Effects of Caffeine

Hi! Not a critical question, I'm just starting to notice a trend develop. I am now almost 11 months post gamma for my avm. I usually have a headache in the morning in the area of my avm, until my first coffee of the day. After that, I usually feel completely fine. But if I have a second cup, my head starts throbbing and I get a sharp pain in the exact location of my avm. The pain feels like it starts from that point, and radiates outward. Has anyone else felt this effect of caffeine?

Hi Birdie.
I'm happy for you that you noticed the effect coffee/caffeine is having on you. Most people don't. I've been a coffee lover for years. I drink one cup of regular in the morning, then it's decaf after that. I learned that the caffeine increases my tremors and my pain. It also will throw me in a mental fog if I'm not carefull. And that's only after 3 cups. You've got to remember that caffeine increases our pulse rate and our blood pressure. It's just another thing we have to watch out for. :) Here's a little ditty for you - tea has more caffeine in it than coffee does. So if you like tea (even ice tea), I would suggest a decaf or herbal teas. I still drink a pot of coffee a day. It's just mostly decaf (wink).

Ben

I had to switch to decaf, because I also have nitril valve prolapse. I often would feel kinda numb on the right side of my head where I had surgery after a second cup.

Birdie I have pretty much the same feeling

From the time of my initial diagnosis until about a year after my craniotomy (a total of about 5 years), my doctors had me avoiding caffeine altogether as it increases blood pressure and constricts the vessels in the brain. This is a bad combo when dealing with vascular problems.

I'm no doctor, but my guess as to the reason behind your improved feeling with one cup, then your discomfort after a second may have something to do with the fact that many doctors beleive that caffeine causes a spike in adrenaline. This would cause you to feel better for a short while. But once the adrenaline passes and the blood pressure is increased and running through constricted vessels, this could be enough to cause headaches, blurred vision, dizziness, etc.

Just a thought.

Wow! all of your responses have really opened my eyes to how such a seemingly mundane act can affect us with our special condition. Thank you for verifying that the link between caffeine and my headaches is real and explaining the reasoning. Once again, avmsurvivors friends come to the rescue as I go through this challenging stage... Thank you all!
-Birdie

1 Like

Ahhh this is interesting because I've been noticing that when I wake up I dont have a headache then after about a half hour it starts. If I have a cup of coffee Im usually good for the day but if I dont, by the evening my head hurts so bad I could cry. The funny thing is that I never really drank coffee until 6 months before my surgery. I seriously want to quit coffee altogether but I actually enjoy a cup but if these are the effects Im not super stoked on this. Do you think 1-2 cups is bad if the headaches are linked?

HI!
I just to love it Coffee 5 o 6 cups a day since my surgery> I get headaches and tremors with coffee, I still drink one cup half of coffee and half milk. BUt definitely coffee makes me feel terrible!!!

Such insight from all!

Green tea has about 1/2 the caffeine of coffee. Maybe split your afternoon coffee to green tea instead. Do it for a week and if it works, then good. If not, switch to green tea for a week rather than coffee for a week and see if that works.

Never go cold turnkey off coffee, always reduce slowly because you'll get bad headaches if it's quick. Coffee has a big effect on the body, so it all makes sense...