Current/Ex Coffee Drinkers... Support?

MissFlab2Fab2014

So I joined MFP for many reasons weight loss being #1 but also and over all change in my health. Coffee is my biggest vise, my biggest downfall, the hardest thing to give up emotionally but also physically. I am a 6-8 cup kind of gal. I am also an avid redbull gal.... lately however I have noticed my anxiety at an all time HIGH.. and my stress levels are surprisingly low, things in my life right now are really good so anxiety shouldn't be an issue. I have also noticed (this prompted me to cut back significantly my caffeine intake) that I was beginning to get heart palpitations on a pretty regular basis.. even when I was just laying down getting ready for bed. I ruled out a lot of causes by seeing my physician but caffeine seemed to be a big deal to him.. I realized that a lot of my every day aches and pains were probably caused by my excessive caffeine intake... I have cut back to 1-2 cups a day, and this has only been for 3 days and already I am feeling the symptoms. Headaches, Nausea, feeling extremely tired, muscle tension, aches here and there... Has anyone else gotten this or felt sick from it ? Anyone gotten past it... please help me out!? would love support

seltzermint555

6-8 cups in a day plus (occasional?) Red Bull? No wonder your physician is concerned. yeah, yeah...I know you do not need a lecture! But that's a lot of caffeine for anyone.

I've been a diet soda "addict" for most of my adult life. I have only recently overcome this. I am 36 and started drinking soda when I was a young kid and then swapped it for diet in my early 20's thinking that was the answer...

For me the worst of it was in college and shortly after when I drank two 20 oz bottles of Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi every day, or 3-4 cans, and in the AM I would shake very badly if I hadn't had one by 10 AM even on days when I slept until 9:30 AM. As soon as I had a few sips I'd stop shaking, it was like an alcoholic in a way...very nuts.

I did not actually start drinking coffee regularly until I was 29. Before that, I liked it but was just a "Starbucks latte a couple of times a month" girl. Even now, I drink 8-12 oz of coffee every morning but if I don't get it I am ok. I've honestly never gone w/o coffee on a work morning so I don't know how that would turn out ;-)

So anyway for a long time I did not drink ANY water. Just coffee in the AM, then diet soda at lunch and dinner.

I started small. It was HARD getting used to water. It doesn't provide the same caffeine "kick" to jolt me into action. Fortunately I am energetic anyway, but it felt like I needed that soda or coffee BAD for a long time. I started by limiting myself to 1 can of diet soda and 1 cup of coffee per day.

After about a year (I know, that's slow!) I started limiting myself to a 12 pack of diet soda per month, which meant 3 cans per week. I don't think I ever actually made it a full month though. I'd usually have 4-5 cans per week.

Then I just decided it was silly to drink so much soda so I decided I'd only have it with foods I felt "needed" the soda...like pizza or Mexican food. Gradually I stopped drinking it.

I still have one every couple of weeks (once or twice a month) but I no longer crave it like I did. I never would have thought it was possible for me to not have diet soda with lunch and/or dinner every day. It had been my main beverage for so many years. Maybe you will eventually wean yourself off coffee.

3 days isn't very long. it is normal for you to have some "withdrawal" symptoms.

Good luck!

healthygreek

Years ago I was having anxiety and panic attacks. One was so bad, I was sure I was dying of a heart attack and told my husband to call an ambulance. At the hospital they did some tests and determined my heart was fine. It was panic.
I stopped drinking my pot of coffee a day and stopped my diet Pepsis.
It took about a week or so but I replaced coffee with 2 cups of tea in the morning and just cold water all day.
Stopping the caffeine stopped the panic attacks so I really am ok with it.
Every now and then, I'll have a morning cappuccino on the weekend but it doesn't adversely affect me at all.
You will get used to little or no caffeine and you will feel so much calmer.

writergeek313

I used to drink 5+ cups a day. Some days I'd drink coffee at work all day and wouldn't drink any water at all, even once I got home. I also drank Five Hour Energy more probably at least once or twice a week. When I made getting 8 hours of sleep a priority, I slowly weaned myself off so much coffee and now usually drink between one and three cups a day. I don't drink soda anymore and usually drink decaffeinated tea. I can't remember the last time I had a Five Hour Energy. I have enough energy to get through the day, but I'm not as anxious and wired as I used to be.

