is headache due to green tea drinking temporary

Due to the ever so many articles about benefits of green tea, I've tried many different brand, but not loose tea from a busy market. I always get headaches and now also from some black tea!! They are so bad, and some last for more than a day. I also take 3 tylenol to rid myself of the beast, and while I will entertain that I may be detoxifying, I have never experienced this effect from anything else, and I eat very healthily. Coffee I love, but thought I could enjoy antioxidant qualities of green tea. I also turned 42 and thought it was just age... so glad to hear there are others!

I have tried various brands and types of Green Tea only to find that every time I drank it, I would get sharp pains in my head followed by a prolonged headache. I am not allergic to any other food or substance that I am aware of so it surprised me that I would have such an obvious and adverse effect.

I have researched the anti-oxidant potency in Green tea and found that it inhibits cortical neuron excitation as well as increases Alpha Brain Wave activity. Also of note is that it prevents brain cells from dying by increasing metabolism levels and speeding the brain chemical norepinephrine (noradrenaline).

I am naturally lean(high metabolism), maybe the increase in metabolism that Green Tea creates is too much adrenaline in the brain instigating the headache. I'm not really sure, but I know I'm staying away from the stuff. Pain is usually an indication from your body that something is not right, detoxifying? I'd rather just drink water. It detoxifies without the pain.

PS Green Tea contains more potent antioxidants than any other tea, and I have no problems with any of the other types of tea. It's got to be linked to the antioxidizing agents.

I have found myself amist a splitting headache each and every time I drink Green Tea. I have no other known allergies to food or medication. Other teas do not have this effect on me. I can only assume that Green Tea's potent antioxidants are the cause.

Antioxidants are known to increase your metabolism, I have a naturally high metabolism. Maybe the catechins (antioxidant in green tea) are speeding the brain chemical norepinephrine (noradrenaline) which causes the sharp pains followed by a full headache that lasts for hours. I have no history of frequent headaches or migraines. The pain I get in my head after drinking this type of tea is similiar to a brain freeze that doesn't go away.

Detoxify? Maybe. Some studies show that in laboratory experiements green tea is found to increase fat oxidation, and in the brain it rescues damaged neurons and prevents brain cells (neurons) from dying. Maybe my brain is fat and has a lot of dying cells and the catechins are going crazy in there. I think I'd rather just drink water to detoxify my system rather than get a brain scrub with barbed wire.

On another note, many antioxidant compounds are used as "preservatives" in many of our food products.

Just came across this, I started drinking green tea a few days ago, and have had headaches on and off since, including a terrible migraine.

I also suffer headaches and need to go to the bathroom more frequently when I'm drinknig Green Tea. But as a previous poster has suggested I put it down to detox effects. Also I have noticed that some brands are worse than others. Lipton gives me severe headaches, whereas I have no problems with Twinnings tea. Also I find the Green Tea mixed with Mint, Lemon or Cardamon is must better.

that's funny you say that. I have done research and it says celestial seasonings has the highest level of ecgc, which are suppose to be good for you, but may be some are more sensitive to so much at once.

Was all this green tea with caffeine? Caffeine can both cause headaches, and take them away, depending on teh situation. You could perhaps try decaffeinated green tea....
I have been a tea drinker much of my life - I stopped for a number of years because of mood swings and headaches, switched to decaffeinated. Then got tired of "No-taste Tea" as my friend called it!
When I went back to drinking caffeinated (needed the boost after coming down with RA), my sinuses reacted. I figured I was becoming allergic or something. So I then tried green tea with honey and it got me through several months last year when i was really dragging. In the summer, it didn't boost me enough and I went back to caffeinated coffee, which I hadn't had in a long time! I would occasionally have iced tea (black) but as long as I didn't do it 2 days in a row, I was OK.
When I started having problems sleeping, I tried going back to green tea. It actually made me sleepy. But the first time, it made my stomach feel horrible. I waited a week or two, then tried again, one with caf and once without. not too bad. I'm heading back to green tea because it really seems to help with the RA/FM pain/fatigue and still allow me to sleep ...
Tea actually decreases the risk of RA. COffee does not.

