Quitting caffeine

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istoleyourgoat
istoleyourgoat Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
Rewind a month: I was drinking 6-8+ cans of diet soda a day (and had been for years - it was free!) and at least 2 Monster Low Carb or Absolutely Zero energy drinks.

Now I've managed to kick the soda to the curb and replace it with water. The amount of aspartame I was consuming is thought to be the cause of the intense headaches I was having, and they've now disappeared. Seeing as the E-drinks are made with sucralose, I've still been drinking 1-2 Absolutely Zero's a day because I'm such a horrible caffeine addict that if I don't...well, it's not pretty!

But I think I'm ready to quit the caffeine all together and all the other crap that's in those drinks... the question is how?

It's bad - sometimes on Saturdays, when I sleep in an hour or two, by the time I'm out of the shower my caffeine headache is rearing it's ugly head...

Any advice? (And I don't like coffee...)
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Replies

  • kbanzhaf
    kbanzhaf Posts: 601 Member
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    Tea? It has caffeine, but people don't often think about that.

    I'll be interested in hearing what others suggest.

    Kaye
  • Furrytreats
    Furrytreats Posts: 132 Member
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    You're going to get headaches coming off. I'd start very, very slowly. It'll pass after a few days, but good for you!
  • tandroes
    tandroes Posts: 163 Member
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    if you are ok with caffeine just not all those drinks with bad stuff in them, you sould try drinking iced unsweetened green tea... sooo good (i always get it from starbucks so then i still feel like i'm getting a treat)
  • robinmurphy71
    robinmurphy71 Posts: 9
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    I tried going off Diet Pepsi cold turkey and I had my first migraine ever. Needless to say, I slowly weaned myself off of it. I would decrease your caffeine intake by one can a week. Once you get down to one can then I would drink half in the morning and the other half in the afternoon and then after a week I would take away the 1/2 can in the afternoon, etc. It worked for me!! Good luck!!
  • KimberlyCaptivating
    KimberlyCaptivating Posts: 2 Member
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    I was under a lot of stress too, and after some serious heart palpitations, my doctor told me to either cut caffeine altogether or go on beta-blockers. Given that I absolutely abhor medicine, I cut the caffeine.

    Tea actually has a TON of caffeine, and isn't the way to cut it. However, you'd be surprised at how many sodas and teas don't have caffeine. You can buy decaffeinated tea anywhere (including Walmart) and sodas like Ginger Ale, Root Beer, and Sprite (which are good in moderation) are caffeine free as well. Good luck! It's really not that hard--I've been doing it for a couple months now. :)
  • godroxmysox
    godroxmysox Posts: 1,491 Member
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    As long as you don't quit cold turkey, the headaches should be bareable. They are almost unavoidable =(
  • Melvicmurphy
    Melvicmurphy Posts: 43 Member
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    Well done! I am also on about 8 cans of diet coke a day - I would honestly give up my phone, computer and possibly even my car before I'd ditch the drink - maybe in another 6 months I'll change my mind. Let us know how you get on with ditching the e drinks
  • rfcollins33
    rfcollins33 Posts: 630
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    You're going to get headaches coming off. I'd start very, very slowly. It'll pass after a few days, but good for you!

    So true with that one. I quit when I found out I was pregnant and had serious migraines. Sorry to scare you though, take some pain relievers and come off slowly is what I'd suggest.
  • BifDiehl
    BifDiehl Posts: 474
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    I was drinking a minimum of 24 ounces of diet Dr. P per day but I wanted to give up soda. I may eventually give up caffeine, but I'm not ready yet. I switched to tea. Now.... I don't really like tea, so I started out getting the pre-sweetened gallons at the grocery store. Drank those for about 2 weeks and then switched to making iced tea from a tea bag every morning. So now I have 12 ounces of very strong iced green tea, UNSWEETENED. It's not fantastic tasting, but I'm getting my caffeine hit without anything artificial. The next step will be to wean off of the caffeine. Maybe I'll start by making the tea less strong by only leaving the tea bag in for a short amount of time... Baby steps!
  • rfcollins33
    rfcollins33 Posts: 630
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    Well done! I am also on about 8 cans of diet coke a day - I would honestly give up my phone, computer and possibly even my car before I'd ditch the drink - maybe in another 6 months I'll change my mind. Let us know how you get on with ditching the e drinks

    hahaha, I agree with you. I started again after I had my baby and I feel like I'd give an arm up first. I'm awful, but when people on here talk about quitting, it does inspire me. One of these days......
  • muelle71
    muelle71 Posts: 7
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    I was drinking 3 4-shot lattes every day up until 3 months ago, when I decided to quit cold turkey. For the first couple of days, it was really difficult, but I made sure to drink tons of water. Each morning, I had a cup of tea with caffeine, and I had caffeine pills in my purse in case a headache hit. I only had to take a caffeine pill once each day for the first three days, then I was set. I don't really like tea that much, so after about two weeks, I quit drinking the tea as well. Now I am completely caffeine-free, and I have never felt better. It's easier to wake up in the morning, I don't get sleepy in the afternoon, and I fall asleep more readily at bedtime. Best decision I ever made! Good luck!

