Can caffeine make PN worse?
 

Hello,

My family doctor stated I should limit my caffeine intake, stating it can worsen the PN in my feet.

I drink approximately 3 cups of coffee daily, and have to admit that I am addicted to caffeine, as well as enjoy my cups of coffee. I have tried to stop in the past, and when doing so I suffer severe migraine pain, irritability, fatigue, and even feel nauseous.:( Decaffeinated coffee gives me a terrible stomach ache, and I have heard it also is not good for you, even naturally decaffeinated.

However, if it is true, if caffeine is proven to worsen PN, then I would be willing to try to slowly cut down, and possibly even completely eliminate caffeine, including other products that it is in.

I am wondering though if a once in a while a foricet pill would still be ok for my migraines, since that medication contains caffeine? This is the only medication that helps my migraines? I take one or two pills about once a month, not often.

I did a little research and saw that caffeine intake could possibly contribute to making PN worse, but it did not state why. The information did state that caffeine is a vascular constrictor. I guess that means caffeine makes blood vessels smaller right?

If that is the case, it seems caffeine would make circulation poor as well.

At any rate I am questioning if any one here knows how caffeine might contribute to making PN worse, and if eliminating caffeine can help reduce PN symptoms?

Any input would be appreciated, looking back I could not find this topic posted.

Thanks
Patty

Well Patty,

I will talk for myself here...

Coffee and Chocolate make my PN bad... I mean, BAD. I know that if today I drink a cup of coffee, I will be having a nasty evening and 2 days of horror...
What I do is take them under my own risk... I mean, if I really, really need to take coffee or choco, I do, but I know I will need to stay at home for the next 3 days taking care of my symptoms... :rolleyes:

Good luck ! :hug:

maybe related to vaso constriction, maybe blood levels of sugar?
if those migraines are "about once a month" i would be checking Gyn issues..

People who consume alot caffeine may be fueling migraines unwittingly. Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor and as it wears off there is the vasodilation rebound= headache for some.

Some people are just very sensitive to this. Don't be fooled by supplements with guarana in them...they are caffeine too.

If you choose to reduce your caffeine daily, do so slowly.
I'd get some coffee that is 1/2 and 1/2.
And reduce to 2.5 cups a day...for several days, then 2 cups a day and 1.5 cups a day, etc. If you use the 1/2 and 1/2 on the .5 days, it is easier for you, I think. My hubby only drinks decaf during the day because of this. He has real coffee only in the morning. I can't tolerate coffee at all....

If I have too much caffeine from my tea...then I get tense and chest tightness. I don't get headaches as a rule. But I have had neck aches from caffeine at times.

There are people who can consume enormous amounts of caffeine daily...I've seen it at work. It totally amazes me!

I have not had a bad experience drinking coffee with respect to my PN, however my PN is worse at night, and having caffein later in the day isnt going to make me fall asleep any faster. If anything it will keep me up and then the stress and anxiety kick in and THAT makes my PN worse.

I drink about 3-4 cups a day, no other caffinated drinks, just coffee.

I stopped drinking coffee for over a month to see if it would help and my PN changed not at all. I have been drinking one cup a day, now lately two cups a day. I think its like everything else with pn, what affects some people doesnt affect others at all.

I have been drinking decaf for 1 yr now. I didn't stop it because of my PN, I just decided it was time for a change. I have headaches all the time, and I didn't notice any change when switching. I finished the can I had, and started decaf the next day. I never noticed a difference, and I like decaf just as well. Yeah, I'm a weird one!

A few weeks ago, I had tea with caffeine, I didn't even realize I had bought the wrong tea. I drank it for 4 days, and never noticed a difference.

Thanks for your input
 

Hello,

Thanks everyone for you replies.

Well, I suppose I will bite the bullet and try to reduce my caffeine intake, since it just might reduce my symptoms, I won't know unless I give it a try.

