Did you know that one cup of caffeinated coffee can help to treat a migraine attack?

But, caffeine is a double-edged sword.

Caffeine overuse can cause headaches or worsen them.  Here’s what happens.  Say you usually have many coffees, teas, or cola throughout the day.  You do this every day for years. Then, one morning, you don’t get your usual caffeine boost, and you get a headache.

This is known as caffeine rebound headache because the headache is brought on by the sudden lack of caffeine in your body.  It can happen to anyone, but migraine patients are even more susceptible.

At our Headache Center, we slowly take people off their caffeine while we are getting them better, and then they can return to a small amount.

A typical rebound headache lasts between 4 and 24 hours, with mild to moderate, dull, nonthrobbing, steady pain in any part of the head. People who experience it may feel pain in the forehead or on the top or in the back of the head, but the pain can be all over or in any one place.

The pain of rebound headache is usually on both sides of the head rather than one side. Most people with rebound do not experience such migraine-type symptoms as throbbing, nausea, increased sensitivity to light and sound, or worsening with mild exertion. The pain may, however, intensify to a severe migraine episode.

What can you do about rebound headaches?