    Emily
  • JS506
    JS506 Posts: 6
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    I have replaced all my pop and coffee intake with Spark energy drink mix by Advocare(its a powder you mix with water). You would need to order online. It has vitamins and not a ton of caffeine. For instance I drink one in the morning with my protein bar for breakfast. Then one in the afternoon if I am tired. They are also great before you work out because it gives you a boost of energy. I was a HUGE caffeine addict. I didn't think I could quit it and have tried many times. Since December I have replaced it with Spark (cherry is my fav). It is 45 calorie, 11 carbs, 0 protein, 0 sugar, 0 fat, 0 sodium.
  • gingerfoxxx
    gingerfoxxx Posts: 267 Member
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    i went cold turkey. I was a raging b*tch for two days, but i have felt amazing ever since. that was 4 months ago.... (wow, has it been that long??) you can do it!! you are stronger than you think! :D
  • angelaplaxton
    angelaplaxton Posts: 61
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    Headaches are expected with quiting something that you've become so habitual and dependant on.
    And good for you for being aware of that :happy:
    I'd say that the stuff you're drinking is horrible, and you may want to consider never drinking it again.
    You suggest coffee is grose, but its better that what you are doing to your body :smile:
    I quit cofee and i was having headaches for a week. but i did quit cold turkey, cause i knew if ididn't quit
    that i wouldn't quit. There had to be a change. and it had to be that drastic cause i wasn't good for me to drink
    the coffee as much as i was. I was a mess without it when i drank it.
    Now i drink Great Tea, yeah i know, what an eye roller! :ohwell:

    I know the addiction side of what you are experiancing. The habbit is one thing, but the addiciton is the toughy.
    I trust that you will make the decision that will work for you, it may be gradual, or it may be right away.
    In the End, you'll be so proud of yourself!!! :heart:
    Being Proud of Our Selves is the best Reward!!!
    Congratulations on taking the 1st Step :smile:
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    I've tried to give up caffeine many times and I always cave because I can't take the headaches and nausea I experience trying to get off it.

    I honestly think the best way is to wean yourself off it. Instead of 2 energy drinks a day - cut down to 1 and do one of them for awhile. Then try buying a smaller can of them (Red Bull comes in a sugar free in an 8.4oz can) and do that for awhile. You can try taking Green Tea - it has caffeine in it. I switched from Mt Dew to coffee and the occasional energy drink.
  • brandi2258
    brandi2258 Posts: 46 Member
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    I was consuming a ton of caffeine every day also. I have cut back to 1 or 2 cans a day of Diet Coke now, but that's mainly to get me jumpstarted in the morning, and then to keep me going in the afternoon. I've replaced the others with water. I look forward to hearing other comments as well.
  • aliakat
    aliakat Posts: 16
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    When my doctor first told me that I had to eliminate caffeine from my diet, I was not thrilled with the idea. The transition was harder than I imagined -- and I still sneak the occasional cup of coffee or soda when I am dragging. However, the thing that really helped me was liquid vitamin B (you place it under your tongue for 30 seconds before swallowing) and aspirin (for the initial headaches). The vitamin B helped give me more energy and I quickly felt the difference if I missed taking it in the mornings. For mid-day slumps, Wal-mart also has a really good Acia chew -- often near the check out. Good luck!
  • Mraugitinane
    Mraugitinane Posts: 2
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    Yes, I definitely agree that you need to get away from it gradually and not go cold turkey. First, you're probably going to be intensely irritable by doing it all at once and your body is going to be confused. I would suggest setting weekly increments to decrease your levels of caffeine. For example, if you currently drink 6-8 cans of diet soda, next week set a goal that you will only drink 5 cans of diet soda that entire week (but you have to stick to it!). The next week try 4 cans of soda and so on.

    Another way may be alternating the amount of diet soda for tea or another lower-caffeinated substance. I would do tea though personally because without milk and sugar it carries no calories, no fat, and you can get antioxidants and other good things for your body. So, if you currently drink 6-8 cans of diet soda, instead, drink 6-8 cups of tea and then reduce the intake per week.

    Everyone's body is different and will react differently. So, if you to actually stick to the reductions but perhaps you end up relapsing, don't give up! Try a different type of increments. Maybe two weeks at a time or monthly so that your body has more time to adapt. Also, another key thing is really increasing your water intake and eating healthy foods that stimulate your brain. The more water you have, it will cleanse your body and it will also make you feel fuller - you may not feel the need to even drink an extra can of soda.

    Whatever you do, don't replace this habit with another bad habit. Don't replace soda with dark chocolate or eating more food to fill the void.

    Hope that gives you some ideas!
  • jmruef
    jmruef Posts: 824 Member
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    All the advice about weaning SLOWLY off the caffeine is definitely something to take to heart! I stopped caffeine once cold-turkey. I had a headache for 3 days. NEVER AGAIN!

    :sick:
  • briabner
    briabner Posts: 427 Member
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    I completely cut out all caffeine about 4 years ago. I was a 3 cups of coffee in the morning (really strong) and tons of diet pepsi all throughout the day. I will tell you that it is NOT EAST AT ALL! The biggest advise that I can give you is to just stick with it and dont cave in to the "cravings". With me I had a bad headache for about a month after stopping cold turkey, wasnt fun but I feel better now that I am not dependant on anything.

    Now I am to the point that I cant have anything with caffeine in it without being really jittery and shaky. For my morning wake-up I immediately jump into a hot shower (the hot water raises your blood pressure). Also, things that help with my morning wake-up is to eat large apple and drink a bottle of cold ice water, to me this helped with the morning wake-up it kinda has the same pick me up as my coffee did. If you want to talk more you can add me as a friend and or send me a message.

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