![]() ![]() Thus began a seven year journey through the entire gauntlet of Western medical approaches to mental health. A year out of college, I decided I needed help. I was living in New York, and one day at work, I picked up the Manhattan phone book, and searched under “psychotherapy.” I won’t bore you with the details of my own teenage depression-in high school, there’s almost something wrong with you if you’re not depressed-except to note that it involved all the usual suspects: hundreds of pages of rants penned in various journals, unrequited lust elevated to the level an existential condition, and of course, tortured anguish for a world so depraved and corrupt it could not recognize a truly special and unique literary talent walking among men, Michael Ellsberg, high school sophomore.Īs college dragged on, however, and yet this same basic mentality remained, it all became less and less cute. I had suffered from recurring bouts of depression since high school. Read my 4-year follow-up to this article here.)Īge twenty-nine: I was standing by the fourth-story window of my rented flat in Buenos Aires, as I’d been doing for hours on end in recent days and months, staring sullenly at the ocean of sidewalk below, a seeming resting place of final peace with just a slight shift in weight. If you are suffering from any medical condition, you should seek qualified professional attention before beginning, changing, or ending any regime of medicine, nutrition, or supplements. I do not intend this piece to replace the advice of physicians or health care practitioners, nor am I intending to diagnose or prescribe treatment for any illness or disorder. ![]() I am not a doctor or medical professional. I have decided to write this story now, painful as reliving some of the history is, in order to provide inspiration and information to others currently struggling with mental illness, and to their families and loved ones. energy drinks (e.g.(Author’s note and disclaimer: The following piece details my story of overcoming a serious and potentially-fatal mental illness, bipolar II, between the years of 2000-2007.soft drinks (e.g., Coke, Mountain Dew, Dr.What are the most common beverages containing caffeine?Ĭaffeine is the most commonly used active food ingredient in the world with up to 80% of the population consuming a caffeinated drink every day. Overall, researchers suggest that chronic consumption of caffeine may increase the risk for migraine, but it may also have a protective effect during acute migraine. In addition, all of the treatment studies in this review found caffeine to be safe and effective for relieving acute migraine, mostly in combination with other pain relievers. In 17 of these studies, caffeine and caffeine withdrawal were found to be migraine triggers in a small percentage of the participants (various study results ranged from 2% to 30%). They also reviewed 7 studies that looked at caffeine as a treatment for severe migraine. In a 2020 review of 21 studies, researchers looked at the prevalence of caffeine and caffeine withdrawal as migraine triggers. The researchers concluded that there may be a nonlinear (hit-or-miss) link between caffeine consumption and the chances of developing a migraine that day. The association between caffeine and migraine holds true even after factoring in alcohol use, physical activity, and sleeping patterns.The chances of having a migraine episode increased for participants consuming three or more caffeinated beverages a day, but not for those drinking one to two servings a day.For instance, just one or two cups of a caffeinated drink increased the risk of migraine in participants who typically consumed less than one serving a day. It appears to take less caffeine to trigger a headache in people who don’t consume it very often.In a 2019 study, 98 participants with frequent migraine episodes kept a 6-week food journal in which they recorded how often they consumed caffeinated beverages. Researchers have looked into this complex relationship, but there are no cut-and-dry answers. Could the link be due to caffeine overconsumption or withdrawal? Or are some people simply more sensitive to it? It seems to relieve acute pain in many people, particularly those in the middle of an attack.īut in some cases, it appears that caffeine may trigger a migraine episode. What’s the link between caffeine and migraine?Ĭaffeine has long been associated with migraine, but whether it’s more of a trigger or a cure remains unclear.Ĭaffeine is commonly used in headache and migraine medications, as it helps reduce inflammation and enhances the effects of the other active ingredients.
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