Caffeine prevents recovery headaches - research shows that caffeine withdrawal headaches after surgery can be prevented through intravenous caffeine - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 1997

Eighty percent of the people in the U.S. regularly consume caffeinated drinks. Cutting off that supply of caffeine before surgery can trigger what is known as a caffeine withdrawal headache. Research from the Mayo Clinic, Scottsdale, Ariz., finds that caffeine given to a patient intravenously after surgery can diminish or eliminate withdrawal headaches. These findings confirm an earlier Mayo Clinic Scottsdale study that showed such headaches might be prevented by patients drinking a caffeinated beverage several hours before surgery.

According to anesthesiologist Joseph G. Weber, "Liquids leave the stomach so quickly that for most people it's probably not a problem to have eight ounces of a caffeinated drink no less than two hours before surgery." Prohibiting any intake of solid food remains the norm, though. While many health care professionals continue to advise patients not to consume liquids for several hours before surgery, one-half to two-thirds of American hospitals and surgical centers have revised their policies regarding fluid intake, he says.

The earlier Mayo Clinic Scottsdale study showed that regular coffee drinkers who consumed caffeine before surgery were less likely to have a postoperative headache than those who did not. Coffee drinkers who chose not to ingest caffeine the day of surgery, defined by the researchers as "at risk" for caffeine withdrawal, had fewer headaches if they received an intravenous dose of caffeine during recovery equal to two cups of coffee. At-risk patients who received intravenous caffeine reported significantly fewer postoperative headaches than those who received a placebo.

"Our two studies tell us there are at least two good ways to prevent postoperative headaches due to caffeine withdrawal," Weber points out. "Drink your preferred caffeinated beverage no less than two hours before surgery, or ask for intravenous caffeine during recovery. We spend a lot of time developing drugs and techniques to help patients feel better after surgery. but sometimes the simplest things. like a cup of coffee. can do the most good."