I've lurked here for awhile and read a lot of posts. I finally broke down and went to see a doc, after I was one stop sign away from the ER.  (the beast lifted) My doc looked at me like i was nuts when i told him how  much coffee i drank, which was not that much; compared to the rest of the public.  Anyway, he put me on 25mg of topomax, bumped it to 50mg after a week and 2 more beasts.  told me to quit caffeine and alcohol.  i quit caffeine, slowed the beer and have never felt better.  Thing is.... i dont know if it is the "no caffeine" OR the "topomax" cause I started both at same time.  Been a cool non humid summer too.  Been about two months... and really have felt shadows almost daily, but no beast!!!  To my point and question though... What is it with the caffeine and energy drinks ?  could we actually be hurting ourselves with this?  Is it fuel on the fire ?  I was(am) a one attack eposodic person, usually late evening, or right when my head hits the pillow. BAM  Was/ is my body craving caffeine?
Really, i think my nerves were shot the last 6 years, i have never felt better.... just wish i knew which it was, no caffeine,  topomax, or both.
PFD for all.  good luck. god bless

I guess what i should ask .. What is the science behind drinking caffeine to help with an attack, or abort an attack ?   I carry No doz in my pocket in case of emergency... cause we all know we will try anything.  Has anyone quit caffeine with any success?  Not trying to be a smart ace, just wanted to provide insight that maybe it could be possible ( I DUNNO), that caffeine might not be that good.  ???????
Just food for thought.   I am a cigar smoker also.

I also feel caffeine is a big trigger for CH. I was getting the attacks for last 4 weeks but 3 days back i quit Tea and i am completely pain free except some light shadows sometime. Let's see how long it goes. If it works out ,i will not touch caffeine for my whole life.
I am very happy  . Wish you all pain free day

Agree with Callico and Joe on the beer.

Caffiene works as a stimulant increasing your heart rate and BP. Most stimulants help CH to some degree for many due to a rapid change in heart rate.

Only way to find out if its the topo, coffee, or Beer is to test each one individually. I think you have to ween off the Topomax if you try going without. Not sure, Ask your doc.

ok, im starting to get my CH's back i think. so im going to try the energy thing once. one weird thing is that when i touch my head it feels all tingly. weird stuff right. was wondering if any of you went through this. also the upper part of my back has a knot in it right in the upper middle part.  had the wife masage it but still there and neck still hurts!!!  my cycle was from june 24th until august 2nd. and now since friday its been like this. im totally sick of it and want it to stop NOW!!! its about a 5 outta 10 right now, i slept earlier for a while because im just so exhausted. i have no imitrex, all i got is this crappy migranel stuff that dont work! any info would be greatly appreciated. im sitting by the window right now with a nice breeze comming through which gives me the chills and makes me feel so much better. i dont know how but it works. and a fan on high at night is always a plus.

Well for what its worth....I never ever drink Cafeine.

BUT...I broke down this time, and tried it, because of the alllllll day H.A.  It works for me..the energy drinks make me pf all day.! 
   Just hope I don't get too used to it.

Since I am not used to Cafeine,,,,Boy can I work fast!

just my two cents.......    lorac

MORPH...is the right word !  Nothing is set in stone with this bad beast eh!

is it ok to take with my lithium and verapmil?????????

ryan_wi wrote on Aug 16^th, 2009 at 11:21pm:

Melatonin is fine with lithium and verapamil. But you should limit your intake of taurine (one of the ingredients in most energy drinks) while taking verapamil. Studies have shown taking too much of both can mess with heart rhythms. How much is too much? I'm not sure - you'd want to talk to your doc about that one.

I used to be on 480mg of verapamil daily and would average 1000mg of taurine per day and never had a problem, but like I said, talk to your doc.

All my life I have always had a very low tolerance to caffeine.  My limit is two cups of plain old regular coffee in the morning, then not another drop until the next morning or I have the heebie-jeebies all night long.

But, when IN cycle, I keep a fridge full of Red Bull, or a similar energy drink with both caffeine and taurine in it to help abort hits, but usually take it to abort the shadows (I rely on my O2 for immediate aborting of a hit).  Interestingly enough, when in cycle, the extra caffeine I drink does not give me the shakes????

Interesting question - I wonder why?

Sandy

Coffee has always been a help to me when I'm in cycle. 

After the morning cup or three, I'll often have an energy drink in the afternoon.  It helps to keep me functional and shadow-free during the day, leaving me to face something nasty during the hours of midnight to six AM...and let's face it--if it's going to happen, it's better that I don't deal with civilization at the same time.   

Melatonin (taken an hour before bedtime) has been effective at stopping most of the late-night attacks--less so during mid-cycle.

O2 to abort these hits, of course.  Sometimes several times, if I get multiple hits. 

For some reason, I've had to increase my usual 9 mg of melatonin to 15 mg during this current cycle, in order to achieve some less-than-perfect results. 

I've also continued taking my usual 500 mg magnesium, vitamin B2, B6, and a calcium supplement with vitamin D.  Not sure what this has accomplished--although the cycle I expected in May of this year didn't begin until August.  That, of course, could be due to any number of things, including the fact that I seem to be getting older.   

What's been said previously about alcohol and episodics is true of me as well.  After a cycle begins, I'd rather hit my big toe with a three-pound hammer than drink a beer.  Negative reinforcement, you know...stuff doesn't even look good to me anymore during a cycle.   

After years of futile grasping for the magic bullet, I've settled for going with what I know will help me get through the blasted thing with a. the fewest hits, b. the mildest hits, and c. the least harm.  I can't kill it, but I can at least make it endurable.   

YMMV.

Sorry for the long, rambling post, BTW.

Best wishes,

George

Quote:

Fifteen is my limit on schnitzengruben.