caffeine withdrawal

 what do you guys do if you want to stop drinking coffee?? my doctor advised that quitting caffeine is a MUST. This is my second day without coffee and I find it is difficult. I am having a headache. does anyone know any good strategies or ideas? any supplememts? any drinks that might help? also for long I will be suffering? it is good to know anyway.

I can only tell you that for most people, the headaches that accompany caffeine withdrawal only last 2-3 days. I've experienced them myself. Hopefully someone else has a good remedy for you to use in the meantime.

Unfortunately you have to deal with the headaches for a few days. I have had the caffeine withdrawl headaches many times and unfortunately I usually give in and have caffeine because it takes the headache away almost immediately. But the best thing to do is to avoid it all together so you don't start an endless cycle. Ibuprofen works best for me as far as pain relievers go.

can i just drink decaf? I was about to order one now. what do you think? will it affect my efforts in a bad way?

Hey Safina,

I recently quit coffee too and I was a serious addict. I actually would never stop except for, like you, my doctor told me to. I hated it at first but the withdrawals aren't so bad, just take some Advils or something similar. Decaf does help to make you feel like you're having real coffee. It's so unsatisfying compared to real coffee though for me personally. 

Decaf, if you enjoy it, will not sabotage your efforts so I say go for it. Just stay strong and know that you are doing this for a good reason and soon you'll be glad you did it.  

Catherine: for how long did you drink coffee? I have been drinking coffee for about 16 years.

I drink a large amount of caffeine and the fact that both Catherine and Safina had doctors advise them to stop worries me. What was their reasoning behind it, if you don't mind me asking?

I experienced the headaches too when i stopped drinking coffee. Unfortunately I think it is just a bad side effect.

why would you ever stop drinking coffee??

mmmmmmmmmm

To answer questions: Safina, I have been drinking coffee since I was a teenager so, a good 12 years. I honestly still hate the idea of living without it, but I really have no other choice, which leads me to my next answer...

As for the reason my doctor advised me to quit, I have an advanced level of panic disorder; it's now agoraphobia. Long story short, anything that artificially stimulates my nervous system is going to delay my psychiatric treatment. 

Exactly,  Why would you stop.  Coffee gets me motivated. 

I drank coffee last night to keep me warm around 8 PM.  At 1 PM I was still awake and sewing, but I started to get blurred vision, couldn't focus, and felt tired so suddenly it freaked me out.

Psht.  I'm not goin' through that again.  I've got a coffee IV running right now.

Hello everyone.

what works for me doesn't mean it is good for you. Coffee in moderation is not bad but for me it is bad because of a specific medical problem. it is also preferable that you limit your coffee intake simply because it is addiction.

Decaf has a little bit of caffiene.  So, you make the call.

Safina,

WHAT medical condition do you believe requires you to stop drinking coffee?  was the diagnosis from your MD, or something you came up with on your own?

despite the fact that many, if not most, coffee-drinkers are caffeine-dependent (that is, their coffee use is, in layperson's terms, "an addiction"), the dependence is not problematic for most of them and does not therefore require them to quit. 

there are some anti-caffeine zealots, whose websites you'll find if you look.  they cite (and often - seemingly deliberately - twist) medical studies in attempts to show that coffee is really horribly dangerous.  it's not. 

there are certainly risks to caffeine.  a dose of 10 grams is considered "lethal" (that's equivalent to about 100 cups of coffee).  like all psychoactive substances (and all drugs, for that matter), one must weigh the risks and the benefits. 

what are the risks?  mostly psychological: anxiety, insomnia, in VERY rare cases, psychosis.  "caffeinism", aka caffeine toxicity, can occur in some individuals, and it's dose-related (usually seen with higher doses - at least 500-1000mg) - psych symptoms mentioned above, plus tachycardia (rapid heart beat), arrhythmias, hypertension (high blood pressure), nausea.  Normal people (and anyone who's dependent on caffeine is probably 'normal', as opposed to hyper-sensitive) generally don't experience anxiety or panic attacks because of caffeine, but if someone DOES have an underlying anxiety disorder, caffeine can exacerbate it (as can any psychostimulant). 

caffeine increases the heart's workload (cardiac contractility) and cardiac output - it therefore can raise blood pressure in those who are PRONE to hypertension - but it also dilates the coronary arteries + thereby provides more oxygen to the heart, so there's no agreement on whether it causes heart disease or hypertension, but if someone's at high risk for these, reducing the dose might be helpful. 

what are the benefits?  primarily, pleasure and stimulation!  people LIKE caffeine.  it makes them more alert, helps them to get stuff done, puts them in a better mood, increases mental alertness.  in terms of medical benefits, there's evidence that coffee-drinkers have much lower rates of gallstone disease.  because it constricts cerebral blood vessels, it's a good headache-reliever.  it can be helpful in asthma, due to its bronchial relaxatory effect.  it can help some people with narcolepsy.  etc.....  

whether someone "should" give up caffeine (or specifically, coffee) depends on the risks + benefits in their particular case.  for most people, it's relatively safe.

