Caffeine withdrawal?

[BCDisneyFanatic]

Am I the only one who doesn't seem to have withdrawal symptoms from coffee/caffeine? Some days I drink three to four cups of coffee, some days I drink 3 diet cokes, but other days I don't drink any of either and I don't feel any effects whatsoever (at least as far as I can tell).

Add me to the list of people who can't imagine that you'd be having too many withdrawal symptoms from 12 oz. of Mountain Dew...especially if you've already managed to cut it back to 6 oz. with little effect (or at least none that you've mentioned). If you're really concerned, I don't think there's anything wrong with cutting back to 3 oz. for the next few days before completely weaning yourself off of it.

As an aside...I had really bad migraines (including aura, which I've otherwise only rarely had in my life) when my thyroid meds were too high. They disappeared again as soon as my hormone level came back down. Hopefully that's all that is causing your headaches, since it's generally an easy condition to fix.

 

[RUDisney]

I used percoset to get over my caffeine withdrawal. It worked like a charm... I slept through most of it anyway.

That being said, the percoset wasn't prescribed for caffeine withdrawal, I had surgery and it was for that pain. I figured that was a good time to give up caffeine without feeling any effects from it. Kill 2 birds with one stone and all of that....

That was 3 years ago and I've never felt better. I don't get that mid-afternoon drag anymore and I wake up more refreshed. Maybe it's psychological, maybe not, but I like it.

 

[HM]

When I gave up caffeine a good while back, I had terrible headaches for three days and then none. Just be prepared to feel bad for several days and then to feel MUCH better afterward.

Unfortunately, I've taken up drinking caffeine drinks again......

 

[cybrkitn]

It may be the diet part that is causing your headaches. I can't drink a lot of diet stuff or I start getting headaches and weakness in my legs and stuff. It is a common side effect of aspertame.

Those and stomach aches, which is the only thing I get.

I had to cut back on my caffeine intake when I was pregnant with DS7. My doctor told me to limit my intake to just one cup per day. I had headaches for more than just a day or two. The only way to get rid of them was to take regular Tylenol with a cup of hot or unsweetened iced tea.

After I had DS7, I tried to go back up to my regular intake and found out it I wasn't used to that level anymore and had to adjust to it again. I actually got snippy with the new HR Executive Director at the job I was at . Then realized what I had done and apologized and explained about the caffeine. Even my old boss, who was the former HR Exec. Dir. and retiring, knew that was out of character for me.

 

[SandrA9810]

i'm trying to cut soda out, because of HFCS, and i refuse to drink anything with artificial sweetner.
So i wind up drinking iced tea. I think it's more of a sugar rush for me, cause i can be fine drinking de-caff. But at work, i have to drink something to keep me going, and it winds up being sweet tea.
And on occasion i'll drink a pepsi, but i'm really starting to loose taste for the stuff.


Good luck, you've got a stronger will power than me.

 

[cteddiesgirl]

Ugh. I know what it's like. Luckily, I did the gradual slowdown of caffeine so it lessened the headaches from the withdrawal symptoms. But it sounds like you shouldn't have too much problems with the withdrawal because you're not getting that much caffeine.

Just remember that decaf does not mean caffeine free. There's still some caffeine, just a lot less of it.
That goes for any coffee or tea.

Also, there are some sodas that you can drink, you just have to be careful about which ones they are. Root Beer is ok depending on the brand. Some have caffiene, others don't.

It also means cutting out chocolate. Unfortunately.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

When I've stopped caffeine, I get nasty headaches that make me feel as though there's a hole in my brain, or that I've been stabbed in the neck. Sometimes both at the same time. It's so fun!

Redacted for brevity...
...

hate to see what happens on a BAD day!

 

[Jennasis]

Once again, I get to be the voice of dissent. Yay!

Back in 2005, in preperation for my wedding, I quit my Diet Coke habit cold-turkey. Well that triggered the worst 12 months of my life.

I began experiencing chronic, daily headaches. And I mean DAILY. From the moment I opened my eyes in the morning until I cried myself to sleep at night. All day, every day, for a year. The pain was so bad at times I couldn't function. I honetsly thought I had a brain tumor. Went to the doc, who sent me to a meurologist. Brain MRI's, homone panels. The works. On my MRI they found some areas of white matter that showed some changes consistent with Migraine sufferers. After some probing from the neuro, I mentioned the Diet Coke quitting. I thought he was going to hug me!

The cold-turkey quit sent me into a downward spiral of cyclical Migraine headaches. We now knew the cause, but treatment was another story. Took months to find a combo of drugs that would work (turned out to be Keppra). Even on the day of my wedding, I was in agony.

Finally, after weeks of the Keppra (which is used to treat seizures), the headaches went away. I had already reintroduced caffeine into my diet.

Anything you do. Do under a doctor's supervision.

 

[phorsenuf]

Once again, I get to be the voice of dissent. Yay!

Back in 2005, in preperation for my wedding, I quit my Diet Coke habit cold-turkey. Well that triggered the worst 12 months of my life.

I began experiencing chronic, daily headaches. And I mean DAILY. From the moment I opened my eyes in the morning until I cried myself to sleep at night. All day, every day, for a year. The pain was so bad at times I couldn't function. I honetsly thought I had a brain tumor. Went to the doc, who sent me to a meurologist. Brain MRI's, homone panels. The works. On my MRI they found some areas of white matter that showed some changes consistent with Migraine sufferers. After some probing from the neuro, I mentioned the Diet Coke quitting. I thought he was going to hug me!

