The pounding, throbbing pain of a headache might be difficult to manage but is not an uncommon problem. According to Harvard Medical School, approximately 90 percent of men and 95 percent of women suffer from at least one headache a year. Caffeine is found in many foods as well as in prescription and over-the-counter headache medications. Adding caffeine to your pain management regimen might help you to minimize the other medications needed to control your headaches.
Background
According to the Cleveland Clinic, headaches are the result of activation of nerves of blood vessels and head muscles that then send pain signals to the brain. These signals can be activated for a variety of reasons, including dilation of blood vessels in the brain, inflammation caused by a sinus or ear infection, stress, fatigue and occasionally trauma or infection to the skull or the brain. For some people, suddenly stopping the use of caffeine after using it on a daily basis can cause a rebound headache.
Effect of Caffeine
Caffeine causes blood vessels to constrict, which reduces blood flow to the affected area. As both tension and migraine headaches involve dilation of blood vessels, caffeine can help reduce the intensity of the headache. According to the National Headache Foundation, the pain-relieving effect of aspirin and acetaminophen is increased by 40 percent when caffeine is added. Caffeine also might help your body to process the medication more quickly, enabling quick relief and the utilization of less medication overall.
Sources of Caffeine
Caffeine is added to many medications, including the brand-name products Anacin and Excedrin. Anacin contains 32 mg of caffeine and Excedrin contains 65 mg of caffeine. Food and beverages containing caffeine are other potential sources for headache relief. A 5 oz. cup of coffee contains approximately 100 mg of caffeine, while a 12 oz. Coca-Cola contains 46 mg of caffeine. One ounce of milk chocolate contains 6 mg of caffeine and one serving of dark chocolate contains 18 mg. Very high doses of caffeine can be found in energy drinks, with the drink Full Throttle Fury containing 500 mg of caffeine in 16 oz. To minimize the possibility of developing a caffeine rebound headache, limiting your caffeine intake to 200 mg per day is optimal.
Considerations
Utilizing caffeine as a treatment for headaches is helpful for many people but is not safe for everyone. If you have high blood pressure or are pregnant or nursing, caffeine might have detrimental effects. You should discuss caffeine usage with your doctor to ensure that you are able to safely utilize it. Additionally, non-pharmacologic therapies might help your headaches. Headache education to avoid pain triggers, physical therapy and stress management might help to prevent headaches.
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