caffeine withdrawl

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blueelephant1212
blueelephant1212 Posts: 100 Member
in Food and Nutrition
ok need some help here. cut back my pepsi intake from several bottles a day to just one 20oz bottle and now i'm having serious withdrawal headache. even drinking some pepsi hasn't cut back the headache. i know it's from cutting out all that caffeine, but is there anything else i can do to help??? just took an aleve so hopefully that helps, otherwise i'm just miserable :(

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  • Jillian0708
    Jillian0708 Posts: 43
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    The only thing i have found that helps my caffiene headaches is excedrine because it has caffeine it . but i have changed to diet so i still get caffiene and lots of plain coffee
  • GorillaNJ
    GorillaNJ Posts: 4,052 Member
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    Have you cut out the soda for just the calories or are you trying to cut back caffeine too? If caffeine is not your issue get a cup of coffee, but if it is drink a lot of water and tough it out for a day or two and you will be fine.
  • selbyhutch
    selbyhutch Posts: 531 Member
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    Have a bit of caffeine! I make my own iced coffees w/ half decaf & half yummy flavored coffee. It's just enough.
  • blueelephant1212
    blueelephant1212 Posts: 100 Member
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    i am cutting out the pepsi because of the calories and sugars. caffeine isn't the issue. i did have a cup of caffeinated coffee and i still have one whopping headache. i'll look to see if i have excedrin. thanks guys!
  • melliebee
    melliebee Posts: 187 Member
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    AHHH!!! I used to be physically and emotionally attached to Tim Horton's coffee and I gave it up (Canadians, you know what kind of sacrifice this is) as well as all energy drinks, and sodas... I thought I was rehabing from a heroin addiction!!! The headaches were really bad, and it also messed with my bathroom routine.. (Coffee being a diuretic).. I am in full recovery, but am still weak from time to time.. Water is your best buddy! Drink up! :)
  • gambitsgurl
    gambitsgurl Posts: 632 Member
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    Excedrine or even better Excedrine Migraine.
  • gnrshelton
    gnrshelton Posts: 358 Member
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    When I stopped drinking regular Pepsi years ago it took about a week to get over the withdrawal. They say to not drink it until you feel a headache coming on then drink a small amount. Then again go as long as you can stretching out how long you go without it. Soon enough you will wean yourself off. I wouldn't start on Excedrin. It has caffeine in it and will make it harder. Also if you take pain relievers for more than three days a week you can get rebound headaches from that. Stick it out and you can do it. Just drink some caffeine as you need it but no more. Good Luck.
  • selbyhutch
    selbyhutch Posts: 531 Member
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    Ahhhh... maybe the all the extra sugar then? You may just need to suffer through for a few days. I would try going for a walk... fresh air & all might help hon.
  • doris_day
    doris_day Posts: 159
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    I had to live throught the headaches when I had Diet Coke withdraw. The headache only lasted 2 days but it was pretty blinding. Mine was in the back of my head and I could feel it through my shoulders too.
    If I was ever going to get rid of my Diet Coke habit, I had to just quit it altogether.
  • twinsmommy7
    twinsmommy7 Posts: 28 Member
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    Have you tried Zevia brand soft drinks? They are zero calories and use Stevia as a sweetner so they are even better than diet soft drinks. There are all kinds of varieties, including caffienated cola. You can find them at Whole Foods or Sprouts.

    About the headache, caffeine withdrawal is tough. It should get better in a few days. Maybe some ibuprofen might help?
  • blueelephant1212
    blueelephant1212 Posts: 100 Member
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    Have you tried Zevia brand soft drinks? They are zero calories and use Stevia as a sweetner so they are even better than diet soft drinks. There are all kinds of varieties, including caffienated cola. You can find them at Whole Foods or Sprouts.

    About the headache, caffeine withdrawal is tough. It should get better in a few days. Maybe some ibuprofen might help?

    i love stevia and have never heard of those soft drinks! i'll have to look for them. as far as the headaches, i just drank about 4oz of pepsi and hopefully that'll help cause the coffee and aleve were about an hr ago and didn't help. :mad: it's all about the sugars and sacrificing to get healthier. i can do this. thanks for all the support guys, i really appreciate it!
  • Timkerbelle
    Timkerbelle Posts: 53
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    I hope it won't seem like I'm hijacking this thread, but I'm having problems cutting caffeine too. I want to stop drinking it because I am convinced it increases my cravings for sweet stuff. This may be all in my head, but I'm not taking chances, and I have seen more than once that there seems to be a link.
    Now my problem is that no matter how long I just can't seem to get the energy back. Without caffeine I'm like a zombie. And it's been 2 months since I quit.
    Is it maybe just the fact that I am grossly unfit and overweight that makes me tired? Any thoughts?
  • Sweet13_Princess
    Sweet13_Princess Posts: 1,207 Member
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    Kristy, my mom had that same problem when she tried to stop drinking coffee cold turkey for a mammogram. The best thing to do is to wean yourself off of it slowly. You can also take an advil/other pain pill pill beforehand as a preventative. After 3 days to a week, the dependancy goes away. You just have to make it that long! I know, it can be painful.

    Shannon
  • bitty1taz
    bitty1taz Posts: 309 Member
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    I got off the sodas for a while and now I'm back on them I dread the migraines that I know I'm going to get when I stop again, but I'm going to have to agree with what some people on here are saying. Lots of water and if it gets too bad, drink like half a soda to help. Good luck!
  • blueelephant1212
    blueelephant1212 Posts: 100 Member
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    i'm not completely giving up soda, just cutting back significantly. i took an aleve and did drink some soda to help... but the headache is still there. i'm afraid it's going to be a very very rough couple days ahead. it's something i want to do to cut out the sugar in my diet. i'm still going to have tea and coffee w/ stevia, just not the sugars. we'll see how it goes. thanks for all the support and helpful advice!
  • LilynEdensmom
    LilynEdensmom Posts: 612 Member
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    When I stopped drinking soda (been over two months now) the first two days were horrible b/c the headaches, so if I started drinking coffee and that helped, if you don't like coffee breath savers has an energy mint (I eat like a pack when I'm at work so I don't munch on nuggets) and it contains caffeine. They don't make me jittery or anything. And I drink plenty of water...After a couple of weeks though I was back down to 2 cups of coffee and the mints and no caffeine headaches...It is worth it b/c I feel a million times less bloated than when I was drinking soda

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