BTDT? When does the diet coke headache go away...

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twinmom_112002
twinmom_112002 Posts: 739 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I finally gave up the diet coke. I was addicted (1 with every meal). I drank a lot of water in between but needed my diet coke fix first thing in the morning and lately with all the food. Gave it up on Wednesday last week, slipped and had one Sunday morning. Everyday I have developed a migraine type headache. Its not the caffeine because I still drink my daily venti green tea. Any clue how long this withdrawal symptom will last?

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  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,862 Member
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    When I stopped coffee my killer headache lasted a full 4 days. Not sure about the caffeine in green tea. Sounds like caffeine withdrawal though.
  • ManiacalLaugh
    ManiacalLaugh Posts: 1,048 Member
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    fiddletime wrote: »
    When I stopped coffee my killer headache lasted a full 4 days. Not sure about the caffeine in green tea. Sounds like caffeine withdrawal though.

    I would second this. It's likely the caffeine and not the diet coke. Green tea has less caffeine then soda (typically), and if you're only drinking one of these, you're still drinking a lot less caffeine than you were.

    Can you wean yourself off of diet coke instead of going cold turkey? Or try some black coffee every once and a while? I realize that some people who feel "addicted" don't think they can do this without going back to old habits, but it'll help you avoid the withdrawal symptoms.
  • jheston72
    jheston72 Posts: 1 Member
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    You can do this!! I've been Diet Coke free for almost 2 years. I drink iced tea instead, which did not take me completely off caffeine, but I am getting much less than I was. I agree that this is probably a caffiene headache. Hang in there! Now, if I taste a soda, they taste completely artificial to me. No desire to drink one. You'll get there, too!
  • twinmom_112002
    twinmom_112002 Posts: 739 Member
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    Thanks everyone
  • weirdingwayward
    weirdingwayward Posts: 10 Member
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    Diet coke is a migraine trigger for me - diet sodas in general, in fact. It's the phenylalanine, which I learned over a long, stubborn, painful period of trial and error, before eventually being forced to give up the beloved soda habit by my stupid migraine-prone body.

    Some people are just sensitive to it, and you can slowly make sensitivities worse by exposing yourself to more of it, or (counterintuitively) by stopping after a long habit. This might not be even remotely related to your problem, but could be worth looking into!
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
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    Agreeing with the others that it's likely caffeine withdrawl. It should only take a week or so for that headache to stop popping up...so long as you don't cave and go back to drinking more again. ;)
  • kate2004rock
    kate2004rock Posts: 223 Member
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    Try sparkling water. I found I was more 'addicted' to the carbonation than the caffeine (but I drink a ton of coffee. The flavored La Croix waters (or even your supermarket's generic) are a favorite! I now only have maybe 1 soda a week - and I used to be 2-3 a day.

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