Any advice for caffeine withdrawal symptoms?

HaraldurB
HaraldurB Posts: 76 Member
in Getting Started
I don't drink coffee but I drink a lot of Cola. I'm trying to quit it but it's causing me terrible headaches that painkillers can't help me through. I don't think it's the sugar as much as the caffeine that's causing this and I'm not as worried because there are healthier ways to get sugar. But is there a way to quit Cola without reducing it slowly and not suffer from withdrawals? Anything you can recommend?

Replies

  • EmoJew
    EmoJew Posts: 94 Member
    Diet cola for now? Wean yourself off a little at a time?
  • erinsparin
    erinsparin Posts: 5 Member
    It is probably the caffeine, not the sugar. Taper off gradually over a week or two. Or just power through the horrible WD headaches for a week. I get awful WD headaches too, been there, done that.
  • Sugarbeat
    Sugarbeat Posts: 824 Member
    I used to mix a little regular and a little decaff coffee, using less regular until the headaches stopped. Maybe you could do something similar w/coke.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    withdrawal headaches aren't worth it to me, at least not caffeine-related ones. In your case since you don't drink coffee I would either replace it with diet and then do a taper off that (to avoid the sugar) so that your body can adjust, or invest in a bottle of Jet-Alert! If you find both of those undesirable, try Excedrin as your pain killer, as it has a small amount of caffeine per dose that helps the Aspirin and acetaminophen in it to work better plus, well, caffeine! If that's out of the question too then unfortunately you just have to power through. It should last about a week.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    Meh, caffeine is healthy, I wouldn't cut it out.
  • Amandawith3kids
    Amandawith3kids Posts: 367 Member
    coffee and cola have roughly the same amount of caffeine, but black tea (your standard lipton type stuff) has about half. maybe switch to that so you can ease yourself off of it?
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    headaches are typical of caffeine withdrawal. If you have to give up caffeine, then cut down slowly rather than quitting cold turkey, this will help avoid headaches and other withdrawal symptoms. If you want to avoid sugar in the process, then black tea, black coffee or diet coke/pepsi all have caffeine without any significant amount of calories.

    Bear in mind that there's no weight loss benefit to giving up caffeine. If you're quitting drinking coke because of the sugar, you could switch to diet coke, or drink tea or coffee instead, then you won't be wasting your calorie allowance on coke.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    coffee and cola have roughly the same amount of caffeine, but black tea (your standard lipton type stuff) has about half. maybe switch to that so you can ease yourself off of it?
    Not true. Coffee has about 5 times more caffeine in it than Coke. Heck, black tea has about 2.5 times more caffeine than Coke.

    12 oz Coke - 30mg
    12 oz Black Tea - 72mg
    12 oz coffee - 142mg
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    If you want to get away from the caffeine (although avoiding it all together is very hard), my advice may be rough around the edges.. but just suck it up and do it. Take some Advil, drink lots of water, and know in a few days, you'll be feeling fine!

    *Edit - And going through the withdrawal symptoms may help you stay away from it, knowing what a pain it is to get off of lol
  • CoordinatedKate
    CoordinatedKate Posts: 14 Member
    I'm cutting out Coke as well but I think most of my WD headaches hit me when I haven't had any tea for a few days.

    Maybe try some tea for a couple mornings. I don't like hot drinks so I usually brew my tea and throw it in a glass of ice.

    Caffeine WD headaches are the worst!
  • cloverfield4
    cloverfield4 Posts: 52 Member
    I've been there done that with caffeine withdrawals through two pregnancies and a few random cleanses. Meh, I always find my way back to my morning coffee, and I've made peace with it.

    For me, the only way through the withdrawals is to power through cold turkey. Take prescription-strength ibuprofen, rub some peppermint oil on your temples, and tell yourself, "this too shall pass." It'll take about 72 hours at most to clear your system of caffeine.

    Good luck!
  • crimsontech
    crimsontech Posts: 234 Member
    Tapering off is the only way to go... cut my withdrawal headache to just a couple hours. Ibuprofen wouldn't even touch that headache.
  • MomofTeens
    MomofTeens Posts: 42 Member
    Whenever I "try" to go off caffeine I have the same problem. However, this time I decided to try supplementing a detox (caffeine free) tea in place of my usual coffee or soda. I have had NO headaches this time. I've been caffeine free for 3 days. Usually the first 4-5 days are the worst. So I'm almost there. I just bought a peach detox tea at health food store (Mama Jean's). It's not particularly delicious, but its obvisouly helping!! :) Good luck!
  • yorinaga
    yorinaga Posts: 1
    You'll have a terrible headache for about 3 days straight, then you'll feel amazing. I used to drink 1-2 cases of mountain dew a week about 10 years ago and to this day, if I have caffeinated pop, I get that same headache a day later if I don't drink it again. Black tea however seems to be much milder and take 3 days for a much smaller headache to show up. MIO Energy drink mix also has the same effect as tea for me.

    I swear there is something in pop that makes the headaches worse.
  • thomaszabel
    thomaszabel Posts: 203 Member
    I'm agree on the tapering. Cold turkey changes to any of your lifestyle choices are difficult.

    Put yourself on a plan. Write down how much soda you drink in a week. Start next week by cutting it down by 10% or 20%. Do the same the following week, repeat the next week, and the next week, etc. etc. Within a few months, you will be soda-free, and it will have been easier than just cutting it out completely.
  • Rocbola
    Rocbola Posts: 1,998 Member
    I always found that drinking a lot of water helped with the headaches. I quit coffee a while back, and soda a few years before that. Be careful with the weaning yourself off approach; it's very easy to just not stop. It sucks for 1-3 days, but i recommend just going cold turkey.
  • HaraldurB
    HaraldurB Posts: 76 Member
    Thanks everybody, seems like people are about even in which way is better :) I've never been much for hot drinks so I doubt that tea is for me. I'm thinking that maybe it's best to keep a bottle of diet cola in the fridge and just have one glass when the headache appears. That way I'm drastically reducing my intake and keeping the headaches away. And they should become less frequent I would think.
  • Nice2BFitAgain
    Nice2BFitAgain Posts: 319 Member
    I'm on the cold turkey train for soda too. I changed from Pepsi to Diet Pepsi years ago and gave up all soda this January. Withdrawal is a B but it only lasts a few days and then you'll be done. I wasn't trying to cut caffeine so much as the aspartame. Good luck!
  • allotmentgardener
    allotmentgardener Posts: 248 Member
    I used to drink 4-5 glasses of cola (easily) per day. When I stopped I had chonic headaches that felt like a sledgehammer going between the eyes and no painkillers could remove it.
    I persevered and worked through the headaches and lethargy, I won't lie - they were 3 days of hell! But the relief when the headaches left were bliss. I feel like a bettter person, more alert and with it.
    I have not had a fizzy drink for two weeks now and honestly don't have the urge to. I still have a black coffee in the mornings and a hot chocolate midday, other than that I have iced water and NO headaches.
    If you are able I would just quit and put up with the 'withdrawal'. It doesn't last forever but the feelings of relief when they are over make you realise just what you were doing to your body.
    However you go about it I wish you good luck :)
  • golferd
    golferd Posts: 400 Member
    I use to drink several big gulps a day. Stop cold turkey, count your days, no cheat days. Take how many sodas you used to drink, and double that in water intake. You will have so much water going in, no room for a soda.
  • rocky503
    rocky503 Posts: 430 Member
    Have a cup of coffee....HA resolved and skip soda cold turkey.

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