Too much caffeine can really hurt you. It's good you're cutting back. Try to drink plenty of water and get more sleep than you think you need for a few days. You might feel lousy now, but you'll start to feel better once your body adjusts.

NARudy

I get one cup of regular coffee in the morning, then drink decaf all day. I know there's still caffeine in decaf, but not so much. That way I still get the great taste of coffee (I drink pretty high-quality coffee) without shaking through the day.

diolpah

Too much caffeine can really hurt you.

Citation needed. On the contrary, coffee consumption is associated with cardioprotective effects, and lower risk of diabetes and alzheimer's disease.

Caffeine and salt phobias really need to die the broscience death they deserve.

Jewlz280

I don't know. I know each person is different, but I'm more inclined to think your issue was the Redbull than the coffee. I really like my coffee, but I don't have those sort of symptoms if I miss a day or two. But I've heard of that happening with folks who drank sodas. I say maybe give is a few more days and see what happens, but it really seems like your issue may be more with the energy drink than just the coffee. Or maybe even the fact that you were dehydrated even though I think dehydration, true dehydration, doesn't happen as often as people think. Hopefully you get to feeling better soon.

Fujigala

When I quit coffee I didn't want to get off the couch for a few days. By the end of the first month I was a lot better. Now I really don't ever need caffeine anymore and it's been over a year.

cidalrain

WOW..that is a ton of caffeine. No wonder you are going through withdrawls and feeling tons of anxiety! All that caffeine is directly causing your anxiety. The good news is that YES it will pass. You're body will go through withdrawls for the first week then it will start to readjust to normal. You have taxed your adrenals glands to the MAX. Caffeine causes the adrenals to pump out cortisol which is the fight or flight stress hormone. Which is why you are feeling all that anxiety cause you are artificially causing yourself to feel the fight or flight emotion. Here are a couple tips that I have done for years to be able to keep drinking coffee but not get all the bad effects of caffeine. You can buy your favorite brand in both regular and decaf and mix the bags together so you get a naturally 50/50 caffeine/decaf ratio. This works like a charm. You still get that caffeine boost but not so overwhelming that is causes anxiety. Or you can buy exclusively dark roast coffees. Contrary to popular belief, dark roasts have LESS caffeine that any other roasts and blonde roasts have the most. The reason being because the longer hotter cooking process that the dark roast undergoes causes more of the caffeine to be destroyed in the processing of the bean. So you get a naturally less caffeinated coffee. I have done these two tricks for years and it has worked splendidly for me.

MissFlab2Fab2014

Thank you all for the advice... I am going to take it baby steps I have really cut back.... 1-2 cups a day and maybe a hot cocoa during the evening... and I pushing the water... at least 3-4 16.9 FL OZ a day.... to start...

rc2paris

So, I'm not a medical person or anything, but, I did use to drink that much about 2 years ago. I was a full time college student and didn't have time to deal with the side effects. I made a conscious effort, and kept tally marks. I cut back one cup of coffee every 2 days. And i just kept at it until I was at normal levels. Drink lots of water!

tallmansix

I was a very heavy coffee drinker for about 20 yrs, had around 12+ cups per day. Made me intolerant to caffeine eventually so I gave it up about 2 years ago.

I felt like crap for 2 weeks, comparable to giving up cigs, constipated, couldn't concentrate, allsorts, but well worth it in the end.

slim4health56

I'm not a Red Bull drinker, but I do love the coffee and carbonated drinks. I've cut down my coffee to 2 cups of blended (half decaf) from 5 or 6 cups regular brew, and have cut out most of the Coke (from 3-4 12 oz. cans a day to 1-2 7.5 oz cans a week. I think I was after the sugar/caffeine rush! I was surprised to learn that Red Bull actually has less caffeine than coffee...I thought it was a keg of caffeine!

