Migraines trigger-tea??

I suffered from migraines since I was in my 20's after my first child was born. As I entered perimenopause they became overwhelming and frequent. Fortunately imitrex came on the market and the drug worked. I assumed that when I got through menopause the headache would go away but they did not. I could expect at least one per week and became a weekly imitrex user.

At about age 56 I developed a bladder prolapse and went to physical therapy for bio-feedback. During that time the therapist had me keep a diary of what fluids I consumed during the day and when she looked at it she was amazed at how much tea I drank. She said the caffeine in the tea was a bladder irritant and I should avoid it. I switched totally to herb teas and I have not had a migraine since. It's been about 3 months and I've been migraine free. Could something in the tea have been a trigger for my migraines? I know stress, high heat and humidity and other things trigger mine also but living migraine free for these past months has been nothing short of amazing.

Any thoughts?

Arlene

OMG! What kind of herbal tea have you been drinking? Is green tea considered herbal? I've been drinking this green tea (in bags of dried leaves) every time my migraine attacks. It's called "The Vert". I bought a box from an Asian supermarket. It's sooo effective! Whenever I drink it at the first sign of my migraine, the pain goes away in 20 minutes! However, since I don't want to get used to drinking it everytime cause I'm aware of tea being a bladder irritant, sometimes I wait awhile and see if my migraine will go away by taking a nap. Naps don't help that much we all know that. It's just too painful for me most of the time to move around, heat up some water for my tea and all that...but once I drink it, the pain dramatically goes away within an hour. It's amazing! Now I'm confused as to why they say caffeine triggers migraine when tea itself has caffeine and it relieves the pain???

OMG! What kind of herbal tea have you been drinking? Is green tea considered herbal? I've been drinking this green tea (in bags of dried leaves) every time my migraine attacks. It's called "The Vert". I bought a box from an Asian supermarket. It's sooo effective! Whenever I drink it at the first sign of my migraine, the pain goes away in 20 minutes! However, since I don't want to get used to drinking it everytime cause I'm aware of tea being a bladder irritant, sometimes I wait awhile and see if my migraine will go away by taking a nap. Naps don't help that much we all know that. It's just too painful for me most of the time to move around, heat up some water for my tea and all that...but once I drink it, the pain dramatically goes away within an hour. It's amazing! Now I'm confused as to why they say caffeine triggers migraine when tea itself has caffeine and it relieves the pain???

Two chemicals in tea are demonstrated causes of headache: caffeine and theophylline. The two are similar to each other in their molecular structure; both are methylxanthines. Caffeine and theophylline are neuroactive drugs that are addictive. Withdrawal symptoms often include severe headache and nausea/vomiting.

No person bothered by headaches should ingest caffeine or theophylline, for obvious reason.

Arline, tea didn't trigger your migraines; rather, the caffeine and theophylline in tea CAUSED your migraines. That's why when you quit tea your headaches ceased.

Astoundingly, migraine has never been demonstrated to occur absent caffeine use! That means it's possible caffeine (and possibly other methylxanthines including theophylline and theobromine) causes the entire phenomenon of primary headache including migraine.

Gianne, the seeming paradox, that caffeine both causes and relieves migraine, is resolved by the mechanism of drug addiction and withdrawal. Caffeine causes migraine by rendering the body susceptible to caffeine withdrawal symptoms including severe headache and nausea/vomiting. Caffeine relieves those symptoms by reversing caffeine withdrawal.

This is ridiculous. I have been completely caffeine free for years and still get frequent migraine headaches. Obviously caffeine can be a trigger for some, but to say that migraine has never been demonstrated to occur absent caffeine use if pure balderdash.

Soooo, Hildegard of Bigham (or however it's spelt) was tossing back vente mochas on a regular basis? Give me a break... What anon in VT said.

Barry Spencer wrote:

Two chemicals in tea are demonstrated causes of headache: caffeine and theophylline. The two are similar to each other in their molecular structure; both are methylxanthines. Caffeine and theophylline are neuroactive drugs that are addictive. Withdrawal symptoms often include severe headache and nausea/vomiting.
No person bothered by headaches should ingest caffeine or theophylline, for obvious reason.
Arline, tea didn't trigger your migraines; rather, the caffeine and theophylline in tea CAUSED your migraines. That's why when you quit tea your headaches ceased.
Astoundingly, migraine has never been demonstrated to occur absent caffeine use! That means it's possible caffeine (and possibly other methylxanthines including theophylline and theobromine) causes the entire phenomenon of primary headache including migraine.

I haven't touched caffeine in 3 years and still get regular migraines. I avoid tea, coffee, chocolate, etc. Avoiding caffeinde ha helped but has not done the trick.

I have a personal theory on the tea/migraine connection. I actually ran across this site trying to do some research. I understand that some migraine research shows that migraines can be the result of vasodilation of blood vessels in the head. I know green and black teas cause vasodilation. So, that's it. That's my hypothesis. The vasodilation that results from drinking these teas also causes those of us who are prone to those kinds of migraines to suffer. Does that make sense? Now I'm off to try to find out if others have made this connection.

I have also been caffeine free for years. I get about 14 migraines a month. Yes vaso-dilation does cause a number of migraines but it actually starts with artery vaso-constriction that causes the other vessels to dilate which causes the headache. Hormones in women have been known to be a trigger but no can explain why. I also use Imitrex it works well most of the time. My doctors are working to try to figure out why my headaches have increased since my last child 19 months ago. I'm sure they will come back with the hormone connection again. I am sick of Dr's throwing antidepressants at everyone as a fix all. And no I'm not in denial. I'm just not depressed so why take an antidepressant and cause my body hell from it's side effects. I will continue with the Imitrex for now.

Give it up, Spencer. People are way smarter than you give them credit for. You're going to have to prove your theory. And before you say it's everyone else's responsibility to DISprove it, as you say on your web site, that's crap. You want to promote your theory and play with the big boys? Then get to work and do something productive.

I've been having migrainesfor the past 13 years and the last ten years it's been more like quite bad.But I'm very hopeful of getting a more normal life soon.As stafford has experienced,pretty much most of my doctors too have prescribed plenty of anti-depressants while I hardly experience depression.Any trouble I've had has been only an outcome of the debilitating pain upsetting life.I'd never make things worse with antidep side-effects.

I suffered from migraines almost all day everyday for six and a half years.
I had the problems arteries above my scalp cauterised and now I no longer have any migraines.
Life is now great.

I have very bad migranies since my last child 7 years ago. Now I drink Thai Tea when the migranie starts and the pain goes away within 10 to 20 minutes. Very happy not to take pills :)