In the suggestions thread I saw some recommend drinking lots of coffee to help abort an attack. How widely effective is this?

I tend to stay away from coffee during a cycle. Might upping my caffeine intake help?

Yes, a number of folks use strong coffee with good results.

Explore the "helpful hints" message in the section immediately above this group of messages.

Oh yea... I keep a caraffe of coffee on the counter from the previous day.  Woke up at 5:30am with a K4 rising fast, poured and slammed a cup and then hit the O2.  The fact that it's luke warm instead of piping hot makes it easy to drink it fast.

That's my usual routine.

-Dennis-

DennisM1045 wrote on May 29^th, 2009 at 7:26am:

Oh yea... I keep a caraffe of coffee on the counter from the previous day.  Woke up at 5:30am with a K4 rising fast, poured and slammed a cup and then hit the O2.  The fact that it's luke warm instead of piping hot makes it easy to drink it fast. That's my usual routine. -Dennis-

That's my schtick too.

I don't have anything to back it up but after my mother died I began making very strong coffee for myself (I add a little espresso to it) which I didn't do until then. Within a year or so my hits were few and fewer until they ended 3 years later. I've drunk gallons of coffee all my adult life. There's no proof that it works though this but hey..coffee is good.  8-)

Charlie

You will find a lot of opinions on this.  Results seem to be wildly inconsistent.

For me, it seems that caffeine postpones.  A few judicious cups of coffee will usually get me through a day at work, but I'll get hits at home in the evening as the buzz wears off.  But given the choice, I'd rather take the hit at home where I can deal with it easier  with pacing and/or O2, and not feed the rumor mill in the office.

Other than to keep my job, I avoid caffeine while in cycle.

Caffeine,  Love it.  Dont know what I would do without it.  If I dont have my coffee(strong and black), during the usual morning and afternoon times, I will get slammed with a nasty headache.  Even when not in cycle.  And it definately helps with shadows for me.

Maybe its bad, but I feel that it helps, and I wouldnt want to deal with these problems without it.

chrisw

As with so many other things for us clusterheads what works for one is either ineffective or even aggravates.  Personally, I drink coffee all day and into the night.  I can't abort a hit with it, but by keeping my intake high all day it helps to ease the hits.  On days that I don't drink as much the hits are much stronger.  I cannot drink it fast enough to break a hit, so I use an energy drink a lot of times if I am out where I can't deal with it alone.  The Taurene in the drinks seems to accentuate the caffeine with out causing the tremors slamming to much caffeine all at once can give.  My only prob with them is stomach upset.  

I've used so much caffeine the last few years that I can make a pot of coffee after dinner, drink it, and go to bed.  It will get me up, but not keep me up! ;D

Remember, YMMV

Jerry