Caffeine increases CSF production

[ploink]

Yesterday I bought some 'Chinese Green Monkey' tea.
I just got my second infusion, Yerba maté style with half a mug full of green leaves. This is high-octane stuff, nothing like my regular cuppa tea! I do not drink coffee because I dont like the taste, but when I compare this to an energy drink like Red Bul, this stuff is much stronger.
I feel a strong caffeine buzz, like i'm all doped up, but also a significant, even painful pressure on my ears and increased tinnitus. A little search on the net revealed that caffeine increases CSF production. It is recommended to people who have a too low ICP. It is a bit confusing to me, low ICP due to CSF leak may cause a chiari malformation, but a chiari malformation may also increase ICP.. My ICP seems to be too high now.
Anyway, I thought I'd share this with you all. Perhaps it can help manage your pressure.

[ploink]

I am not post-op yet and I think my foramen magnum is almost completely blocked. I guess the pressure increases when the extra CSF production can not go anywhere.

Caffeine drinks are also for me a stimulant, but when you get a lot of caffeine, then I think the extra CSF production is significant.

ICP is usually measured by lumbar puncture, but for chiari patients, pressure in spine and head are often not the same because of the blockage. I have no idea how else they can measure it, perhaps they just guess it from the symptoms?

[Jennyfoo]

Caffeine actually usually helps my headaches a little. Drinking soda all day, whether diet soda or not, is a BAD idea! Try iced tea, regular tea, or coffee please. Those all have antioxidants that are good for you. My preference is coffee with a teeny bit of splenda and a little milk. Iced tea is good too, and if it's made right, doesnt even need sweetener IMO.

Regular and diet sodas are chock full of chemicals and are really bad for you. If I have soda, I opt for all natural Hansen's or Tom's sodas. That's all I'll let my kids drink too. Their dad isn't as stringent though. /sigh

[selmaS]

Hi...we each have diff amounts of CSF and drinking soda or pop all day may not be the best thing, but u have to listen to ur body and what works for u.

I also have reflux and soda/pop is not a good thing for that......

As for shunts, I do have an article in my journal on them I got on the web...it may help with some of the questions posed here.

"selma"

[Lovely101]

It seems like caffeine actually helps my symptoms! I guzzle pop all day long... if i dont i get headaches and feel crappier... not sure if the caffeine is actually having an effect on my chiari.. or if maybe im just addicted to caffeine and if i dont have it.. im just having caffeine withdrawals... not worsened chiari symptoms?!? Not sure...

[dkdean]

Hmmmm....very interesting...

[thankful2bhere]

Im confused. Im not that up on all that goes along with Chiari after surgery symptoms. But, I have noticed that several people have talked about CSF and pressure. Why is this? I had menningitis several times after my surgery and a staph infection. All of this caused my CSF to get severely messed up. I had a VP shunt put in about 4 mo. after my last surgery. How high is YOUR pressure and when does a doc decide someone needs a shunt? I know my pressure was so high I vomitted, had severe headaches and fatique etc. After a few mos. they tried to see if I could go without it, but NOPE, pressure was too high so I get to keep this bad boy the rest of my life! Which will be long....I hope and pray! I love this sight because no one around here knows ANYTHING about Chiari and Im finding out so many things about Post Op issues by reading this. Thanks everybody!!!
thankful2behere (D.D. in AR)