I will use the suggestion that mrsD gave me, since that method sounds acceptable and hopefully the withdrawal symptoms will not be as unbearable.

In reply to my migraines, pabb, they have followed the same pattern since I have been about 25, I am now 51. I went through menopause at 45, but my migraines never really appeared to be in time with my periods, but still, hormones could somehow play a role in my migraines. My migraines come about every 5 weeks, sometimes I even go 6 - 8 weeks. The time lapse has actually increased between attacks, and since I now take a Fioricet immediately at the unset of pain, it takes the edge off the pain. The pain last approx 8 hours, treated or untreated, and then I am fine, and ready to go.:wink:

I'll let you folks know how I make out with the coffee, or should I say with out it?

Patty

hi there

I have no idea if caffine makes PN worse but I do know that if you want to cut down on the coffee then you need to do it very gradually over time. If you go cold turkey on it you will get withdrawal symptoms (headache, migraine etc). I don't think the cold turkey method is in any way dangerous, just very unpleasant!

I have to severely limit my coffee so I can sleep - I enjoy coffee but if I drink it everyday my sleep is all over the place so unfortunately I can't overindulge.

best of luck with it all

raglet

Coffee seems OK per my docs
 

I was originally diagnosed with PN at Mayo Clinic and not one doctor there said anything about coffee or caffeine.. I continue to drink 2-3 cups a day. Rosa

The caffeine thing? Maybe....
 

it is because of the 'foricet' meds... Web it up 'foricet prescribing information' and you will find that some forms of this med DO include caffeine. So your doc is being cautious about you getting too much of a buzz, maybe.
I too was instructed to quit it, which I did, but it made absolutely zero difference. But then, I'd not had any meds that included the caf to offset the med side effects [s/e's]. Something to think on I believe.
Caffeine is for some, hard to get off of. Many have problems, most folks tho, don't.
With neuropathies, any thing we do or don't do must be approached with caution. Better that than something unforseen, you know?
Hang in there, keep telling yourself it could be lots different and count your blessings! :hug:'s - j

I must be one of the few caffeine-intolerant PN people
 

on this forum. I cannot drink either decaf or caf. Oh an occasional cup is fine but not on a steady basis. When I switched to decaf, I thought I'd be OK. Not so. I buy European process decaf beans & grind them myself. The coffee is delicious & except for no caffeine headrush, there is no discernible difference in the taste. But I still get what I term "wim-wams" anyway. What are wim-wams? They're internal buzzing, tremors, weakness which are very annoying & disabling.

So now I drink chamomile+peppermint tea. It is boring & flavorless but I do not get wim-wams from it and I guess it'll have to do until something better comes along.

I drink 3 - 8oz mugs of high-test coffee, every a.m. when I get to work.
That, along with 2 'Fiber One' bars, or some sort of sweet- is my breakfast.
No coffee during the day. Sometimes after dinner in a restaurant,
but never after dinner at home.
Doesn't affect my PN at all.

Hello again everyone, and thank you so much for all of your input.

Bob B, I was wondering though, have you ever stopped the caffeine, to see if there was a difference, or a measurable improvement in your PN?

I would like to investigate into how caffeine actually could affect PN, making it worse as my family doctor suggested it does. That is why he did not want to refill my fioricet for me, due to the caffeine in it. I also wonder if it is just certain types of PN that caffeine can aggravate?

At any rate, even if caffeine could cause PN to become worse, I only take fioricet occasionally to stop my migraine pain. So, I have no idea if my doctor meant that even little use of caffeine could aggravate my PN, and just temporarily? If so, I still would take the fioricet, and rid the migraine, since that medication is the only medication that has worked.

Now, if he meant any caffeine can cause the PN to progress, then that is a different story, then I would probably not take the fioricet at all, and really try to give up caffeine. So can caffeine make the pain worse or actually increase the damage to nerves? That is my question. Oh my someone must know...I am going to keep trying to find out.

