Caffeine Withdrawal

dudara

I'm giving up tea and coffee for the next 2 weeks along with alcohol in order to clean out my system somewhat. It's now 5pm on the first day and my head is splitting due to the lack of caffeine.

Help!

DonkeyStyle \o/

Mmm, yeah I was reading about this on wikipedia... I think it explains my mild headache and general dizzyness and disorientation in the mornings.
I dunno, I guess you're kinda stuck... the same article noted the presence of caffeine in certain painkillers!
A lie down in a dark room works for me.
I wouldn't like to try cold turkey though, are you sure you can't just lower your dosage each day and ween yourself off it? ... might be a more gentle approach.

rubadub

DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote: »

are you sure you can't just lower your dosage each day and ween yourself off it? ... might be a more gentle approach.

Thats what I'm thinking. Giving up all 3 is hard. Tea is low in caffeine, maybe only take a cup when you get a headache, like nicotine tablets. i.e. do not make it a morning habit.

Mr Magnolia

Loads of water I'd say dudara*

Last time I went off it I wasn't feeling particularly well. Best of luck to you with.



Always try and remember: No pain, no pain.

^^Works for me anyway^^




* I may have been guilty of a 'D' in the past. No more though ;-)

Gran Hermano

Mild headache? I know if I haven't had an espresso shot by lunchtime
I get a migraine-like monster headache. I'd go for the gradual decrease
rather than a total stop.

Potential-Monke

Ah, getting migranes without it and you still drink it... Would that not kinda turn you off it? I get withdrawel symptoms when i give up coke. I'm doing well though, i've cut down from 2 litres a day to about 1.5 litres... Coca cola btw...

Mr Magnolia

*sips double espresso*

Let us know how you're getting on dudara. I don't know what I'd be like with out it now. First thing I do in the mornings is lash 2 doubles into a mug in with a splash of hot water.

hshortt

I'm thinking of you {whilst smelling the coffee brewing}

Mr Magnolia

Mince pies are savage with coffee btw.

Gran Hermano

Potential-Monke wrote: »

Ah, getting migranes without it and you still drink it... Would that not kinda turn you off it? I get withdrawel symptoms when i give up coke. I'm doing well though, i've cut down from 2 litres a day to about 1.5 litres... Coca cola btw...

Turn me off coffee, are you mad?
I just need to get out of bed before noon on weekends!

~Must say these freshly roasted and ground Cuban beans I'm drinking
right now are divine ~

Mr Magnolia

I'm going to try that Cuban when I finish this Columbian. Probably order it toward the end of the week. Did you buy that from Hasbean Gran Hermano?

/Probably not helping dudara's cause here, sorry about that.

Gran Hermano

Yes the Cuban is another from Hasbean, Green Cuba Turquino Lavardo
(2kg for GBP15 + shipping).

dudara

Maggots the lot of you.

I'm going to do this all or nothing. I have done it before in the past and it's generally only bothersome for the first 2 days. So tomorrow should be another barrel of laughs!

My head is splitting. To make myself feel distracted I then went for a run this evening. I had to stop every so often to let the blood pound through the vessels in my head. Who would have thought that coffee would be so evil to you when it tastes so good?

rubadub

Why are you giving up out of interest?

Have you considered caffeine tablets? sort of like a cigarette addiction, you need to kick the actual habitual act of drinking coffee/smoking, along with ridding your system of the caffeine/nicotine.

Hard to do both at once.

dudara

Just a general detox and to kick start some weight loss.

I'm a firm believer in cold turkey. Otherwise you just assuaging your longings. Better to give them a good sharp kick out the door.

The funny thing is that I have no longing for a cup of coffee. No undesirable impulse to slaughter anyone who stands in my way of a cup of joe. I don't miss it.

But the flipping headache is bad!

Thomas_S_Hunterson

dudara wrote: »

Just a general detox and to kick start some weight loss.

Correct me if I'm wrong now, but giving up caffeine, if anything would cause you to gain weight. Caffeine is a stimulant which speeds up the metabolism. It is a prime constituent in many weight loss pills.

dudara

That is true, but caffeine can also contribute to insulin resistance and can stimulate the appetite by means of hypoglycemia.

Like any supplement, you can find research for and against. I do know what when I drink too much coffee I feel very crappy indeed, upset in my stomach and very dehydrated.

SeaSide

dudara wrote: »

That is true, but caffeine can also contribute to insulin resistance and can stimulate the appetite by means of hypoglycemia.

Feck ya

Coffee is the one pleasure that I have left

rubadub

Sean_K wrote: »

Correct me if I'm wrong now, but giving up caffeine, if anything would cause you to gain weight. Caffeine is a stimulant which speeds up the metabolism. It is a prime constituent in many weight loss pills.

I am trying too lose weight and am drinking more coffee for those reasons. It also gives energy that will help when exercising.

I find it helps in my weight loss and curbs my appetite. dudara must find it otherwise, depends on the person I suppose, just find whatever works best.

I used to eat or cook for something to do, now I make coffee and it has few calories.

totoal

Have you tried herbal tea as an alternative?
peppermint,lemon,ginger,chamomile etc all nice

dudara

I like herbal teas - peppermint would be my favourite. At the moment I'm drinking an echinacea tea.

Still have a tinge of a headache, though it's much less than the previous 2 days.

Last night was tough though. I was out for a lovely meal, which I usually like to finish with an espresso - but I couldn't!

brianthebard

dudara wrote: »

Maggots the lot of you.

I'm going to do this all or nothing. I have done it before in the past and it's generally only bothersome for the first 2 days. So tomorrow should be another barrel of laughs!

My head is splitting. To make myself feel distracted I then went for a run this evening. I had to stop every so often to let the blood pound through the vessels in my head. Who would have thought that coffee would be so evil to you when it tastes so good?

Coffee isn't evil, studies have shown that it improves brain function for those who drink it regularly. I'm not sure there's a good reason to give up caffeine unless you are really sensitive to it or something?

dudara

There's no doubt that coffee has its advantages, but if you get a splitting headache when you stop drinking it, then it has a bad side also.

The headaches are practically gone, but I was in the office today ( I normally work on client sites) and we have a lovely canteen that uses Starbucks coffee. Grrr!!

Fast_Mover

Well done Dudara-your doing great.
Im the biggest tea drinker ever..permanently have the kettle on boil!! Don't think I could go without if I had to.
Though in saying that I was in America for the whole summer and despite bringing out a big box of Lyons I can count on one hand the number of times I actually had tea in total. Must have been the heat or something. Didn't want it/crave for it. Minute I came home the kettle was back in full swing. Must try and cut down actually. But when the weather so cold there nothing nicer..:)

fantasma

Buy some rooibus red tea...from South Africa....good stuff and caffeine free...very tastey

Mr Magnolia

2 weeks gone. How's it going dudara? You still off it?

dudara

I'm still caffeine free. I've now developed an addiction to Peppermint tea.

The cravings passed after about a week. TBH, the fact that I had splitting headaches and woozy sensations for 3-4 days frightened me. Who have thunk that about coffee?

kaiser sauze

This thread scares me.

*runs*

Gran Hermano

... from my cold dead hands

No way they'll ever take away my caffeine !