I've noticed that when I drink a lot of coffee, I tend to be in more pain. I'm not sure if this is just in my head or is there something more to it. Can anyone else relate?
Joe and I aren't best friends anymore.
How about red wine? Seriosly............ Tannins have an effect on some.
Inflammation from food is a normal response for everbody. The older we get the more things that effect us. If you ask around you will find people without PsA get the same effect. All those articles in the magazines about this food or that food causing inflammation aren't written for arthritis patients. They are written for those in denial over aging who as kids hearing aunt ethel saying "I can't eat pizza" swore they would never complain when they grew up and would eat whatever they wanted. You just have to learn which foods effect you. But rember response to "inflammatory foods" is a gift everyone gets. Don't waste any time trying to figure which diet causes your PsA. In any event I remember a trip to the ER for a bad heart rhythm and the doc discounting coffee as possible cause when I answered 2 or 3 as my consumption. My DW informed him that was true if Iadded pots to that. I had my own coffee makers in both offices when my wife discovered on the CC statement over $300.00 one month to the campus java stand. I don't drink near as much these days. It did start to get to me>
I've read studies with opposing conclusions on coffee and pain and caffeine in general and pain levels. Basically what I get from my reading is that different people react differently to coffee and/or caffeine. It stimulates your nervous system, which in some people translates into pain. For others, it translates into reducing pain. Caffeine has been shown to increase the effect of pain killers.
If you have increased pain when drinking coffee, stop drinking it. Or, if you're fine after one cup, but have an increase in pain at two, choose to stop at one if you don't want to give it up. I went off coffee for a couple months to see if it made a difference in my pain levels, and all I got was an increase in migraines. Go figure. LOL
Personally I feel caffeine dehydrates me which I would think could contribute to pain. That's my opinion. The reality is everyone is different. You could try limiting yourself to one cup a day and see how it goes.
Mmmmmm I love my coffee :), weirdly I’ve found I’m more likely to have a headache turn into a migraine if I don’t drink coffee…I don’t go mad with it but have up to 4 cups a day.
Excederin ( a headache over the counter migraine cure sold in the US) is a combination of caffeine, aspirin and Tylenol I take 500 mg of Naprosyn and 1000 mg of Tylenol which in the morning I wash down with a couple of cups of coffee. I don't really know if the caffeine helps but I do seem to think so.
Years ago I had a bad spinal injection. He went through everything. I spent the afternoon in room with a complete spinal. First time i several years I was pain free. It finally wore off. Little did I know what would come next wouldn't be near so pleasant. I've had spinal headaches but NOTHING like that one. They had me a 45 degree angle head down. They finally ended up starting 3 IVs one with caffine, another with morphine, and the third directly to rhe spine with my blood and antibiotics and some kind of pressure meter. They (thank god) didn't tell me I was at risk of brain damage. I wasn't a quart low, I was empty.
It took three days to start building up spinal fluid pressure. But I gotta tell you at the end the caffine morphine combo was wonderful. I even got a bonus PCA unit. for a day. Anyway caffine is commonly used as a part of pain management Headaches anywat
I can add that we use caffeine routinely for migraine patients and I find it helps my pain. I find 2-3 cup max of caffeine (tea or coffee) helps but any more and It it hinders. I try to match each cup of caffeine with at least 2 cups of H2O. As many others have said try variations to see how you feel. I know if I overdose on the coffee (which when exhausted past return is easy) my guts go and I have symptoms of colitis. I think that since we are so complex with many different variables it can be hard to say coffee good or coffee bad. If you love you coffee and want to test the caffeine element but hate decaf I have a trick. In the ICU our Cardic patients are all supposed to be no caffeine. Reality is withdrawal from caffeine can be more detrimental when done cold turkey. We start off giving them 3/4 real coffee 1/4 decaf. Give them a day or so depending on premedical issue intake. Then we wean them down to a good decaf brand within a week or so. They generally do not suffer the withdrawal and find it much easier to manage after. Sometimes when I am at risk of ODing on caffeine I will titrate the caffeine in this manner. Still gives me the ‘feel’ of coffee but less nasty side effects. After several nasty experiences in the bathroom you learn to watch what bothers you. Try different strengths of coffee. I can only drink 1 XL Tim’s a day but could drink 2-3 other coffees. The strength and brand and way the beans are roasted may play a factor. I have a friend who says she can not drink Tim’s coffee at all as she always feels sick. Yet she can drink McDonald’s or home made and feels fine.
All in all for me some helps especially on bad pain days but go over that limit and I am in worse shape. It may take a bit of experimentation but you could see how you react and then enjoy accordingly.
I tend to drink more coffee than usual when I'm trying to push myself a little harder that usual and want an extra kick. Trying to keep pushing past what my body wants to do does increase pain.
Are you drinking more coffee because it's a nice cool Sunday and it goes well with the newspaper, or because you're trying to get more done or stay awake on the road?
Lol, I didn’t also mention the ‘safety net’ sugar free caffeine drinks I have stashed in my locker at work ;)…sometimes very necessary on a late shift!
I used to use a similar product in the UK for migraine relief, unfortunately it no longer works so have co-codamol (30/500mg)prescribed now.
michael in vermont said:
Excederin ( a headache over the counter migraine cure sold in the US) is a combination of caffeine, aspirin and Tylenol I take 500 mg of Naprosyn and 1000 mg of Tylenol which in the morning I wash down with a couple of cups of coffee. I don’t really know if the caffeine helps but I do seem to think so.