Caffeine relieves my migraines...but why?

[BestSinceDAYONE]

So the last few days I've had huge migraines. I started Levothyroxine (that may be it) and am on a low carb diet so I don't know what it is. I've tried different supplements to help and for some reason a low dose of caffeine 100 mg - 200 mg seems to relieve the headache but coffee by itself DOES NOT?

Any reason or thoughts on why this could be? Is my liver in bad shape? I got my bloodmarkers tested and aside from Low T and ***t TSH (around 5) everything else looks good...

 

[Melekai]

This is a hunch based on personal experience w/low blood-pressure related headaches; I see mention of Levothyroxine dropping blood pressure: Effect of Levothyroxine on Blood Pressure in Patients With Subclinical Hypothyroidism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Maybe some amplification of that from low carb? Anyway, might wanna check your BP if you haven't already. If it's low, caffeine as a vaso-constrictor makes sense to me, since it has alleviated my low-BP headaches. I've got nothin' on the coffee vs. caffeine difference in your situation; coffee does it for me (but I drink lighter roasts, which if I understand correctly have higher caffeine per volume). Best of luck.

 

[StephanF]

Caffeine withdrawal can cause headaches, too.

From an applied kinesiology workshop I learned a great technique against headaches or migraine. Standing, let your arms hang down, then angle only your fingers toward your thighs. Where they touch, massage around the area until you find sore spots. Massage those deeply.