Caffeine with drawl

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I have a huge headache....

ugh!

Nothing I do seems to help.

I have laid my head down for as long as I can here at work.

I have taken some Aleve (all I had)

any other suggestions?

Replies

  • kellycrow
    kellycrow Posts: 140
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    don't give in and have the caffeine... once you get past this, you will feel so much better. You can see now that caffeine is a drug and clearly not good for you!!
    drink lots of water... this will pass...
    good luck!

    caffeine free since July 2007!!!
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    You should be okay in a few days. Hang in there!!
  • cymills
    cymills Posts: 133 Member
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    Is there a "real" reason you have cut out coffee completely? I have yet to drop coffee - nor will I. I have lost 10 lbs since starting MFP , which includes my morning coffee. OK-perhaps you drank ++++ quantity , but I am not sure why you feel the need to give it up.?
    I do not mean to sound rude ..I really am curious as to why you feel you must give it up?
  • amk44
    amk44 Posts: 159
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    Sorry to hear you're not feeling well. When I was a young adult, I was put into the hospital for testing because I was getting the shakes... They found nothing wrong, so I thought back through my routine on the days when it acted up, and identified caffeine as the possible culprit. To test my theory, I drank a couple of cups of regular coffee one morning and almost collapsed a little later... I learned the hard way how powerful caffeine can be... I don't react as strongly any more, but I still pretty much avoid caffeine. Some interesting articles online about caffeine and the withdrawal symptoms that some people experience.
  • MiekeJ
    MiekeJ Posts: 139
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    I agree. This is a normal process and something you'll just have to push through while your body gets used to having less caffine. Just keep telling yourself that the headaches are worth the ache to have a healthier you! :-)

    Good luck!
  • kdiamond
    kdiamond Posts: 3,329 Member
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    Honestly I don't see the point in not having a little caffeine (unless pregnant or some other issue)...a cup of coffee a day isn't going to hurt anyone. It stimulates the metabolism and helps with weight loss! I wouldn't have nearly the good workout I do without it.

    Why put yourself through the misery?
  • kfsooner
    kfsooner Posts: 40
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    Hang in there!! I have been caffeine free since my second child....that was ten years ago.....
  • slimkitty
    slimkitty Posts: 418
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    You'll feel better in a couple of days. I went off of caffeine not long ago. The headache lasted only for a day maybe two. I must have slept at least 10 hours that first night without any caffeine. I felt tired a drowsy for several days (maybe a week) and then slowly my natural energy returned and I started feeling better than I have in a long time. The only problem now is that I can't get by on 4 hours of sleep anymore. I need at least 7 to feel good during the day. At least I am not staying up till midnight eating :smile:
  • Johnnyswife
    Johnnyswife Posts: 1,447 Member
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    I have a huge headache....

    ugh!

    Nothing I do seems to help.

    I have laid my head down for as long as I can here at work.

    I have taken some Aleve (all I had)

    any other suggestions?
    Did you quit cold turkey? Thats really hard to do. You'll be headachy for a day or two, and than you'll be fine. I wean myself off it over the course of a week. The cup gets smaller and smaller, than I don't drink the whole thing, until one day, I'm off coffee. :)
  • Dom_m
    Dom_m Posts: 336 Member
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    Is it insensitive to say the easiest cure for caffeine withdrawal is coffee? :)

    You could try paracetamol, and drink lots of water. Otherwise, you're just going to have to put up with grumpiness and discomfort for a few days I think. I went through this when I was living in China. The only coffee you could buy there then was nescafe and it just wasn't worth it.
  • devoneyk
    devoneyk Posts: 15
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    When I started this diet over two weeks ago I loved sodas and drank about 2 or more a day. I had the biggest headache for about two days once I decided to quit. It's been 20 days now and I have stayed strong. :smile: It will pass trust me and it's so worth it!
  • MrsSmith2010
    MrsSmith2010 Posts: 225 Member
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    Yea it's really hard at first. I'd recommend having just a little bit each day and keep reducing it. I just flat out quit and dealt with headaches for like almost 2 weeks, it was horrible. But now I don't even notice and water has become my best friends. There isn't anything WRONG with caffeine, but you body just gets so dependent so I decided to cut it out entirely. I don't like having so little control over myself with things like that. Same reason I don't do drugs or anything LOL Anyway, good luck with it. As long as you stick with it you'll feel much better in the end!!
  • Sprinkles77
    Sprinkles77 Posts: 20
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    I used to drink 3 mt. Dew's a day and I would get awful headaches if I did not have one by noon. When i tired to quit cold turkey the withdrawal hit me like a migraine by 3:00 I could not deal with light, sound, or motion, and I was literally praying to the porcelin gods. Needless to say my husband made me drink a dew take a nap and I felt better but still headachey. This was with 3 aleve already in me now. I spoke with my dr about it and she suggested cutting back first it was 2 a day for 2 days then 1 a day for 2 days then 4 oz. for 1 or 2 days then I was done. Barely any headaches and if I felt one coming on one Aleve took care of the problem. 3 weeks later I really do not even like the taste of Mt. Dew any more, how I drank it for 17 years I have no idea. Moral of the story is if you are truly addicted you need to slowly cut back especially if you are a person prone to headaches and migraines like myself. Also measure out 80z. of soda and not a can or plastic bottle you'll automatically drink less. Though I have to agree with the poster who said it's no big deal to have a bit of caffine each day if you limit it. I had to simply because I need to break the dew habit with all the sugar and corn syrup.
  • rwaltjen
    rwaltjen Posts: 5
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    Try taking one Excedrin. It contains caffeine, so it will help take the edge off and get rid of that horrible headache at the same time. I would only take one each day for a day or two. I used to drink at least 3 cans of pepsi a day, and now I drink 8 glasses of water, no pepsi, no headaches !
  • amk44
    amk44 Posts: 159
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    Thanks for posting your experience. I had read that dropping a little each day was the way to do it without so many adverse side affects, but it's good to hear that you agree that that is the best approach. Although I tend to avoid caffeine because of its extreme affect on me, my husband is a caffeine drinker from morning to night. He also has diabetes, and I'm not sure, but I think caffeine is discouraged if you have blood sugar issues. Anyway, I wish he would cut back. I'll be sharing your story with him... Thanks again for the post.
  • learning2fly4
    learning2fly4 Posts: 303 Member
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    Crazy as it sounds, what helped me deal is having a cup or two of decaf coffee(yes i know its not 100% decaf) for me the act of having the coffee helped me get past it.

    Good luck!
  • barbara6
    barbara6 Posts: 14
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    My doctor told me to use decaf and he said the best way to wean yourself off regular was to use regular and decaf together. Gradually decrease the amount of regular over a 4 week period and you won't get the headaches. I didn't. I used 1 scoop (from slimfast)of regular coffee before I began. So I divided it by 1/4 each week till I was using all decaf. By the way caffeine is a stimulant and gives you energy but the Doctor says it is and appetite increaser. I always thought it was supposed to help control your appetite but he informed me that I was wrong.
  • Vallandingham
    Vallandingham Posts: 2,177
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    Do you have to be from the south to have caffeine with a drawl.

    "Coffee , y'all?"