How to Eliminate Headaches With Caffeine

For frequent sufferers of headaches, and for those prone to getting migraines, the frequent ingestion of pain relief medication can eventually dampen its effectiveness and can lead to gastritis or similar problems. One simple step that can be taken to lower the amount of pain relievers required is complementing them with caffeine.
Caffeine has a wide range of effects on the body. One of them is narrowing of the blood vessels, and this vasoconstrictive property can ease the pain of a headache. Besides, caffeine can increase the effectiveness of many pain relievers. Thus, drinking coffee or another caffeinated beverage can boost the effectiveness of your pain relievers, allowing them to fight the most persistent headaches. You you can also use this caffeine-analgesic synergy to take a lower dose of medicine, thus sparing yourself the gastrointestinal distress commonly associated with pain medication.

Things You'll Need

• Coffee maker
• Coffee
• Alternatively,tea, chocolate or cola
• Your usual over-the-counter painkiller

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Instructions

• 1

  Read the small print on your usual medication, and check to see if caffeine is an ingredient. Caffeine is a common ingredient in many prescription and over-the-counter headache medications, and taking additional caffeine would not be of any therapeutic value. If your medication does not already include caffeine, proceed.

• 2

  Make yourself a nice cup of coffee. It is better if you make the coffee yourself instead of going to your local coffee shop, as some popular commercial franchises will give you very large or very strong drinks that will provide the equivalent of two or three doses of caffeine. If coffee is not your thing, you can substitute black tea, chocolate or cola.

• 3

  Drink the coffee. This step is pretty much self-explanatory, but while we are at it, remember to get something to eat. Coffee on an empty stomach can be irritating, and it can also cause fluctuations in your sugar levels, potentially worsening your headache.This is particularly important if you are taking the caffeine for migraine prevention, as fluctuating sugar levels are known to make migraines worse.

• 4

  Wait half an hour, if feasible. Sometimes you can eliminate headaches with caffeine alone, but it will take half an hour or so to get metabolized. On the other hand, migraine sufferers know that sometimes it is best to hit the headache with everything you have before it has a chance to take root. If you feel this could be one of those, or if you are taking caffeine for migraine prevention, skip this step and go directly to step 5.

• 5

  Take the standard dose of your usual over-the-counter painkiller. Its effectiveness should have increased by roughly 40%. Thus, you should experience stronger and longer-lasting relief.