the suggestion of a migraine specialist, I gradually quit all caffeine. It really made no difference. I stayed off caffeine for ? a year and found no difference at all in my migraines. I eventually started drinking my modest amount of coffee again and am much happier. I now drink about two cups a day.

In my case, triggers are just that - they trigger a migraine that is ready to go anyway. And my migraines were on a hair trigger. Sooner or later something will trigger it - sleeping too little, sleeping too much, exercise, stress, lack of stress, something I ate .... I find it is impossible to avoid all possible triggers. The migraine is going to happen.

With the right preventatives my migraine potential has gone way down and most triggers now have no effect on me anyway.

Recently I've been hurting from acid reflux. One of the things to avoid is caffeine because it triggers acid reflux also. That's why I have to avoid it.