I drink green tea all the time for years. Expense is not much of a concern for me, and as the taste is mild, I make it very very strong. I have not had any headache or sickness symtoms, until I bought some green tea from "Teavana". I don't live by one, but travel extensively and often. I forgot about my problem with the Teavana headaches and as we all know "He who forgets history is destined to repeat it". I was in a mall, bought some more, excitedly brewed a batch and, whamo, the almost instant headache. I had my wife try it and she had the same problem. Nice guy huh. Then I remembered my last time with this. I've also noticed I get very hot, and have muscle spasms around my eyes.

some have called this caffiene headache. Caffiene actually helps to dissipate headaches when you drink it. Much like heroin is a painkiller. The thing is you get used to that medicated state and then without it you go through withdrawal, and the pain sits in. The headaches I get with this tea are immediate, and I mean right now, immediate. Doesn't fit with a caffiene headache, not to mention, although I now avoid caffiene by choice, not necessity, I have not always done so, and never had a headache in my life from drinking caffeine, so I totally discount this theory.

As far as the detox theory, BS with that as well. My body has not cleansed itself within a minute of drinking that tea. That's just rationalization of those who will not allow themselves to believe that green tea could cause a body harm. It's against everything they've been told about it, so they make up a fact that will rationalize this effect people are suffering that makes them feel better about it. Cleansing the body's cells takes longer than a minute, and should not be painful.

I do love green tea, believe it is healthy, and tastes great. Like I said, I have had positive experience with it for years. Get the wrong strain or brand, (who knows, maybe additive like cigarettes) and then you can have a problem. If you do have this problem, try a different brand, and I believe it will go away.

Thanks for letting me know it's not just me and the wife, by sharing your stories. Good luck with your teas.

i've also experienced headaches after drinking green tea. however, i found a viet brand, whole leaves (not chopped up, not sold in sachets) which doesn't cause headaches. recently, the store ran out, so i bought an "organic" chinese brand sold in sachets; the headaches came back with a vengeance. could it be something in the processing, even if it's "organic"?

If you suffer from headaches after drinking green tea you might want to check for hypertension.

I too suffer from headaches, every time is drink green tea, very head and then migrane :-(

I usually do not get any headaches, and somebody gave these herbal concoctions, different kinds, can't even describe them here, list of ingredients just too long...anyway, started to drink them and all of a sudden, got this violent headache, and just by a happenstance, I didn't drink any for about a week, and then decided to try again-and yes, same thing happened. Thing is though, since I was not prepared to even think this would happen due to drinking herbal tea, I am having mixed emotions over this-was it really the herbal tea or not? This forum does thinks so, at least with green tea. Well, I'll just have to stay off, and let's see what happens.

interesting...

It is morning and i'm drinking green tea on an empty stomach....

and here's how I feel....

My stomach feels sick, like i have to throw up.....

My head HURTS bad, like the start of a migraine....

Now I've only had a few sips, but I KNOW it is from the GREEN TEA as I've not had anything else...

The effects are so strong....

I'm thinking it may be the detoxing too....

Wondering if IT can Detox and if this is the result.....

Very interesting....

OMG.....this site is a breath of fresh air!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, someone to relate to.

A few years ago, I stopped drinking green tea because of migraines and headaches I got all the time.

At first:

I thought it was in my head

I thought I was drinking too much tea

I thought it was the "type" of tea

I thought it was the company and how they processed it

Well today, I tried green tea again.......and same results.......headaches.....and migraines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!......and I love green tea...rats!!!!

..............I don't know what causes it or why........but it happens........and I DO NOT subscribe to the "detoxing" theory either..........

Why?

Because I am extremely healthy, eat healthy, in shape, and I even drink "green smoothies"........if you've never had a green smoothie before......it's probably one of the most healthiest and most antioxidents (de-toxing) filled drinks you'll ever have.

I think there should be someone or some kind of medical explanation for this effect on one's body.

Hmm, I too am glad to have found this site listing the same kind of problems. I actually bought my tea from Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf because they have great tasting green teas, and started to notice that I was feeling really sick after drinking them. I know that when I drink Starbucks Fraps on an empty stomach that I get really sick, but I didn't think I could get sick off tea. I've had jasmine tea, and green tea with jasmine in it before and never felt sick but I now realize it had to be the CB&TL brand because I just started drinking it again and came up with the same symptoms where I feel nauseated, dizzy, stomach cramping, and migraine headaches that never seem to go away.

I myself don't know if I believe the detox thing can happen that quickly, but then again, I am known to absorb things in my system rather quickly. I'm not a particularly healthy individual so I don't know what to do. I was trying to replace all my smoothie-likeness addictions with green tea but was having trouble adapting to hot fluids and the fact that I've been getting sick hasn't really been making me feel so enthused either. I was seconds away from buying some jasmine dragon pearls and a diffuser cup from chinatown the other day but am afraid to commit to a large quantity of something that could be potentially problematic.

BLEH!