Tell me your experiences of giving up caffeine

[sandra_nz]

I'm at home alone this weekend whilst the hubby is at a writer's conference in London, so I've decided to take advantage of this time to myself to give up caffeine. I'm going cold turkey because I know I don't have the discipline to just cut down.

So tell me your experiences of having given up caffeine, how you felt, what withdrawal effects you had, how you coped!

[Lacunae Matata]

Headache. Or, more accurately, HEADACHE!!!!!

I coped by making a pot of coffee. Perhaps I'm not the right person to offer you advice.

[SanVito]

I've done it a few times when I've done a january detox, and it's really not that bad! The only major side effect I suffered was a mid afternoon dull headache that lasted for about 5 days - cured by headache pills, if you don't mind taking them (I don't believe in suffering for the sake of it). After that, I was fine.

For the record, I drink about 3 cups of strong black coffee a day. I don't know how this measures up to your intake.

[sandra_nz]

Yep, I figured I was going to be in headache valley for a few days, so I've suitably stocked up with medicinals of various strengths.

[Ferret Herder]

I've only ever tapered off due to the headaches, as meds didn't seem to make a dent in the pain. Sorry.

[cmyk]

Seems like a good time for FRESH PAAAAAHHHTTTS!

[ScareyFaerie]

I had a brief dull headache for a couple of hours and that was it. All a bit of an anti-climax really. I have only "mostly" given up caffeine, I drink decaff tea all the time but I rarely have coffee so never bothered buying any decaff. The only other drink in the house with caffeine is diet coke which I don't drink very often but I have had a lot of trouble finding the caffeine-free version.

[Markxxx]

Originally Posted by Lacunae Matata

Headache. Or, more accurately, HEADACHE!!!!!

I second this, headache. Whenever I give it up I get a major headache. Though I am currently down to cups a day.

[Lynn Bodoni]

I really suggest tapering off, rather than going cold turkey. I had horrendous headaches.

It's possible to taper off by making the normal amount of coffee (if coffee is your preferred method of caffeine delivery), but using only 3/4 of the regular coffee on the first day, with the other 1/4 being decaf. Second day, either use half and half, or go three quarters regular and one quarter decaf again. Next step down is either half and half or one quarter regular to three quarters decaf, depending on what you've been using. Eventually, you get to using all decaf.

This way, you don't get the headaches, and it doesn't feel like you're cutting down.

[fachverwirrt]

I was able to go cold turkey by getting the flu. Since the withdrawal consists mostly of headaches and (for me) fatigue, I didn't even notice.

I do not recommend this method.

[Khadaji]

As others have reported, I get very bad Headaches when I give it up.

[figure9]

I have quit drinking coffee about 10 times so far. Quitting is very easy. Seriously, I wish you the best and hope your headaches aren't too bad.

[sandra_nz]

How long until the headaches kick in? It's now 1.45pm and I'm feeling fine, I thought I'd be getting them by now?

[Maus Magill]

Originally Posted by sandra_nz

I'm at home alone this weekend whilst the hubby is at a writer's conference in London, so I've decided to take advantage of this time to myself to give up caffeine. I'm going cold turkey because I know I don't have the discipline to just cut down.

So tell me your experiences of having given up caffeine, how you felt, what withdrawal effects you had, how you coped!

I give up coffee every year for Lent. I know I'm supposed to get headaches, but I never do. I do wonder how non-caffeinated people can bear this constant haze their life must be.

Ah, Sunday I may drink coffee again, and resume normal speed.

[septimus]

Originally Posted by Lynn Bodoni

... but using only 3/4 of the regular coffee on the first day, with the other 1/4 being decaf. Second day, either use half and half, or go three quarters regular and one quarter decaf again....

My first two cups of coffee each day are regular, with remaining cups decaf (or part decaf). I live 60 miles from nearest big city and decaf is hard to find even there, so I buy several packages when I find it! (I can't overdo caffeine because of IBS.)

I do not function without my first morning cup.

I remember a guy I knew many years ago more addicted than I. In the morning first thing he drank cold coffee from his bedside table left over from the night before; that gave him the energy to pour hot tap water into an instant coffee; finally he turned on his coffee maker!

[olivesmarch4th]

I had to give up caffeine due to IBS and the fact that I'm prone to anxiety. Caffeine makes both of those things way worse. I can have a coke at noon and be wide awake and freaking out at midnight.

My addiction was to soda, not coffee. I'm not a ''cold turkey'' kind of person. The first thing I did was switch to non-caffeinated sodas, so at least I was still getting the sugar rush. Then I switched to Izze carbonated fruit drinks. Then I switched to plain old water.