The cold-turkey quit sent me into a downward spiral of cyclical Migraine headaches. We now knew the cause, but treatment was another story. Took months to find a combo of drugs that would work (turned out to be Keppra). Even on the day of my wedding, I was in agony.

Finally, after weeks of the Keppra (which is used to treat seizures), the headaches went away. I had already reintroduced caffeine into my diet.

Anything you do. Do under a doctor's supervision.

How much did you drink a day though? She drinks one Mt. Dew a day, which has 55 mg of caffeine. That really is nothing.

 

[Jennasis]

How much did you drink a day though? She drinks one Mt. Dew a day, which has 55 mg of caffeine. That really is nothing.

I would drink 2 or 3 cans of Diet Coke a day (and still do). I wonder why the doctor would think her one can of MD was worth quitting? A cup of coffee usually has around 100mg of caffeine (some more and some less) and I've never heard a doctor suggest anyone give up their morning cuppa joe.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I would drink 2 or 3 cans of Diet Coke a day (and still do). I wonder why the doctor would think her one can of MD was worth quitting? A cup of coffee usually has around 100mg of caffeine (some more and some less) and I've never heard a doctor suggest anyone give up their morning cuppa joe.

its possible that caffine may affect her differently?

heck if my DW drinks anything with caffine at dinner, she has trouble going to sleep.

on the other hand, I have been known to finish a diet coke right before bed time and fall to sleep with no problems.

 

[Jennasis]

Very true. Perhaps it's the sugar/HFCS or something else affecting her?

 

[cteddiesgirl]

I would drink 2 or 3 cans of Diet Coke a day (and still do). I wonder why the doctor would think her one can of MD was worth quitting? A cup of coffee usually has around 100mg of caffeine (some more and some less) and I've never heard a doctor suggest anyone give up their morning cuppa joe.

I was told by a doctor to cut out all caffeine because it was triggering anxiety attacks.

So, even though I love coffee, regular & black teas, most caffienated sodas and chocolate, I cut them out. And I have a lot less trouble with anxiety attacks. While I still miss being able to have coffee and regular sodas, I don't miss the anxiety attacks. I will occasionally have a small piece of chocolate.

 

[AustinTink]

So, I had a very early meeting yesterday morning and didn't have time for coffee. By 10am, I said let's just skip it and see what happens. By, 4pm i felt like there was a hot poker stabbing me in the eyes. I had a dull ache all over my head and I broke down crying for no reason.

I'm never going without my coffee again.

 

[OK!]

So, I had a very early meeting yesterday morning and didn't have time for coffee. By 10am, I said let's just skip it and see what happens. By, 4pm i felt like there was a hot poker stabbing me in the eyes. I had a dull ache all over my head and I broke down crying for no reason.

I'm never going without my coffee again.

That's how I am...you can almost set a watch by it. On days I (for whatever reason) don't have caffeine, I'm ready to shoot myself by 3:30-4 pm. There've been times I've even forgotten that I've forgotten to drink anything with caffeine in it and the sudden piercing headache is like a slap in the face saying, "Hey dummy! Go drink a Diet Pepsi!" It may be an addiction but it's a lovely one and I embrace it.

 

[Gigi22]

Caffeine is a substance that you can become used to consuming on a daily basis. I believe it is considered slightly addictive (less so than alcohol and cigarettes). You can make yourself ill by consuming too much caffeine. On the other hand, some OTC headache medicines contain caffeine, so there are beneficial effects too. I had a reaction to too much caffeine in university, trembling and so forth--and I was able to slowly reduce my caffeine intake. Scroll forward--as an adult I drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day, and I enjoy it, but I try to make sure that I consume all caffeine in the morning, or early afternoon. (You can get a really bad headache from suddenly going 'cold turkey' on caffeine).

 

[Imzadi]

I can't get up in the morning without my one cup of caffeine. This is from weaning myself down from several cups of caffeine in a day. So, yes, even ONE cup can greatly affect someone. If I don't have enough of it, like I'm rushing out the door, I'm draggy all day.

Sometimes, I'll have that half cup later, and bam! I'm finally awake & perky.

My GYN is sending out bloodwork tests for me. I already know I have severe anemia and have been treating it. I'll finally get the "official" bloodwork counts. But, she has also sent in for a thyroid test. The anemia might not be the only thing causing me to have such low energy, migraines and other problems.

 

[torinsmom]

OP here---No caffeine since yesterday at around 1pm and I am definitely feeling it. I have a moderate headache that isn't really responding to the normal meds and feel run down. Luckily, I don't have to do anything until Sunday, and that is only a 2 hour thing.

The dr. believes that my body reacts to a lack of caffeine by triggering a headache. So, I have my one mountain dew at lunch and after that, my body is reacting to no caffeine until the next day. He thinks if I break the cycle, my headaches will improve.

I don't drink regular soda, so it is not the sugar of HFCS that is causing the headaches. It is not the aspartame, because I have cut that down with no result. I have discovered that I am sensitive to more than a small amount of splenda---gives me a major migraine.

Marsha

 

[epcotfan]

Yeah quitting caffeine is hard. That's why I refuse to. I did stop drinking coke though. I've weaned myself down to iced tea now. If I want something fizzy I drink club soda. Like others have said keep some ibuprofen or tylenol onhand till you are weened off.