Drinking Caffeine Can Cause Headaches

Question

Understanding Caffeine Headache: Is Caffeine a Migraine Treatment or Trigger?

Answer 1

This is misleading. It doesn't appear that caffeine itself causes the headaches, it's the lack of caffeine and the withdrawal that can lead to headaches. As stated by doctors at UCLA Health, "Caffeine is a fascinating compound. For people who consume it regularly, its absence can trigger a headache. And because of the way the body responds to caffeine, its presence can sometimes relieve one." This is supported by an article published in the National Library of Medicine, which states that "abrupt discontinuation of chronically used caffeine can cause caffeine-withdrawal headache. Caffeine can both relieve and trigger headaches." The triggering of headaches comes from the withdrawal of caffeine. The claim that caffeine causes headaches can be misleading because it's not the caffeine itself that causes headaches, it's the lack thereof. The source posted above is actually a very good source, the American Migraine Foundation's research is reliable but the link above does not lead to any research about caffeine and nowhere that I could find does the source mention caffeine. There are other very reliable sources about this topic such as the National Library of Medicine and UCLA Health and Mayo Clinic Health. 

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/caffeine-connection-between-coffee-and-headaches

https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/does-caffeine-treat-or-trigger-headaches

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10385675/

Comments

This is an incredibly well informed answer, I enjoy how you talked about the credibility of each source at the end and how you have looked into a lot of the sources and the issue as a whole. This works super well and was well researched, good job!

Answer 2

Yes Caffeine can cause headaches especially if you are consuming caffeine in large quantities. When you stop consuming caffeine when you've been drinking it on a regular basis, your body can become dependent on it. This can cause blood vessels to enlarge, which can lead to headaches that can last for a couple of weeks. The mayo clinic also states: "When caffeine is consumed regularly, the body becomes dependent on its effects. And because caffeine narrows the blood vessels that surround the brain, when consumption is stopped, the blood vessels enlarge. This causes an increase in blood flow around the brain and pressures surrounding nerves. This can then trigger what is known as a caffeine withdrawal headache. These headaches can last for a couple of weeks because it takes the body a while to adjust to not having caffeine in its system." However according to WebMD: "When combined with pain relievers like aspirin or acetaminophen, caffeine can increase the absorption and strength of the medication." All in all it just depends on the amount you intake.
https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/does-caffeine-treat-or-trigger-headaches#:~:text=Caffeine%20can%20trigger%20a%20headache.&text=And%20because%20caffeine%20narrows%20the,as%20a%20caffeine%20withdrawal%20headache.
https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/triggers-caffeine

Answer 3

This claim is misleading, and as a matter of fact, caffeine has been linked to curing headaches as well. The reasons caffeine can cause headaches have more to do with other variables including the consumption rate. Having too much, as well as factors like sensitivity, medication overuse, and being dehydrated can make caffeine become a problem when it comes to headache issues. In order to use a certain serving size of caffeine, it must be adequately offset by the amount of fluids you drink as well as how much sleep your body has, especially when it comes to drinking it first thing in the morning. The linked article to webMD explains how caffeine can lead to side effects based on other factors. https://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/triggers-caffeine

Comments

Hello. Your fact checking lacks evidence from trustable sources. You make claims about consumption rate and serving size, but do not explain where you got this information. Furthermore, while you state the claim is false you make no effort to disprove any facts stated in the original article, posted by American Migraine Foundation. Also, you make the bold claim that caffeine has been linked to curing headaches- but go no further to provide evidence supporting this claim.