Caffeine and GCA Headaches

[montebello]

Just a quick question..... if coffee/caffeine helps relieve a headache does that tend to either confirm or rule out that the headache is GCA related?

Thanks

[SnazzyD]

Perhaps if a cup of brew gives quick relief then it isn’t GCA as it doesn’t tend go lightly. Caffeine does have a vasodilatory effect so perhaps it is helping the circulation a bit. If you consume a lot of caffeine then the headache might be withdrawal and a new cup helps that. Caffeine also cause headaches so who can tell and I expect caffeine concentration makes a difference too.

[montebello in reply to SnazzyD]

Thank you SnazzyD -- a followup thought.....

From what I've read, caffeine CONSTRICTS blood vessels in the head, which I would think is not good for folks like me with GCA.

A corollary thought..... if GCA headaches are caused by a loss of blood flow through cranial arteries, then I'd think drinking coffee would worsen the effect.

Am I thinking correctly?

[SnazzyD in reply to montebello]

Just looked it up. It appears so. I guess it depends on how much caffeine is being consumed. My 3 cups of tea a day made no difference that I could detect. How much do you drink?

[montebello in reply to SnazzyD]

I drink one large cup of coffee in the AM, and if I have a nighttime headache it usually helps.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

No - it suggests the headache is more likely to be due to caffeine deprivation!

[montebello in reply to PMRpro]

Okay, but let's say I'm on a borderline dose of PRED and am a GCA patient. Why wouldn't coffee be bad for my arteries, restricting blood flow even more than that caused by inflammation?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to montebello]

But wouldn't you have noticed it before now? You aren't drinking much coffee - or are these US large cups?

[montebello in reply to PMRpro]

I've actually been wondering about this for quite some time. They're large mugs that I drink, maybe 2 measuring cups in actuality. As with many GCA patients, any headache i get is something I pay attention to and try to understand. If coffee makes it go AWAY, for example, I tend to think it's NOT GCA related. Just looking for comments on my logic.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to montebello]

Not sure I can see any - but a headache that goes away with a cup of coffee doesn't seem likely to be GCA.

[Tiggywoos in reply to PMRpro]

I’ve got a feeling it’s hypnic headaches where they recommend caffeine before bed? x

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Tiggywoos]

Could be - I had never head of them!

[montebello in reply to Tiggywoos]

Wow. Thanks for this. Never heard of this before

[Tiggywoos in reply to montebello]

Apparently quite rare but I think we are all rare anyway 😉x

[Grammy80]

If I can get rid of a headache with Tylenol, then I'm satisfied. I drink a lot of coffee, so much so that I will get a headache if I don't 'open those arteries'...is what I always said. Now, it is iced coffee, cream only all day and just before bed. You take care, montebello!💞

[KASHMIRI1]

Coffee made headaches worse for me. I dont drink any coffee at all now and only decaf tea.

[agingfeminist]

changing your cofffee drinking pattern has all sorts of effects...including headaches. It is the change that impacts. If you stop and get a headache then it will be relieved by having a cup. On the other hand if you drink more than usual you can get a headache because of extra constriction of blood vessels). If you want to change your coffee intake it has to be done very gradually.

[Lyndaki]

shortly after my GCA diagnosis I had a large coffee & suffered very strange vision…distorting the page when reading. Thankfully it only happened the once. I was advised not to drink anything caffeinated whilst on high dose so started on decaf coffee & was fine.

[Sophiestree]

just had a quick Google on hypnic headaches that Tiggywoos mentioned and one of the suggestion was a coffee at bedtime!! Always learning....

[MiniSpec in reply to Sophiestree]

The trouble with having coffee at bedtime is that it keeps me awake!

I've had to restrict my coffee intake after 6pm in order to allow me to get some sleep at night, so I don't see how drinking coffee at bedtime will help, but I suppose I don't suffer from hypnic headaches, just the normal ones that you get from being overtired and worn out.

[Sophiestree in reply to MiniSpec]

Yes, this is related to Hypnic headaches.

I used to be able to drink caffeine at any time, but since diagnosis and not sleeping at all at the start on high doses of pred I stop caffeine after lunch. But I do drink plenty before that!

[Tiggywoos in reply to Sophiestree]

Apparently the coffee ☕️ is used as a diagnostic tool for hypnic headaches 👩‍⚕️ 😉

[Pr0jection]

When I changed to decaf coffee and tea I had mega headaches for several weeks which I assumed was withdrawal.

[AtopicGuy]

Caffeine has many effects. One of them is to boost acetylcholine levels. It's a neurotransmitter that performs tasks both within the brain and elsewhere in the nervous system.