Diet coke - my headache remedy

Hello everyone
Just like to share that I have stumbled upon a headache cure - 1 x can Diet Coke. Even though caffeine is stated as a migraine trigger it seems to do just the oppposite for me. Everytime I feel one of my headaches coming on a can of diet coke never fails…a much better alternative than reaching for the ibuprofen …now the search continues for a “dizzy” cure. Apparently caffeine enhances the effectiveness of pain-relief medications, so some OTC meds contain caffeine.

Bizarre! When I’m in a migraine way (or even on the verge) a Diet Coke is one of the few ‘foods’ (although it would barely qualify as such) which will make things much worse for me (actually Coke Zero is even worse). I tried one a few days ago and for the next several hours I was a jittery, shaky, anxious, rocky mess.

I love Diet Coke but it gives me brain fog. I think it’s the Aspartame. I believe Diet Coke is one of the proscribed items on the migraine diet.

However, I have also read that consuming caffeine at the beginning of a migraine episode can abort it. Perhaps that is the effect you’re seeing.

Hi,
I must admit that I’ve avoided caffeine completely for a couple of years now, but doesn’t ingesting caffeine increase the risk of ‘rebound’ problems? :

“This rebound syndrome is especially dangerous if your medication contains caffeine, which is often included in many pain relievers to speed up the action of the other ingredients. While it can be beneficial, caffeine in medications, combined with consuming caffeine (coffee, tea, soft drinks or chocolate) from other sources, makes you more vulnerable to a rebound headache.” webmd.com/migraines-headache … -headaches ].

Regards,
Tony.

mmmm… Being such a stickler to the migraine diet I was worried about the rebound headaches. I don’t think I’ll make a habit of it… But desperate times call for desperate measures.

I have started the same with success, at about 2oclock when I feel a headache coming on, I have my only caffiene of the day, stops the headache and picks up my afternoon!

[Raises hand] … Diet Coke drinker here!

A can of it only has about 45 mg of caffeine, which is far less than one cup of coffee, which has 100-200 mg.

I try to ingest a more or less steady level of caffeine every morning. One or two Diet Cokes in the course of the morning, plus one-half to a whole caffeine pill. Thus, about 200-300 mg total every day, early in the day.

It helps my concentration, energy, and (daily!) flu-like achiness.

I don’t get huge migraine attacks, but when I feel that extra woozy-lightheaded-pressurey thing coming on, I’ll bump up the caffeine to the max, and it definitely helps!

I must just be careful not to go over 300 mg more than 1-2 days in a row–otherwise it starts to interfere with my sleep.

I don’t think caffeine, or a rebound effect, is a problem for me; early on in the course of my dizziness, I went completely OFF caffeine for two or three months and saw no effect whatsoever. And in those days I was only having one Diet Coke per day (and felt way worse).

Wow…that’s amazing. Whatever it takes to feel better . I have found a cup of coffee sends my dizzies through the roof and no wonder with 100-200mg of caffeine. However, that can of diet coke with 45mg is so effective.

My husband primarily experiences migraine as headaches (worse than mine), though he’s had a few mild dizzy spells and some auras. When he feels a headache coming on, he grabs a Mountain Dew. He’s used to using Excedrin Migraine, which of course has caffeine in it. He figures he’ll get the caffeine in that much faster by doing the Dew.

I only drink maybe the equivalent of two cans of pop a month, usually Coke, and it doesn’t affect my dizziness, it only affects my nausea by providing a syrupy coating over whatever is in my stomach. I take a small cup with lemon and it seems to help.

In the last few days there have been some articles about how bad pop is for you, especially the cans. So if you can get the Mexican Coke that comes in a bottle and is made with real sugar instead of corn syrup, that is the way to go.

todayhealth.today.msnbc.msn.com/ … soda-habit

Accelerated aging
Diet or regular, all colas contain phosphates, or phosphoric acid, a weak acid that gives colas their tangy flavor and improves their shelf life. Although it exists in many whole foods, such as meat, dairy, and nuts, too much phosphoric acid can lead to heart and kidney problems, muscle loss, and osteoporosis, and one study suggests it could trigger accelerated aging. The study, published in a 2010 issue of the FASEB Journal, found that the excessive phosphate levels found in sodas caused lab rats to die a full five weeks earlier than the rats whose diets had more normal phosphate levels—a disturbing trend considering that soda manufacturers have been increasing the levels of phosphoric acid in their products over the past few decades.

Caramel cancer-causers
In 2011, the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to ban the artificial caramel coloring used to make Coke, Pepsi, and other colas brown. The reason: Two contaminants in the coloring, 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole, have been found to cause cancer in animals, a threat the group says is unnecessary, considering that the coloring is purely cosmetic. According to California’s strict Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer, just 16 micrograms per person per day of 4-methylimidazole is enough to pose a cancer threat, and most popular brown colas, both diet and regular, contain 200 micrograms per 20-ounce bottle.

Toxic cans
It’s not just the soda that’s causing all the problems. Nearly all aluminum soda cans are lined with an epoxy resin called bisphenol A (BPA), used to keep the acids in soda from reacting with the metal. BPA is known to interfere with hormones, and has been linked to everything from infertility to obesity to some forms of reproductive cancers. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have pegged soda cans, along with restaurant, school, and fast-food meals, as a major source of exposure to the chemical. And while Pepsi and Coke are currently locked in a battle to see which company can be the first to develop a 100 percent plant-based-plastic bottle—which they’re touting as “BPA free”—neither company is willing to switch to BPA-free aluminum cans.

Well that is frightening…poison in a can. Mmmm…Might be better off having 1/4 cup of coffee to combat headaches.

I have friends with migraine headache who will drink caffeine when they feel a migraine coming on, and it will abort the migraine. But caffeine is a trigger for these individuals if they consume it any other time.

Remember that Excederin has caffeine in it. Caffeine can be used to abort headaches, even migraines.