Yes, the headaches for me were the worst part. But those only lasted a few days and then there really aren't any other adverse effects.

I drink mostly water now. I occasionally will have tea, but no caffeine. (I do slip up from time to time, I'm not perfect. But 99% of the time I live caffeine-free.)

[otternell]

I was a mountain dew junkie, and switched to a black tea. (My favorite: Bigelow's Plantation Mint - brew it and then ice it - yum!) Black tea still has some caffeine, but not nearly as much as the MD did. For me, it had a lot to do with cutting out the sugar, but cutting caffeine was part of the goal too. And it was several days of headaches - blinding, "it hurts to think" kind of headaches. I was downing ibuprofen then acetominophen (not at the same time) for the pain like mad and it barely made a dent in the pain. So I never made it to caffeine free, but I'm happy with my compromise.

[Markxxx]

Originally Posted by Maus Magill

I give up coffee every year for Lent. I know I'm supposed to get headaches, but I never do.

Could you be getting it somewhere else?

I ask 'cause the first time I tried to give up coffee, I got the headaches and I found only Anacin seemed to help stop the headaches. Long story short, Anacin has caffeine in it

[Anaamika]

Another person for headaches and later afternoon drowsiness for days.

[cmyk]

Originally Posted by olivesmarch4th

...My addiction was to soda, not coffee...

Soda?! Has Michigan lingo been so thoroughly scrubbed from your brain already?

Yeh, caffeine and me; a love/hate thing. I love it, it hates me. Usually 2 cups of coffee in the AM. 2 or 3 pops throughout the day, and then I switch over to caffeine-free Pepsi if it's after 6:00. I try and drink just plain ol' water when under these conditions:

1) I'm not working.

2) I'm not eating anything.

Caffeine never used to have much effect on me when I was young, and my metabolism was that of a cheetah. But now, it'll keep me awake all night if I drink it in the evening. It also makes my TMJ flare up, if I overdo it.

Going cold turkey = unbearable headaches. Aspirin, Ibuprofen and Tylenol can't touch it. I'd need opiates or something. Since I don't have any Vicodin, Percocet or Heroin handy... the best cure is... caffeine.

*sigh*

[Ferret Herder]

When I go off caffeine (I've gone off for months at a time just because I felt like it), since I'm a soda drinker myself but not exactly picky about what I drink as long as it's caffeinated, I just keep buying less and less-caffeinated sodas. I usually check online for a "caffeine content in beverages" guide and pick a lower-caffeine soda to switch to after a few days, and keep going from there until I'm off.

[Sigmagirl]

I went to a weekend event about 10 years ago where I was first introduced to Caffeine Free Diet Dr Pepper and sucked it down like the nectar it is. Sunday evening I crashed with a mega migraine from caffeine withdrawal. Now I know to moderate my caffeine intake -- I drink some with, some without. And I don't drink nearly as much of either as I used to. But that first weekend, I'd never had the unleaded before. Wow. I still remember the agony.

[teela brown]

I get the major headache thing, too, if I try to quit cold turkey. And it's not just a headache, it's a fuzzy, confused, out-of-it sensation, like having your brain wrapped in cotton. No analgesic does squat to cure it, either. When it's necessary to lay off the caffeine for awhile, I cut back gradually over a week or two.

[Wile E]

As someone else pointed out some headache remedies contain caffeine, like Excedrin Migraine, so read your labels.

Other than that, no advice, I can't function without at least one cup of coffee but I rarely ever have more than two. I did quit once a long time ago and it was the gradually mix caffeinated coffee with decaf, changing the ratios until it's eventually all decaf. It didn't last though but if I ever feel the need for more than my usual amount of coffee or an afternoon iced coffee I usually go with decaf with a teensy bit of caf.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

Originally Posted by cmyk

Soda?! Has Michigan lingo been so thoroughly scrubbed from your brain already?

Yeh, caffeine and me; a love/hate thing. I love it, it hates me. Usually 2 cups of coffee in the AM. 2 or 3 pops throughout the day, and then I switch over to caffeine-free Pepsi if it's after 6:00. I try and drink just plain ol' water when under these conditions:

1) I'm not working.

2) I'm not eating anything.

Caffeine never used to have much effect on me when I was young, and my metabolism was that of a cheetah. But now, it'll keep me awake all night if I drink it in the evening. It also makes my TMJ flare up, if I overdo it.

