From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition
Subject: Re: What about coffee/caffeine and headaches?
Date: 29 Jan 1998 23:53:44 GMT

In <6aqvv2$dql$1@news.ysu.edu> ae277@yfn.ysu.edu (Stewart Rowe) writes:

>In a previous article, trolo4@aol.com (Trolo4) says:
>
>>I just learned that caffeine is in excedrin, maybe other OTC headache
>>meds, too. Everyone was always telling me to quit drinking coffee for my
>>headaches, then I learn through filling out these headache diaries which
>>are on the excedrin site, that caffeine is not *my* problem at all and
>>that, for me, it actually helps alot when you look at the overall
>>pattern. Anybody else find this same thing? Excedrin's site is:
>>
>>http://www.excedrin.com
>>
>>I always thought coffee was supposed to *cause* headaches, but not for
>>everybody, apparently, anyway. For some people, caffeine actually helps.
>>YAY! Where's my Equal Exchange Organic Peruvian blend???!!
>>
>>Therese
>
>
>It has been well known for at least 60 years that _withdrawal_ from
>caffeine can cause headaches. In the South, where cola drinks are
>used the most, it is not uncommon to hear a colleague complaining that
>he has a splitting headache if he is deprived of his ten-time-daily
>cola fix.



   Absolutely.  Many a Saturday or Sunday morning headache is not
hangover, but lack of the usual early AM coffee which is blasted down
on weekdays so people can get up early to go to work.  "Oh, doc," I
hear, "sleeping too long gives me a headache."

    Excedrine just supplies what people are hooked on.  It's not the
worst addiction in the universe, but it's sad to see so many people who
have it, who don't realize it.

                                      Steve Harris, M.D.

From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition
Subject: Re: What about coffee/caffeine and headaches?
Date: 31 Jan 1998 07:48:48 GMT

In <6asi97$d38@scotsman.ed.ac.uk> cam@holyrood.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm)
writes:

>sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris) writes:
>
>>   Absolutely. Many a Saturday or Sunday morning headache is not hangover,
>>but lack of the usual early AM coffee which is blasted down on weekdays
>>so people can get up early to go to work. "Oh, doc," I hear, "sleeping
>>too long gives me a headache."
>>
>>   Excedrine just supplies what people are hooked on. It's not the worst
>>addiction in the universe, but it's sad to see so many people who have
>>it, who don't realize it.
>
>Let me see if I've got this right. A person addicted to coffee
>complains of weekend headaches because he doesn't drink coffee at the
>weekends. So his doctor gives him pills which contain extract of
>coffee.

   No-- rather he goes out and buys them from a drugstore, based on TV
advertising.  His doctor usually knows better.


>Am I being dense? Why not just drink a cup of coffee?

    It would work about as well for this type of headache.  But, of
course, still leave you with the addiction problem.  Best to taper off
the caffeine (perhaps drinking coffee in AM only, and then never again
in the day).  That will leave most people caffeine withdrawal free.

   People with migraines probably shouldn't have any caffeine at all,
except for a few who benefit from the drug once the headache starts.
But migraines which come on without caffeine withdrawal are kosher to
treat with caffeine.  You're not using it enough in that case (usually)
for the body to become tolerant to it, so you're not perpetuating the
problem.

                                              Steve Harris, M.D.

From: sbharris@ix.netcom.com(Steven B. Harris)
Newsgroups: sci.med.nutrition
Subject: Re: What about coffee/caffeine and headaches?
Date: 31 Jan 1998 07:53:58 GMT

In <01bd2da6$64d5dbc0$d5a7a98b@anderson-mel.jsc.nasa.gov>
"melody.anderson" <melody.anderson1@jsc.nasa.gov> writes:

>It is my understanding that caffeine was added to certain aspirins
>because acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is acid (thus the name), and
>caused stomach problems in many people. Caffeine, on the other hand, is
>basic. I don't have a pKa table handy, so I can't say whether the
>caffeine completely neutralizes the acetylsalicylic acid.
>
>In any event, I don't believe that caffeine was added to aspirins because
>of supposed ability to aid in the relief of a headache.


   Er, well, you're wrong.  There are a hell of a lot of buffers
cheaper than caffeine.  You can find them in Bufferin.  They don't do
much for the irritative properties of aspirin, but that's another
story.

                                    Steve Harris, M.D.