Water has become my best friend in this lifestyle change and I have considerably less craving for both coffee and Coke when I'm fully hydrated. I made my changes gradually so no real symptoms to speak of...other than the cravings when I haven't had enough water. An FYI from Mayo Clinic on caffeine rates below.

Red Bull 8.4 oz (250 mL) 76-80 mg caffeine
Generic brewed coffee 8 oz. (240 mL) 95-200 mg caffeine
Coca-Cola Classic 8 oz. (240 mL) 20-23 mg caffeine

slim4health56

Too much caffeine can really hurt you.

Citation needed. On the contrary, coffee consumption is associated with cardioprotective effects, and lower risk of diabetes and alzheimer's disease.

Caffeine and salt phobias really need to die the broscience death they deserve.

There are competing opinions on the use of caffeine, and to balance out your claims to the contrary:

Caffeine is LIKELY SAFE for most adults when used appropriately. Caffeine can cause insomnia, nervousness and restlessness, stomach irritation, nausea and vomiting, increased heart rate and respiration, and other side effects. Caffeine can make sleep disorders in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) worse. Larger doses might cause headache, anxiety, agitation, chest pain, and ringing in the ears.

Large doses may be UNSAFE and can cause irregular heartbeats and even death.

Special Precautions & Warnings:
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Caffeine is POSSIBLY SAFE in pregnant or breast-feeding women in daily amounts of less than 200 mg. This is about the amount in 1-2 cups of coffee. Consuming larger amounts during pregnancy might increase the chance of miscarriage and other problems. Caffeine passes into breast milk, so nursing mothers should closely monitor caffeine intake to make sure it is on the low side. Caffeine in large amounts is POSSIBLY UNSAFE during breast-feeding. Caffeine can cause sleep disturbances, irritability, and increased bowel activity in breast-fed infants.

Anxiety disorders: Caffeine might make these conditions worse. Use with care.

Bipolar disorder: Too much caffeine might make this condition worse. In one case, a 36-year-old man with controlled bipolar disorder was hospitalized with symptoms of mania after drinking several cans of an energy drink containing caffeine, taurine, inositol, and other ingredients (Red Bull Energy Drink) over a period of 4 days. Use caffeine with care and in low amounts if you have bipolar disorder.

Bleeding disorders: There is concern that caffeine might aggravate bleeding disorders. Use caffeine with care if you have a bleeding disorder.

Heart conditions: Caffeine can cause irregular heartbeat in sensitive people. Use caffeine with caution.

Diabetes: Some research suggests that caffeine may affect the way the body uses sugar and might worsen diabetes. But the effect of caffeinated beverages and herbs has not been studied. If you have diabetes, use caffeine with caution.

Diarrhea: Caffeine, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): Caffeine, especially when taken in large amounts, can worsen diarrhea and might worsen symptoms of IBS.

Glaucoma: Caffeine increases the pressure inside the eye. The increase occurs within 30 minutes and lasts for at least 90 minutes after drinking caffeinated beverages.

High blood pressure: Consuming caffeine might increase blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. However, this effect might be less in people who use caffeine regularly.

Weak bones (osteoporosis): Caffeine can increase the amount of calcium that is flushed out in the urine. If you have osteoporosis or low bone density, caffeine should be limited to less than 300 mg per day (approximately 2-3 cups of coffee). It’s also a good idea to get extra calcium to make up for the amount that may be lost in the urine. Older women with an inherited disorder that affects the way vitamin D is used should use caffeine with caution. Vitamin D works with calcium to build bones.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-979-CAFFEINE.aspx?activeIngredientId=979&activeIngredientName=CAFFEINE

See also: http://www.health.arizona.edu/health_topics/nutrition/general/caffeine.htm

Perhaps the key phrase is moderation.