If you are wondering why I don't just ask the doctor that told me that caffeine is not good for PN, that is due to our medical coverage does not cover any doctors visits, only hospital treatments, so if I wanted to see him to discuss the matter, it would cost me 65 dollars, which we don't have at the present time. I did not think to ask him back months ago when he told me, unfortunately!

I did buy light coffee, and am trying to cut back on sugar...Oh my I was so sick Friday night with a huge migraine, then yesterday I was so tired, I could do absolutely nothing. So that is what I get for not following Mrs D plan... :)

Today I have busy plans, so I bought some "Real" coffee, and had a slight bit of sugar, and I feel better.:)

Patty
Enjoy your week end.

Caffeine
 

you could try to send that doctor an email for clarification. or a phone call. you shouldnt have to pay for a doctor visit to get a statement clarified. I have emailed doctors in the past and gotten replies, including some top experts in their field.

A pm doctor I was researching had a topic on this along with other things in diet then can increase pain. Like some here state sugar so on. I am seeing a nutritionist again who I am going to try to work with this on. I know for me when I get stop using it the start I have bad head aches so on from going through withdrawl. To me that is a bad sign of what it does to your body. I do feel everyone is different in how they respond to things like this so maybe try and see. It may not help with this but may help with other health aspects.

do you get the "wimwams" from hot cocoa as well?

There are many substances in coffee that are NOT caffeine.

Coffee for many people is a laxative. For me it is a MAJOR laxative. Those internal wim-wams, or vibrating feeling, always precedes a laxative moment for me, by about an hour or two.

I gave up coffee because I had no life outside the bathroom when I drank it! I can't imagine how different I am from those who drink 10 cups or more (I knew a woman who drank 14 cups a day!) I suspect people develop a tolerance to the caffeine and start to metabolize it off more quickly than others.

The caffeine I get from tea does not have this effect on me at all.

?theobromine? (sp), which is why i was asking about cocoa....but, then again, that is higher in tea,than coffee......ah, the complexities of the human body

Actually--
 

--almost anything that is a neuroexcitant can cause upticks in neuropathy symptoms, especially if the nerve damage is such that the firing regulation of the nerves is dysfunctional--i.e., the nerve signals cannot "shut off" easily due to damage (often to the membrane mechanism that regulates ionic exchange, as often happens in small fiber syndromes).

People have reported that caffeine, sugar, acidic foods, etc., have all produced "flares" in symptoms.

I get a 'flare-up' if I drink alcohol. Wine, beer-it doesn't matter.
My feet tell me about an hour, or so- after I have one, or two drinks.

Hello,

Well, I definitely cut back on my caffeine intake to abruptly, as well as sugar, and since I am so susceptible migraines as it is, the withdrawal headache, turned to migraine, as I stated in a previous post. :(

I regret to say that I "fell of the wagon" and probably consumed even more caffeine and sugar to feel better.

Yikes, until I really took a close look, coffee and food is such a HUGE part of daily life for me.

Before my father passed away my parents daily routine included Tim Horton's. Now that I care for my mother, my two sisters live out of town, she still enjoys me taking her for coffee. I could order, huum juice, but at Tim Horton's, that would seem ungodly. Maybe tea with less caffeine at some point in time.

Its habit as well as addiction for me.

Then the meals out, when my daughter and her husband come to visit, dinner parties, well you all probably know what I am talking about. Oh dear, its not easy to change these habits.

I really need a way to stay committed and stick to daily ways of being healthier, since I have not been successful at all.

Due to several life obstacles, such as employment changes, caring for my elderly mother, since my father passed away, and my husband's in the GM mess, causing our health insurance to become so limited, in addition to my neuropathy and migraine's, I am seeing a therapist today.

I appear to obsess, not be able to make decisions, worry all the time, and even though I still enjoy life, (at times) I think I might be depressed.

I don't want to drive you folks away, so I am going to get some professional guidance that might aide me, since I also am terrible phobic of taking medication, even vitamins.

Patty