Going cold turkey = unbearable headaches. Aspirin, Ibuprofen and Tylenol can't touch it. I'd need opiates or something. Since I don't have any Vicodin, Percocet or Heroin handy... the best cure is... caffeine.

*sigh*

Project East Coast Mole has been a failure. Terminate with extreme prejudice. We must find a new subject to convert the soda-ites.

[Rigamarole]

Why on Earth would you want to quit caffeine?

[rhubarbarin]

All I have to offer is that if I quit cold turkey, I get migraines, headaches, and sleepiness for a week. If I cut down more gradually I get no side-effects at all.

[aceplace57]

I gotta second that. Caffeine is fine in sensible amounts.

I'm a coffee drinker. I don't waste my caffeine limit on cokes or other sodas.

[Cat Whisperer]

I haven't drank any significant caffeine in, oh, 15 years now. I don't miss it at all (except I did like the taste of coffee and regular tea). I handle sleepiness by getting proper sleep at night, exercising regularly, and eating healthy (I know, it's a crazy theory!). I had no problems stopping caffeine. I'm cutting out dairy to see if it's what's causing my intestinal problems, and I'm having more problem with that.

[Cat Whisperer]

Originally Posted by cmyk

Seems like a good time for FRESH PAAAAAHHHTTTS!

That was fun - check out the "New Fang" video, too - I really like that song.

[Reepicheep]

Headaches the 2nd evening or 3rd morning. With mine nothing could touch it - aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen. This lasted 2 days, for me. Then the real crash, I needed to sleep - 1st time luckily I could last the 2 1/2 hour before I could legitimately go to bed but it was hard, 2nd time I left work early and slept as soon as I got home. By a week without caffeine sleep was deeper and more restful. However, after going 5 months with no caffeine I still was getting tired around 4ish, even with 7 hours sleep.

[BigT]

The best cure for a caffeine withdrawal headache is to drink as little caffeine as you can with the pain killer that works the best on headaches for you. I'd take Excedrin back and body, which is Tylenol and Aspirin, but no caffeine.

As for getting sleepy: it's really not that big a deal. You can still work when you are sleepy. Just make sure it isn't something that requires fast reaction times, and you'll be fine. Get some B vitamins and other natural energizers. And don't be afraid of taking a 1 to 2 hour nap if you can.

I wish you luck.

[BigT]

Originally Posted by Reepicheep

Headaches the 2nd evening or 3rd morning. With mine nothing could touch it - aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen. This lasted 2 days, for me. Then the real crash, I needed to sleep - 1st time luckily I could last the 2 1/2 hour before I could legitimately go to bed but it was hard, 2nd time I left work early and slept as soon as I got home. By a week without caffeine sleep was deeper and more restful. However, after going 5 months with no caffeine I still was getting tired around 4ish, even with 7 hours sleep.

Pretty much the only thing that will touch a caffeine headache is a little caffeine. Drink a few ounces of something with caffeine in it with your pain medications, and it would probably work a lot better.

And it's okay to take a short nap when you are tired. I know people who take a nap as soon as they get home from work for about 30 minutes. It's a whole lot easier than trying to sleep 8 hours in a row. But only if you're the type that can fall asleep not at bed time.

[amarinth]

The headache.
Oh my, the headache.
And when it happens, I don't really realize where it's coming from or why; my head hurts too much to put the pieces together. It subsides after a while, but brains hurt without caffeine. Or that's what I notice when I give up caffeine.


In high school, one of my friends was a happy-go-lucky, nice, sweet guy. He went through Diet Coke like there was no tomorrow, multiple Super Big Gulps a day, plus the bottles & cans. Every so often, someone would bet him that he couldn't go for a period of time without caffeine. By day 3 or 4, his personality would transform entirely, he would be horrible to be around, short, snappish - you might want to be kind to your friends & family and give them somewhere else to be until you've gotten over it.

[luv2draw]

Ironically, getting headaches is actually what made me start drinking coffee. Nothing else except a cup of coffee helps.

[gang green]

I did a year or so with no caffeine at all. Wasn't terribly hard, since I'd had to stop drinking coffee years earlier (makes me feel like I have a UTI), and had switched to strong black tea. I don't think I bothered to wean myself, I just quit. I think I had a low-level hazy headache for a couple of days, but that was it.

Nowadays, I drink white tea (hot) in the mornings, and iced tea on occasion. White tea is naturally lower in caffeine than black or green tea, and iced tea is, of course, diluted black tea. The only other caffeine I get is Excedrin, which I take for headaches.

One thing, though - I get so little caffeine normally during the course of a day that Excedrin actually gives me the shakes. And if I'm having trouble waking up, black tea does it quite nicely.

