different coffees?

[dame_wilbur]

I drink coffee in the mornings. It helps wake me up and seems to help with my pain. But that's bean coffee, with caffeine. I just drank some instant decaf coffee, and my head's killing me. I've already taken a Zomig, but I'm curious to know if this is a coincidence or if I should throw out the instant.
thanks in advance,

~Dame

[marileew]

As well as preservatives put in the coffee afterward, also different decaf processes sometimes use chemicals to get the caffeine out. The coffee stop that I worked at for awhile used Swiss Water process decaf beans, which are basically beans that have been through multiple water baths.

A common decaf process that is sometimes called "naturally decaffeinated" uses either natural or synthetic version of methylene chloride and ethyl acetate to get the caffeine out of the bean. The amount of methylene chloride they use in food stuffs is non-toxic and harmless, although the substance itself can be toxic. Methylene chloride is a solvent. Ethyl acetate is also a solvent and over-all it has a low-toxicity rating and the level they use in food-stuffs is non-toxic.

Since methods that use methylene chloride and ethyl acetate can also use water, sometimes people will call these "water-processes" as well. But only the "Swiss-Water" process is the one done without these chemicals and with water only.

Another method is where natural oils from coffee beans themselves are used to wash the caffeine from the bean. So, other than the Swiss Water Process, this would be the only other completely chemical free process.

I think that most of the time, it really doesn't matter what type of decaf we use. The chemicals they use to get the caffeine out are entirely food safe and also in consumer grade food safe levels. BUT, with that said, as we all know... migraineurs can be very sensitive to chemicals and so if anyone finds a personal coffee brand or decaffeinating method to set off a migraine, then I think it would be wise to toss that brand in the trash and try something new.

[doctora]

I love my coffee too...caffinated.
If you look at most of the migraine medications or even over the counter meds., they contain caffine.
It does assist with migraines, and if you consider it a drug like any other you would take, then you shouldnt change it to decaf.
On the other hand, you have to limit your intake. I find if I drink too much it give me a headache. It is a fine line. I find that 3 cups in the morning is good for the day for me.

[dame_wilbur]

I highly doubt that it was caffeine withdrawl as I had had the normal amount of regular bean coffee in the morning like usual. The decaf coffee was going to be a treat later in the day.

But you have a good point about maybe a preservative in the instant coffee would be the trigger. I hadn't thought of that.

[marileew]

It could be a caffeine withdrawal migraine since the instant was decaf. Our bodies (since we are migraineurs) like rather rigid schedules, and that includes our caffeine consumption (if we have any in our diet).

I have found that most migraineurs will need their daily cup of coffee around the exact same time of the day, and that they cannot replace this cup of coffee with a decaf cup of coffee. Some people will call these headaches "coffee headaches" or "afternoon headaches (if they enter into caffeine withdrawal in the afternoon)". Some people without migraines will also get "coffee headaches" or "afternoon headaches" but the headachews will feel slightly different than a regular migraine. The trigger for theses headaches is all the same though usually... caffeine withdrawal.

You could try buying an instant coffee that is caffeinated and use that instead. This would be a good thing to try if you are just trying to make your morning routine easier with the instant coffee... easy-to-make coffee but you still get the caffeine. I know that Starbucks just came out with a brand of instant coffee that is similar to their regular coffee, caffeine and all. This would not be a good plan if you were trying to switch to decaf.

If you are trying to cut back on your caffeine intake, I would suggest doing it very slowly... maybe mix half a cup of the instant decaf with half a cup of the regular bean coffee. Test to see if that gives you a headache. Find the right combination of regular/decaf that doesn't give you a headache and stick with that for 2 weeks and then slowly reduce the amount of regular coffee so that there is more decaf coffee, making sure there is never enough decaf coffee to trigger a headache. Eventually there will only be decaf coffee and it won't trigger headaches anymore.

The other possibility is that there is some sort of preservative in the instant coffee that might be a migraine trigger. This possibility is much less probable as caffeine withdrawal is a very probable migraine trigger and small amounts of preservatives are not a probable migraine trigger. But, everyone reacts to substances differently, so, it is possible that this is a preservative thing. After you have tried one of the other suggestions (1. buying a caffeinated instant OR 2. very slowing switching to decaf by mixing regular and decaf), you could try switching to decaffeinated beans. But, there are multiple different methods to get caffeine out of beans, you could inquire at a variety of shops on which method was used for their coffee and try a variety of decaf blends. My personal recommendation would be the Swiss water process because it uses no chemicals during the decaffeinating process, only water So if preservatives are an issue... the Swiss water process seems like the most natural decaf coffee process there is.