Tell me about your caffeine withdrawal

[spinbaby]

I have a splitting headache, I have this staring thing going on, and I think my brain just stopped.

[supernova]

1. Felt very tired for a couple of days

I mean tired as in I wanted to do nothing but sleep.

But by day 3 I was starting to perk up.

I now get on the treadmill for a brisk walk to wake up. :-) Much better wake up than coffee. :D

[montanto]

2. When I quit coffee a few years ago

I eased off of it for a few days. Cut down to one cup, then a half etc. Kept that headache thing to a minimum. I've quit cold-turkey before. Its not pleasant! Problem was the caffeine was agitating me, I was having panic attacks and those same headaches like withdrawals even when I was drinking the stuff. I feel better without it.

Good Luck!!

[spinbaby]

3. I'm sure I'll be better off without it

But right now I really want it. I have this lovely cup of herbal tea. Maybe I'll take a nap later.

[Stuart G]

4. Please tell me how long the headaches last???

What has been your experience. I am considering going off cafeen soon?

[Shine]

6. For me, I get one horrendous headache that lasts at least 12 hrs then I'm fine

but during those 12 hrs I truly suffer. I throw up and just try to go unconscious, experiencing off-the-chart head pain. Ugh.

Lavender essential oil helps a bit, on the temples.

[Justpat]

10. For me the headaches lasted for over a week.

And they were so bad they would stop me dead in my tracks.
I felt like I had a brain tumor.

I basically slept for a week - couldn't pick my head up off the pillow.

But I admit that I have been a lifelong caffeine addict so it was really
hard for me.

[Shine]

5. I'd rather not talk about it. Too traumatic.

:D

seriously, it's bad when I de-tox from coffee. I get a 12+hr excruciating headache during which time I throw up....several times.

Not pretty. Not sexy.

I've done it several times, and I've actually gone 3 mos without coffee, just to see if I could. But eventually I get back on the bandwagon.

I just like the ritual of my daily cup. Everyone needs at LEAST one vice, afterall.

Hang in there, you have my sympathies. :hug:

[MrCoffee]

7. I'm so confused...you stopped drinking coffee?

That's an option?

[Lars39]

8. I quit cold turkey....should have gradually weaned myself off of the demon brew.

I had severe headaches for about a week. I feel so much better being off of caffeine now. :)
Oh, and coffee doesn't smell good to me anymore, either.

[Heidi]

9. MASSIVE headache. MASSIVE.

When I worked in newsrooms, I drank black coffee and Mountain Dew from 6:30 a.m. until late in the afternoon. When I tried to stop, the headaches stopped me from stopping.

Now, I'm down to 1.5 cups of coffee per day, with maybe half a glass of Coke during the day, and tons of water and low-caffeine tea. I'll never return to such an enormous caffeine intake. Withdrawal was misery.

[azmouse]

11. It's never been a problem.

I can go days without coffee or tea... no headaches, no withdrawal symptoms.
And when I want a cup or two I enjoy it immensely.

[CatholicEdHead]

12. What withdrawl? Just had a Mountain Dew Game Fuel

;)

[Chan790]

13. Coffee?

I got out of work on Sunday early, had Monday off, and don't have to be at work until 4:45. The headaches suck but I get to play with one of these:

La Marzocco FB/70
_
and I get to do this all day long:
(This isn't my art, I'm not this good yet.)
_
Really, caffeine is a bastard to cold turkey. Have a cup of tea, it has 1/6 the caffeine and will take the edge off. Much easier to ween off tea once you've adjusted to the reduction in caffeine from coffee.

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. 1992. Massive headache for a few days.

But so worth quitting.

[LeftyMom]

15. Caffeine gives me the shakes and gets my digestion all fucked up.

Quitting it wasn't exactly tough.

[montanto]

16. That's why I quit it too.

Just one day I was like, why am I doing this thing that continues to make me sick and feel like I'm gonna die? I do have a cup of tea now and then, but maybe only once a week. Not enough to get hooked on.

[Arkansas Granny]

17. I've never completely quit caffeine, but there have been a few

times when I went a few days without caffeine, but I couldn't tell that I had any withdrawal: no headaches, no jitters, no stares. I get my caffeine from coffee, several cups a day, and an occasional iced tea. I don't drink any soft drinks.

I have come to the conclusion that caffeine really doesn't affect me much. I can drink it in the morning when I get up and although I love the taste, I don't really get a wake up jolt out of it. It doesn't make me jittery, upset my stomach or keep me awake. I can drink coffee just before I go to bed at night, fall asleep immediately and sleep through till my usual wake up time. As I said, I drink it all day every day and my blood pressure is 114/70 (without medication).

[Burma Jones]

18. You should try cocaine and bourbon, that should fix you right up

[Deep13]

19. I don't drink coffee or tea, so no caffeine addiction. nt

[Dangerously Amused]

20. Ha ha, dude you gotta wean yourself off that stuff.

Sorry; not laughing at you but rather chuckling in empathy/sympathy bc I've been there so many times. Not fun.

What works for me is to gradually reduce my caffeine intake. What I do is to take one piece of Jolt gum when the headache/zoning thing starts. If the headache/zoning is still there in 20 minutes or so, I take another piece. I usually don't have to go to a third piece of gum, and I usually have to start out doing this in the morning and again in the afternoon. Rinse and repeat until you no longer need the first piece of gum. Much easier than going cold turkey.

Here's a link to some info re: Jolt gum:

http://www.energyfiend.com/caffeine-content/jolt-gum

It's hard find except that Walgreen's always has it.

Maybe this will help you. Hope so. Good luck.

[Dangerously Amused]

25. Oops, I forgot to add

...that aspirin - or any pain reliever really - should help with the headaches while you withdraw. Kind of an obvious solution, but I always forgot about it until after a few unnecessary headaches, because I'm just not used to taking meds for anything.


:dunce:

[hisownpetard]

21. WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?

WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?
WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?
WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?
WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?WHADDYAWANNAKNOW?
Why don't you answer, already? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh? Huh?

[Redstone]

22. You're up for about three to five days of that.

Redstone

[CreekDog]

23. I got off caffeine a couple months ago

Only on rare occasions do I have it, then only in soda.

I would say, I feel better overall.

[Stuart G]

24. I am hooked on caffeine now, but may go off..again

I went off in l995. For several months, and then I went back. I remember the withdrawal in September l995. Splitting headache right in middle of the right eye. I was in so much pain. I will never forget it. I recall the pain cause it over rode the other pain that I was having from open heart surgery. I was in intensive care, and remember the caffeine withdrawal just as well as I recall the by pass pain..



If I go thru that withdrawal again, is it worth it? I hope so. Helpppppppppppp

[SPKrazy]

26. this too shall pass

was off it for years

dunno why i went back to drinking coffee

it bothered my esophagus

but now it doesn't seem to

but now i get a headache if i don't get it soon enough

:shrug:

good luck