[sandra_nz]

Day two. The monster headache hasn't arrived yet. I had a great sleep and feel fine this morning, but I'm on headache alert amber!

[yuliya]

Black tea can actually contain a ton of caffeine if you make it right. A Pakistani psychiatry student showed me how to make it with loose leaves and boiling hot milk.

It was like crack.

[Little Nemo]

I quit cold turkey back in January. Didn't really have a headache problem but I have noticed I'm a lot slower starting in the morning. I used to wake up and have a soda or a cup of tea and that got me moving. Now I sort of drag around for a hour.

[sandra_nz]

Day three and woke up with the monster headache. Yay for drugs.

[AClockworkMelon]

I used to drink nothing but Mountain Dew. Nothing. It got to the point where every morning I'd wake up with a splitting headache and it wouldn't go away until I had a can of soda. Even after waking up and drinking a soda, I'd have headaches pretty regularly. I never thought it was weird: I thought it was normal for people to go through buckets of headache medicine like I did.

When I lost my job and had no money, I switched to water and Kool-Aid, exclusively. About a week after I gave up my precious Mountain Dew, I hit bottom and experienced serious withdrawal symptoms. There was a two day period where I had a constant, agonizing headache (I wouldn't say it was the most painful headache I ever had, but it was up there, plus it lasted all day) that made it impossible to do pretty much anything but sit around throbbing.

After the headache subsided, I felt way better than before it'd set in at all. I'm back to drinking soda but I stay away from anything that has caffeine in it (Crush, Sprite and Squirt are my drinks of choice) and I haven't had headaches at all.

I'm not sure if I was just an extreme case, but to anyone out there who has headaches on even a semi-regular basis and thinks it's normal, I seriously recommend giving up caffeinated drinks. You'll feel loads better once you do.

[sandra_nz]

I gave in and had a can of coke. Feeling pretty bummed out right now. Can I really not manage something as simple as giving up caffeine?

[AClockworkMelon]

Originally Posted by sandra_nz

I gave in and had a can of coke. Feeling pretty bummed out right now. Can I really not manage something as simple as giving up caffeine?

Fail.

Why do you still have caffeine in the house? Were you just thirsty? Get non-caffeinated soda. Whatever you do, don't say "well, I've already broken my promise to myself, might as well give it up." Grow a pair and control yourself.

[Ferret Herder]

Originally Posted by luv2draw

Ironically, getting headaches is actually what made me start drinking coffee. Nothing else except a cup of coffee helps.

Yeah, my doctors actually recommended caffeine to me as a treatment to help knock down a migraine in process. But of course, that puts me right back on the caffeine cycle again. I only drink a can or two of soda a day, but I still need it else I get a withdrawal headache, unless I taper off.

[PandaBear77]

Whenever Mr. Panda detoxes from caffeine he gets a bad headache and he's generally awful to live with for a couple of days. (As in, so bad I'd send him to a hotel for a couple of days if I could afford it.)

[foolscap]

I had a heart attack a few years back and had to stop using caffeine.
Not much pain from withdrawing compared with everything else that was
going on.
The hardest part was wanting that boost that caffeine gives.
that goes on for a long time (months in my case)

[Ann Onimous]

I quit cold turkey myself. Yes, I had headaches for a couple of days afterward, but they paled in comparison to the horrible migraines I got with it.

[BubbaDog]

I gave up cold turkey ten years ago. For two weeks I was in a blur.

I coworker asked my why looked so bad.

My - explanation -

Me - "You know when you first wake up in the morning and you sit up in bed and you just sit there for 10 seconds because your head is groggy?"

Coworker - "Yes"

Me - "That's my whole day"

After two weeks though I cleared up and haven't missed it much.

I drink decaf coffee now and, on occasion, have one cup of regular.
I can actually feel a caffeine kick from chocolate and some painkillers. I never was much of a cola or Mountain Dew drinker.

[I Am The Lorax]

In the last month of my pregnancy, I weaned myself off gradually. I didn't want baby born with a raging headache. I didn't have any withdrawl symptoms at all, and baby is a month old and a real peach.

[Jackmannii]

Give up caffeine? Give up caffeine? Are you daft? Hmm???!?!?

Nevernevernevernevernevernevernevernevernevernevernevervnevernever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I might cut back just a bit.

We have a surgeon on staff here who reportedly drinks 22 cups of coffee a day. When you talk to her on the phone you have to hold the earpiece half a foot
from your ear.

"Captain! She's operating at warp speed!