How do you get kick caffeine out of your life?

[Charley]

I've been trying and getting awful headaches. Any words of advice?

 

[laughingllama75]

If you do it for 2 weeks (without ANY caffeine) you will have major headaches but it will be done with in that ammount of time. I had to stop "doing" caffeine abot 4 years ago, and It felt like I was going to die. Mood swings, major headaches and withdrawal. I felt like a crack addict in rehab, honestly.I used to drink 6 mountain dew's, 2-3 hot coffee and 1-2 iced coffee a DAY. Now, I drink water only with an occasional glass of apple juice. I was having sever stomach problems (ulcers) and bad kidney stones. I am, happy to say, Caffiene free and proud of it. Once in a blue moon (once or twice a uear, really) I will have a hot cocoa and it wil KILL my stomach but it is sooo good, LOL. Good luck, the headaches will pass.

 

[Charley]

Thanks, that gives me an idea of how long it will take. I drink two - three cups of coffee a day...and an occasional Coke. I just feel the rush if I have two cups of coffe and then the down and know that this is not good. Two weeks is not that long of time...I can do this. Decaffeinated here I come!

 

[Basketmiss]

You know tis funny people think caffeine helps get rid of their headaches but not true. I used to drink regular Pepsi, 1 or 2 a day, not that much but I had headaches ALL the time! 3 years ago i went off and I dont ever have headaches anymore! its great once you get it out of your system you will feel so much better!!

Good Luck!!

 

[SunQuest]

Ah, a subject near and dear to my heart.

When we were first married, my hubby would get horrid headaches in the afternoon from the lack of being able to drink caffine (coffee or coke) in the afternoon at his job when we were first married. Every day he took a large thermos of coffee to work, so thinking on that, I decided that the only thing I could link it to was the coffee as he would drink it all day long on the weekend and his headaches were gone.

Well, the hubby didn't want to quit the coffee, but since I was the one shopping, know what I did? I would buy 2 cans of coffee - one decaf and one regular - and I mixed them together without him knowing and then hid the decaf can. Well, after going through the 2 mixed cans, I upped the decaf content so that it was 3/4 decaf and I then went to straight decaf after that. Of course by this time the hubby's headaches were gone and that is when he found the decaf can and he told me he was wondering why he wasn't getting the normal "kick" out of the coffee. I responded with "Well, your headaches are gone. Want them back?" Laughs.

After 20 years of marriage, my hubby is once again drinking caffinated coffee, but he limits the amount to 2 or 3 cups in the morning and no cafine at any other time.

 

[Reijel's Mom]

Well, my cure to kick my caffeine habit was getting pregnant

.

But I sure still miss it sometimes!

 

[River1018]

First of all good for you for wanting to do that!!

BUT don't do it the way I did....I did it cold turkey... I'm not a coffee drinker or much of a pop drinker and never was more of mine was coming from Excedrin Migraine that I was taking for headaches, (Headaches just got worse tho) OH!

You need to do it gradually and if you don't....you can become very very sick. I was so sick I was in bed and I was throwing up and chills and fever like symptoms etc. It was so bad I went into Now Care and had no clue it could get that bad....the withdrawl. Like I said, I did it cold turkey tho.

Do it slowly, wean off of it. It takes lots of will power. Good luck! You can do it....and you will feel great in the end!!!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

The headache will pass. I used to give up coffee for Lent. I dreaded the first few days! What you will also miss, is the cultural and social aspects of caffeine. A cup of coffee with friends, a coke with a meal--herb teas just don't seem the same!

No tea or coffee--think how white your teeth will get!

 

[Jill]

I kick caffeine all the time and relapse. When I am getting off it, I have a splitting awful headache that lasts a couple days. Then, it's gone and I'm fine but I just sincerely love that buzz I get from the caffeine and that is what keeps me coming back. It just makes me feel so happy. I seriously do MOST of my shopping for horses early in the morning "high" on caffiene. At that particular moment, I feel I have all the energy in the world to fully enjoy another hoofed wonder!

 

[Sterling]

I used to be a heavy Coke drinker. Have been off of it for many years. Sometimes I'd go back and forth on it, but when I realized it was keeping me up at night and making me want to go out and put up fences...I decided I'd best stay caffine free. It took me a week to feel the effects wane off.

 

[Charley]

I like the idea of diluting it with decaf. I think that would work great. If I can avoid the headaches that would be ideal.

I don't really like the taste of coffee and cover it with cream and sugar. So I will be cutting back on the sweets too. I got into drinking it to wake myself up in the morning....and that led to another cup around eleven just to enjoy. Funny the habits we talk ourselves into.

Thanks for all the info.

Jill, as usual, you make me smile!

 

[Jill]

My favorite coffee is McDonalds. Even over Starbucks, I love it and look forward to it (we get it on the weekends -- H goes and gets us some).

But, my daily coffee habit is disgusting. I just want the caffeine fix. So, I turn the faucet on hot, get a tumbler out of the cabinet and put like 1 oz of water in the tumbler and a tablespoon of instant coffee. Drink it down like medicine!

