Migraines affect more than 29.5 million people in the United States, according to the National Headache Foundation. Symptoms include moderate to severe throbbing or pulsating pain on one side of the head; nausea and vomiting; and sensitivity to light or sound. Caffeine by itself or in combination with medication may relieve migraine pain in some individuals.
Migraine Headache Symptoms
Migraines occur most often between the ages of 15 and 55, and three times more often in women than in men, according to the National Headache Foundation. Symptoms become worse when the patient moves about and may last from four to 72 hours. More than 20 percent of migraine sufferers experience an aura -- usually visual disturbances -- before the headache begins.
Caffeine
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration calls caffeine both a drug and a food additive. It occurs naturally in tea leaves, coffee beans, kola nuts and cacao pods and is also added to some medications, foods and beverages. In addition to the desired effect of feeling more awake and energetic, consuming caffeine may also cause dehydration, jitteriness, rapid or irregular heart beat, inability to sleep and headaches.
How It Works
Caffeine affects the way that a naturally occurring brain substance, called adenosine, works in the body. Adenosine sticks to receptor molecules on certain cells in the brain and can reduce brain electrical activity, affect sleep and temporarily expand blood vessels. Adenosine levels increase during migraines, and injecting the substance into a vein may trigger a migraine. Caffeine, however, can block the receptors and stop the effects of the adenosine, according to the American Headache Society.
Using Caffeine for Migraines
Individuals' responses vary, but some migraine patients find that drinking coffee can stop a moderate headache. Caffeine is also added to such migraine pain medications as Excedrin, Anacin, Midol, Darvon Compound, Migranal and Fioricet to help the body absorb the medication, according to the American Headache Society.
Too Much Caffeine
According to the National Headache Foundation, 90 percent of the world's population consumes caffeine every day or nearly every day. If you, like the average American adult, consume about 200 mg per day, your body becomes used to that dose and you may need more to reach the desired effect. If you become dependent on caffeine and then stop consuming it, you may experience withdrawal headaches.
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