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| |  Expert Consensus: Caffeine Increases Effectiveness Of Headache Treatments NEW YORK, NY -- August 20, 1999 -- For the pain of tension-type and migraine headaches, caffeine is a powerful and safe addition to over-the-counter pain relievers, increasing their degree of pain relief by up to 40 percent. That was the conclusion reached by a panel of medical experts, who were convened by the National Headache Foundation this week to sort through the maze of often conflicting reports on the effectiveness of caffeine in treating headaches. "This is the first time headache sufferers have been provided with a clear explanation of caffeine’s efficacy," says Suzanne Simons, executive director of the National Headache Foundation. "Our hope is that the findings of this panel will help eliminate confusion for those who suffer headaches." Five experts in the treatment of headache participated in the review, addressing several questions that have surrounded the use of caffeine for headache. These included caffeine’s overall benefits and risks; withdrawal headache; the role of caffeine in rebound headache; and whether it can be considered addictive. "We concluded that caffeine significantly increases the effectiveness of analgesics like aspirin and acetaminophen," said Roundtable chairman Jerome Goldstein, MD, director of the San Francisco Headache Clinic. In addition to Dr. Goldstein, the Roundtable panel included: Philip Bain, MD, practicing internist and clinical assistant professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin; Merle Diamond, MD, co-director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago; Charles O’Brien, MD, PhD, vice-chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania; and Robert Ryan, Jr., MD, director of the Ryan Headache Center in St. Louis. According to Dr. Goldstein, two of the greatest misconceptions regarding caffeine are its strong associations with "rebound headache," head pain caused by frequent and excessive use of pain relievers, and "withdrawal headache," which can cause headache symptoms in a person who has abruptly stopped using a pain reliever. An examination of available research suggested to the panel that caffeine-containing medications, when used according to label directions, are not likely to cause rebound headaches. The experts also concluded that while caffeine withdrawal headache can occur in those who regularly consume caffeine, it is not an important factor in the occasional use of pain relievers. While the experts agreed that caffeine can cause physical dependence, as evidenced by withdrawal symptoms, those effects are generally mild and there is no evidence that caffeine is associated with the physically and socially damaging drug-seeking behaviors typically seen with serious drugs of abuse. The Caffeine Roundtable was sponsored by the National Headache Foundation and supported by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
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