IF caffeine is a "dependency syndrome" (under the DSM definitions, substance abuse + dependence are in many ways more normative classifications than medical ones), it's certainly a mild one.  there's a withdrawal syndrome, that is, as withdrawal syndromes go, VERY mild - headache, tiredness, bad mood, cravings for caffeine, minor cognitive + motor function impairments, etc. are common;  b/c the symptoms usually begin slowly, as the caffeine is leaving your system (it's half life, in healthy adults, is around 4 hours), peak at a day or two, and subside completely within a few days. 

What in the world erinzz????  She specifically said in her OP that her doctor said she MUST give it up and you post  a page about crap she already knows, are you a MD?  Geez!

Anywho, I drank lots and lots of caffeine for around 15 years (worked in a restaurant where it was so accessible) and my doc told me to give it for at least 3 months b/c I developed a cyst in my right breast and she believed it was from the caffeine.  Anyway, it did go away after about a year of no caffeine so if that was the reason I don't know 100%, but just happy it didn't have to be surgically removed.  My headaches lasted about a week, ugg.  I liked decaf green tea (it still has small amount in it, but is good for you too).  I love soda though and try to stick to caffeine-free diet soda.

erinzz and the others who are defending coffee. Okay, people, we're not saying it's crack-cocaine! Whatever, drink it, who cares?

My condition is a real thing. It's not caused by caffeine, it's just made worse by it. Should I continue to drink it anyway to fit in? Yes, I have a relatively unique problem. I'm not enjoying giving up coffee but the severity of my condition calls for it. Oh, and thanks erinzz MD for implying that I am not normal. 

Original Post by safina1: Hello everyone. What works for me doesn't mean it is good for you. Coffee in moderation is not bad but for me it is bad because of a specific medical problem. it is also preferable that you limit your coffee intake simply because it is addiction.

Exactly. People have a hard time with that. We're all different. But you know what? You're making me think I should quit too. I've done it before so I know I can. Hell, I already cut my food in half and gave up alcohol (at least for a while). That's it, you've done it safina1. I'm quitting too. Wish me luck.

I don't have a severe condition but panic attacks are not unknown to me, catherinerich. Maybe I'd be better off without what George Carlin once called "The low end of the speed spectrum."

Just to throw in my 2 cents to the "everybody is different" aspect.  I also drink coffee . . . and tea, what I would classify as moderate use (one to two 8-ounce cups of each and no more daily).  Those are my only caffeine sources.  I used to drink A LOT of coffee . . . strong coffee.  I had daily severe headaches.  When I lowered the strength of the coffee I was drinking, my headaches improved dramatically.  When I was pregnant, I stopped pretty much all caffeine use, with the exception of maybe 1 small cup of tea (or occasional decaf. coffee, which I hate, bleck!) daily.  Yes, it was hard to stop.  Yes, I started again after the baby came (duh, caffeine, a baby with severe reflux, 2-hour round-the-clock feedings, you get the drift).  During my pregnancy off caffeine, I had virtually no headaches whatsoever.  This has always been really strange to me because caffeine is supposed to be a pain relief aid (Anacin, Excedrin, etc.).  Not for me.  I can take Excedrin, and it DOES relieve a headache.  But I find that, the more caffeine I drink, the worse and more unrelenting my headaches become.  Weird. 

As for stopping caffeine, if you are on the advice of a doctor, of course, you must do it.  It is nobody's business why or for what medical/health reason.  My only question would be, for the sake of your own mental health/well-being, :-), is it possible for you to slowly back it down, like over at least a week?  That might make it an easier process.  Just thinking out loud.  Good luck to ALL who are trying to cut back/cold turkey caffeine.  It can definitely be hard, but it can definitely be done.

I'm a coffee drinker and tend to overdo it. I decided to quit (again) cold turkey this morning. So far, no big deal. Not even a headache, not yet anyway. I've only been awake a few hours though.

wow. I didn't know that my post got such too many responses. Thanks everyone.

Erinzz: I enjoy reading your posts and I learn from you :) well, as I told you in my previous message, after I got my blood tests done, I learnt that I have a yeast in my system. sugar, caffeine and bread are the worst things for me right now. that is why what works for me doen't mean it should work for someone else.

on the other hand, it is always good to cut back on coffee, simply, I used to drink three to five cups of coffee. I spent a LOT of money going to starbucks. that is about ten dollars a day for just coffee and I can't afford that.

Southcarolinaguy: I wish you good luck. you can do it. we can support each other. Please message me or post it and let me know your progress. I stayed three days without coffee and it was good. I just had a cup today and will not drink more than that. it was just freezing in the morning and I felt I need something to keep me warm. anyway, it is not that hard as I thought before.

what I have found it is more challenging is quitting fruits and sugar. I still can't do it. hopefully soon.

leiann: how long did it take from you to be caffeine - free?

jdbcmt: I have been experiencing headaches for no reasons. I think because of the excessive consumption of coffee. Again, the same question here. how long does it take to be a caffeine free person?

I hope we can form a support group to quit caffeine. let me know if anyone is interested.