Dependency on Coffee

Question: I have a pretty good diet, but I know that I drink a lot more coffee than is good for me. I’ve been trying to cut down on the amount I drink by eliminating coffee from my evening meal. The trouble is that when I don’t have coffee at night, I wake up with a headache the next morning or even during the night. Then, if I get up and have a cup of coffee, the headache goes away. Do you have any suggestions about what I can do about this? Is it a choice between drinking coffee or having a headache?

Answer: The headache pattern you describe is typical of one caused by dependency on caffeine. You awaken with a headache, which eases after you have coffee.

Caffeine dependency can be broken by stopping the ingestion of caffeine. You may have a headache on and off for two to four days, but the headache cycle should not be a problem after that.

If you have a medical question, write to Neil Solomon, MD, P.O. Box 36184, Baltimore, Md . 21286-6184) .