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LiveScience
LiveScience
Abby Wilson

Why do caffeine withdrawal headaches hurt so much?

A woman with her headache holds her forehead.

Missing your morning coffee is a headache — literally. Though caffeine is often used to kick-start a day or deliver an energy boost, a sudden drop in consumption can cause painful headaches. And for those trying to kick a coffee habit entirely, the pain can be particularly agonizing.

"Caffeine withdrawal headaches can be surprisingly intense," Dr. Nolan Pearson, a neurologist and headache specialist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, told Live Science. "It can trigger a migraine-type headache, so it can be pulsing, pounding, throbbing."

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