 

[Just Us N Texas]

When I started through menopause, caffeine turned on me. Got jittery, hyper, nuts, you name it. Nearly passed out in the grocery one day. Talked to the pharmacist right then and she kinda laughed at me. Said her mom was doing the same thing, so lay off the caffeine. Well, without my husband's knowledge, the coffee got turned into 1/2 caf. Then 3/4 decaf, then all decaf, slowly. Stopped drinking pop with caffeine, and decaf tea. There are lots of brands out there that are decaffeinated. Just keep trying to find one that you like. For instance, Sanka to me is horrible, but Folger's, Maxwell House, and other popular brands of coffee that are decaffeinated are very good, and most people can't tell the difference in taste. Same with teas and sodas. Now, I drink half caf coffee all the time, and don't drink any sodas with caffeine in them. Chocolate on the other hand, I eat! You do know don't you that chocolate is a source of caffeine.

 

[Charley]

Yup, my list of things I use includes coffee, tea, most soda, cocoa and chocolate.

I drink Fresca....no caffeine, have given up tea..not a biggie, cocoa....not a biggie either....coffee....working on that, and chocolate is a treat so just once in a while...don't think that will change.

Cold pills...also have caffeine in them and luckily I don't get colds often.

No headache today....I cut back from two cups to one cup of coffee in the morning....Next week I will change it to decaf and deal with the headaches if I get them. Gotta plan now!

 

[Katie12]

I had to go off caffeine because of headaches. I thought my Doctor of 16 years was nuts. He said no decaf either it still has caffeine in it. You have to use caffeine free teas only. Also no chocolate nuts or aspertane.It sure got rid of my headaches but I hate not having those things.

 

[Charley]

I am down to one cup of caffeine coffee once a day and one cup of decaffeinated once a day....and still woke with a tiny headache this morning. So I am going to keep it at one cup of caffeine coffee a day for this week and hope to drop that caffeinated cup this weekend.

So things are looking up. I haven't been jittery this past week and intend on keeping it that way.

Thanks for all the ideas.

 

[CKC]

I used to be a huge caffeine drinker. First OB visit with my first child my doctor told me NO more caffeine right then and there. I was shocked because I had heard other people were allowed 2 cups a day. Not me. He said none and believe it or not I had NO headaches ever after that. It was in my mind that I had to quit for my baby and I never once had withdrawals. I might drink a couple diet sodas during the week now(no longer pregnant), but it's rare... ever since I quit drinking the regular sodas I can't drink non-diet drinks. The sugar is just too much for me now. I never would have thought the day would come that I would quit drinking them.

I try to only drink caffeine free diet drinks now. There a lot of good ones on the market now.

Before I was pregnant I tried to quit the caffeine drinks I would get terrible headaches.

 

[nightflight]

If you want to kick the caffeine habit, go to the hospitality table at a horse show and just TRY to drink the "coffee"...

Really though, to help replace coffeeI kept some apple cider and "sleepy time" tea on hand for hot drinks. The tea helps settle my stomache a bit, but I'm a cream and sugar coffee drinker, and when the tea just didn't work, the apple cider was a nice treat to wake up with.

During the day and evening, I kept several bottles of water in the fridge/freezer (would pull the frozen ones in the am so I had cold water all day). I would drink more water than I really thought I wanted, and also drank most of a small bottle before I had any sort of a meal or snack. Knowing that I probably wouldn't even want to finish a cola also helped me not open one. I don't LIKE sports drinks, so I kept a few of those on hand as well for when water just wouldn't cut it.

Keeping hydrated also can help with headaches.

Regards...

 

[Boinky]

it probably is indeed the coffee causing your headaches..but another thing to look at is.... do you drink or eat food with Nutrasweet (aspertame) or Splenda (Sucralose)? Aspertame gives me horrible horrible headaches. The kind that Ibuprofen or Tylonol wont touch and make sme want to ball! within minutes of eating or drinking something with it in it i have splitting head aches. it took me a very long time to make the connection, and at the time was having constant headaches, but it has been years since i've knowingly ate anything with it in it and no long have constant head aches and when i mess up and go to a party or something and say drink punch not knowing it is in it..i KNOW! i'm extremely careful to ask when i drink anything (many soda's have it in it) or if i'm eating something that is made with jello because many jello's have it.

I have since spoken to the doctor about it and he said it would surprise you how many people he see's that have problems with head aches caused by aspertame! He said even if people don't relise that is the problem if he makes the suggestion to try to stay off it it makes a huge difference to them!! Sucralose (splenda) also gives me head aches but they are much more mild.

Both are nothing but rat poison in my opinion and I cannot believe they have never pulled nutra sweet off the shelves because that was found to cause many many problems including cancer ect. I'd rather be FAT than be sick!!

 

[Bunnylady]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought it was theobromine, not caffeine, in chocolate? I can't "do" any caffeine during the winter - the diuretic effect keeps me trotting to the potty too often! Chocolate doesn't get me that way. I have to steer clear of all artificial sweeteners, they are all guaranteed migraine triggers for me.

I think the trickiest part of giving up an addiction is the "rituals" that go with it. For example, if you always drink a cup of coffee while you read the newspaper, and try to give up the coffee, what else do you do while you read the paper? A cup of water, while healthier, just isn't the same!

Speaking of addictions, I've got one that is becoming a real problem. It involves a keyboard, a screen, this little thing called a mouse . . . .