I’ve read both by various experts. I have one small cup of French roast in the morning- no other caffeine. I don’t think it’s a major trigger for me, as my attacks seem to come in spring, and I drink it everyday. Any personal experiences on whether I should ditch it in spring? I really really don’t want to. I’ve already given up so many other things. But if someone had a miraculous result with giving it up, I’d def consider it!
0 voters
Ditch it! Because:
You think you will miss it but once you have truly given it up, you won’t! The reason you love it so much is partly because it’s an addictive drug. Caffeine is a little devil whispering in your ear 
. Admit it! 
Meds are probably masking some of the impact. You are probably undoing some of the good work that your medication is trying to do (once I weaned off Ami I really noticed how bad caffeine affected me). Better to be on a lower dose of medication than a higher dose necessary to combat the additional symptoms caused by the caffeine?
Herbal teas and barrista grade decaf coffee can be great!
Whoa! I’ve already given up red wine! I honestly didn’t think one little cup could be bad, but maybe I’ll give it a go.
Thanks for creating the poll😀
I do caffeinated tea small cup everyday at same time. I find it does not affect me adversely.
You could start with a half-caffeinated, half-decaf combo. Then it might be easier to eventually go caffeine-free.
I’d certainly say keep it the same daily. Caffeine reduction helped me enormously. Even my Him Indoors, usually a man of few words, volunteered that aloud, without any prompting. In fact he encouraged me to ditch my one remaining caffeinated Early Morning Tea at the beginning of this year. I had my ‘last’ one Wednesday morning, and at exactly the time time I would normally be drinking one on the following Saturday had full on vertigo, first full on dose in couple of years. It passed off then on the Monday morning next I started my first full on acute bedridden unable to stand for eight days attack in over three years and first ever since swallowing my first Propranolol pill. Too much coincidence for me. Total caffeine withdrawal I read later can do it and may well self right after up to ten weeks! I went straight back to my one caffeinated tea every morning and I treat my tea/coffee drinking just like medicine. Same amount, same time, every day.
Didn’t work for me. I tirated down from five caffeinated teas and one decaff coffee starting in October. Gradually changed to all decaff but the first Early Morning over couple of months. If somebody had told me I’d be doing this five years back I’d have told them in no uncertain times they were crazy!
After all that, what to a non-MAVer would seem totally mad, it was The Last Cup of Caffeinated Tea that ‘got’ me. I’m convinced. Helen
Ditch it and see. You could taper down as suggested by Manatee and then go to decaff if you still want coffee. It took me a while to find a decaff I liked and now use Taylors decaff, I don’t miss the caffeine.
I think Dr Silver (Walton centre)reckons that people who are on meds but not improving are probably still using caffeine in some form.
Correct there. That’s what he’s written. Either caffeine or continued use of painkillers. He ‘banns’ all those totally too even for other conditions. Helen
Well then I guess I’m screwed. I can ditch the caffeine, but could not function without ibuprofen for my neck and fibromyalgia…
Read all about it. Page 19, if you don’t have a day to spare! Helen
Depends. Whether you are a pragmatist or a purist. I went for the John Hopkins Diet because it allows two cups of caffeinated per day, and having read that ‘caffeine free’ diet for migraine usually means ‘caffeine free’ for ever, I thought ‘No Way’. I’m a pragmatist. I work on the principle of following the diet as closely as possible which I try to do. I still eat Cheddar cheese though as I need the calcium so work on the principle of 95% compliance is better than none! Now, there are consultant around who ‘allow’ a certain number of painkiller days per month too or so I understand, not being a ‘headachey’ but a vertigo-ey MAVer myself. You see where I’m coming from? Helen
I do get it… I take ibuprofen regularly though for my neck mostly. I have the pinched nerve that radiates down my arm and into my shoulder and ribs too. That whole left side aches terribly.
I find ibuprofen also helps my dizziness if I take enough. My Neuro thinks my chronic daily dizziness is Cerviogenic. My attacks are basilar migraine, which she says are triggered by the neck. It’s a tough situation. I either have to find a successful med that I can tolerate, or look into neck surgery.
what about some physiotherapy for neck? and gabapentin for neck pain? sorry about neck, i had a cervical fusion many years ago because of an accident and no problems (although maybe mav is related?). 
Gabapentin is next! Physiotherapy worked partially and briefly. Glad to hear you had no problems with your surgery.
Oooh! My brother had severe vertigo in his mid twenties which kept him off work and mostly in bed for about 18 months which was attributed to extremely heavy lifting in course of his employment damaging his neck. His was cured by acupuncture. Helen