Hello everyone
You would think that abstaining from coffee would be the very least of my concerns … and it probably is. Giving up salt, processed foods, chocolate and alcohol has not really worried me…but coffee is another story. Oh what i would do to sit down and enjoy a nice hot latte! Walking past cafes is pure torture ! Damn this MAV!!! Does anyone know of a substitute for coffee? I know decaf is a big no-no. I do drink non-caffeinated herbal teas under sufferance but I am definitely not a fan? Just wondering what everyone else indulges in?
Kylie,
This stuff is practically as good as coffee. I get them to make me a “dande latte” at the local cafe and they run it through the espresso machine. Great stuff and no fallout:
bonvit.com.au/shop/viewitem.php?productid=36
S 8)
Dandy latte - so Bondi 
Hey, I didn’t make the name up. But it tastes damned good so bring it on. :lol:
I’ve cheated on this a bit recently… I haven’t had regular coffee in years, as I was told to nix all caffeine because of my arrhythmia. Well, I was desperate a few weeks ago and went to a coffee shop with a friend and ordered an iced chocolate mint coffee drink with whipped cream. (Mmmm!) Didn’t care what it did to my MAV - I was that desperate. I realized afterwards, though, that I completely forgot to ask for it to be made with decaf! Fortunately, I didn’t suffer any ill effects, migraine or otherwise. Sooo last week I brewed up some decaf. (I know there’s caffeine in it still - if I remember correctly, decaf is generally 97% caffeine free.) Well, I drank it (not the whole batch at once ) by adding about a tablespoon of the coffee to a big glass of milk. Wow - yummers! According to my tastebuds, might just as well have been a great big iced coffee! Anyhow… all that to say, if you’re sure caffeine doesn’t do you in, that might be a good way to appease the urge without blowing your MAV outta the water. I figure the amount of caffeine in that is outrageously low… (Still probably not a good idea for folks who are triggered by caffeine - why play with fire - but for those of us who seem to do fine with it, at least in small quantities, it makes for a nice treat.)
Scott - here’s a thought/question for you… I’ve wondered for a while about coffee substitutes as they’re generally made with chicory. Chicory’s a seed, isn’t it? So, if folks seem to have seeds as a trigger, they should likely avoid chicory beverages, right? (Just throwing it out there. I know there’s some disagreement among docs on whether seeds are triggers. And as a person who hasn’t been able to pinpoint too many food triggers, I don’t know that it’s an issue for me, but I do - despite my previous post - try to avoid foods that could be a potential trigger on days when I’m feeling particularly off…) Insights?
I drink decaf coffee, no problem. I dont overdue it though, one or two if I am out and just one a day in the house. I used to drink the dandelion coffee (no chicory) it was in a green tin from the health shop, stops you getting waterlogged I believe 
Christine
I missed coffee more than anything. So once I got to a therapeutic dose on Effexor I started adding it in again and haven’t noticed any negative effects. But I did try coffee when I wasn’t quite well yet and it would make me so dizzy so i stopped right away. Than once i hit 150mg of the fex and feeling good, i tried it again and no problem and i have been drinking one small cup a day ever since i just make sure to drink a load of water right after. Also, I just recently added topamax to my arsenal of drugs and the coffee is really helping with the morning sedation of the topamax. Once I get to the correct dose and all the side effects hav gone away, I will give it a few weeks… And if I’m not feeling great than coffee will be the first thing I give up to see if it doesnt go well with the top. But let me tell you how happy I am to have it back for now at least.
I know we are all different, but I think if you are feeling well again, it might be worth it to give it a try for a week and see if it affects you negatively. I only drink about 3/4 cup but it is heavenly. I pray I can continue. I thought for sure I would never even be able to drink it again. So give it a shot once you have your MAV under control.
Mavprincess
I’ll definitely order some of scott’s “dande” brew. Hopefully if will keep my cravings at bay until I feel well enough to re-introduce coffee into my diet. I have tried to sneak a coffee in occasionally but have paid the price almost immediately after … it’s amazing what effects it can have on you. It left me walking side-ways out of the cafe - bad look!
I have experimented with decaf and felt immediately dizzier?? Yesterday I made myself a cup of decaf and was too afraid to drink it. 
I’m glad there is light at the end of the tunnel…maybe just maybe I might be well enough to have that long awaited latte again…OMG my mouth is watering! Glad you are kicking goals Mav Princess. Caffeine would be awesome to combat some of that fatigue caused by the meds. Enjoy your 3/4 cup and stay well!!
Kylie
Chicory? Dandelion? Isn’t that what my mum drank during the war (WWII)!! Awful stuff. Must be the espresso machine that makes all the difference. It’s amazing what they can sell these days & convince everyone it’s the latest discovery!!
Barb :lol:
New, personally untried concept: extracts.
First, off, let me say that I get away with decaf coffee. I don’t risk decaf tea, because it’s supposed to be so much higher in caffeine, but make do with the herbals, including rooibos. Oh, and occasionally white tea.
Cocoa is what I really miss. White choc has none, zero of the flavor.
Some specialty manufacturers make coffee and chocolate extracts. I Unfortunately, these contain all the ingredients of the real stuff, in proportion. FORTUNATELY, this doesn’t add up to a great deal of caffeine. I asked one, and the rep said 20 mG caffeine per tsp. which is more or less in the middle of how much caffeine you get in a coffee shop cup of decaf coffee. If chocolate extract contains a similarly smaller amount of caffeine, it sounds very promising. What it does to the flavor of a dish is very fine, according to foodies. However, this is always as an additive to a recipe that already contains cocoa/chocolate. I will be trying the stuff in food or drink without the cocoa/choc, and I’ll report back. Unless someone here’s already tried this?
I agree white chocolate is nothing like the real thing! Let us know how you go with the chocolate extract…sounds good!!
Hey Erika,
I don’t have any problems with seeds. It’s nuts that set me off. I think (thought) seeds were OK for most migraineurs.
The Bonvit mix is actually really good guys. When it’s made correctly it’s a great substitute. I’ve had a bad versions of dande-chiccory mixes and yes they are lousy but not this one.
S
— Begin quote from “scott”
The Bonvit mix is actually really good guys
— End quote
yeah, keep talking, maybe one day we will believe you :lol:
Here’s my report on the chocolate extract.
Today I brought home a 2 oz. bottle, brand Flavorganics.
First experiment: I dropped a drop on a peppermint cookie that I’d baked a week ago. I took a bite out of that spot. Result: no significant diff, certainly no chocolatiness.
Second experiment: I dropped several drops on the cookie and etc., figuring that I had strongly flavored the dough (by using a drop of peppermint oil rather than a tsp of peppermint extract). Result, the same.
Third experiment: based on the advice of my sweetheart, who’s a foodie, I warmed a scant cupful of skim milk and then added ~ a tsp of the choc extract. Result: negligible effect. Not significantly akin to hot choc/cocoa.
Wegman’s sells another brand of choc extract, twice the price, but trumpeting that it’s a concentrated extract. I might try it, though I don’t have high hopes now.
The god point is . . . I’ll survive.
Oooh - Wegman’s. I miss Wegman’s! Nothing even comparable here in the south. (Sigh…)