The dubious relationship of coffee with Migraine

• July 09, 2022
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Dr Garima Gupta (Pain Physician)

Suffering from Migraine? Have a coffee.....This is a standard response and most people who suffer from migraine know about this.

But do you know coffee can also act as a trigger for an attack of migraine.

Caffeine as a Migraine Reliever?

In an headache ,the blood flow to the brain increases thus causing a tightness in the head. Coffee causes the vessels carrying the blood to constrict, thus relieving the headache.

Caffeine as a Trigger?

But a lot of caffeine in different forms like tea, coffee or caffeinated drinks can act as a trigger....and sudden caffeine withdrawal is even more frequent trigger as body gets use to it.

Caffeine taken regularly to subside episodic attacks of migraine can change the nature to a more chronic one.

Tips to avoid this-

• Do not consume more than 200 mg/day of caffeine i.e.

100g coffee- 40 mg caffeine

100g tea- 11mg caffeine

1 can of red bull - 77.4 mg

• Do not reduce your consumption suddenly....always do it gradually to avoid caffeine withdrawal headache

When to see a doctor-

• More than 4-5 days/mnth
• Headache not responding your usual pain killers