Dealing with Dehydrating Effects of Caffeine

Factual Questions
1

Hello,

I am a caffeine junky (by my rough calculation, I consume roughly 1 to 1.5 grams throughout the day in coffee/espresso). I have a tolerance, and I know that this might not be good for my health in the short and/or long run. This isn’t what this question is about. I am also aware that caffeine is a diuretic and I need to stay properly hydrated (I like water too, and I barely ever drink soda). But it seems that no matter how much water I drink (and i was up to a gallon a day on occasion, which also in itself might mess with electrolytes, but that’s for another thread), I still get, what I think are dehydration symptoms.

Namely, shortly after consuming coffee, my lips and mouth dry up, my eyes get red and ‘feel’ dry (occasionally to the point of blurriness), and my skin on my fingers feels tighter. Now, if it matters I don’t take sugar or sweeteners in my coffee(only milk/cream). I am not diabetic or hypertensinve, if it matters.

Here’s the question: Considering I am staying properly hydrated in terms of liquid intake (a big bottle of water every few hours), is there a way (short of reducing caffeine consumption) to reduce dry mouth and dry eyes? Eye drops and drinking water would be an obvious solution, but they don’t seem to do anything(i’ve tried 5 different brands of eye drops, and they only moisturize my eyes for about 3-5 minutes, and then stop acting).

Thank you very much, and sorry for the lengthy post.

2

You should seek medical attention. Coffee is only a mild diuretic and the amount of water you’ve been drinking would be more than sufficient. IANAMD, but it sounds to me that your problem is not dehydration and may be an allergic reaction. I’ve never heard of a caffeine allergy before, but then again IANAMD, and the allergy may be to something else in the coffee. It may also be that you are messing up your electrolytes which may not be another thread.

3

Well, I am not a doctor, but I can’t fathom any doctor giving me any other advice other than “Stop drinking coffee.” Could a doctor actually be accomodating of my addiction enough to explore alternative solutions? :slight_smile:

4

The possibility is that you may have some underlying problem which is aggravated in some way by drinking coffee, and which may be symptomless until then.

5

I also drink espresso and Turkish coffee by the mugful. I don’t have a problem staying hydrated unless I don’t drink anything all day but coffee.

Try going w/o the coffee and see if you’re still dehydrated. (You’ll need some Tylenol pms and plenty of free time when you can sleep off your headache.)

Perhaps the amount of water you’re drinking is triggering some sort of a flushing mechanism in your body?

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