Caffeine Withdrawal Headache
Headache is a very common ailment that many people experience on a regular basis. There are two types of headache, primary headache and secondary headache. Primary headache has different types like tension headache, migraine headache and cluster headache. Secondary headache is caused due to another underlying cause which may be a minor problem or a very serious ailment. Caffeine withdrawal headache is also a type of secondary headache that is caused due to reduction of caffeine in the body.
Caffeine is found in various foods, coffee, tea and in various medications. Caffeine is can be helpful in relieving as well as detrimental to causing headaches. Caffeine affects various factors and helps in reduction of exhaustion and helping a person become more alert. In excess, it may lead to troubles in sleeping, increased state of excitement, anxiety, etc. In addition to common sources, Caffeine can be found in soft drinks, energy drinks, chocolate, etc.
Several medications that are used for headache contain caffeine in it. This list includes both prescription medications as well as over-the-counter products. The effectiveness of the medications is increased quite a bit with the presence of caffeine in it. But, consuming too much caffeine in addition to medication containing caffeine to get relief from headache might result in the person suffering from rebound headache. This can usually be relieved if the person stops the medication altogether.
The other end of the spectrum is caffeine withdrawal headache. If the person is regularly having caffeine containing foods or other sources and suddenly the daily intake is reduced, there may be some symptoms of caffeine withdrawal that includes headache. The approximate daily intake of caffeine in such people is more than 500mg. The other symptoms apart from headache will include anxiety, exhaustion, irritability, nausea, lack of concentration, etc.
Moderately high intake of caffeine increases risks of high cholesterol, abnormalities of the heart, problems with fertility, etc. Very high intake of caffeine carries the risk of developing hypertension, problems of the heart, osteoporosis, etc.
Avoiding Caffeine Withdrawal headache
Due to the risks associated with high intake of caffeine, many people opt to reduce their daily caffeine intake. Some people may go to extremes and totally stop all caffeinated products in their daily diet schedule. This will lead to the occurrence of caffeine withdrawal headache as sudden cessation will give rise to associated symptoms.
The best way to do this is to get educated about caffeine and products containing caffeine. It is also best to know what common medications contain caffeine. This is the first step to reducing caffeine and its associated problems.
It should be understood that not all caffeine users will suffer from withdrawal symptoms if the daily intake is stopped. Only people with a daily intake of more than 500 mg generally experience withdrawal symptoms.
Whatever the daily intake, the best way to reducing chances of developing caffeine withdrawal headaches is taking it slow and gradual. That means that the daily intake should be gradually brought down so that symptoms of withdrawal are not experienced. It is also advisable to substitute various products containing caffeine with non-caffeinated ones gradually increasing the use of the latter as time passes by.
If during the attempt to reduce caffeine, any withdrawal symptoms like headache are experienced, they might need medication that contains small amount of caffeine in them to help get relief. Other relief methods might include taking a small cup of coffee or tea.
Caffeine withdrawal headache is commonly seen when people try to cut down on their caffeine intake suddenly. The best way to avoid these headaches is to get educated on caffeine, caffeine containing food and medications and the ways to reduce caffeine intake over a period of time.