Going Caffeine Free....suggestions

I did this a few years ago. I got into decaf instant coffee, I found a brand I liked and I really enjoy my morning coffee. I tried decaff tea but I didn't like it!

Detox slowly by cutting down your caffeine rather than going cold turkey is easier with less shock on your system. Giving up caffeine hurts but is doable! I got some horrid headaches for a few days (and was cranky and couldn't sleep. But after a week or maybe 2 it was all fine! It was a while ago but i think it peaked days 3-5). Timing quitting to avoid stressful and busy times would help.

And remember keep up the fluids. Experiment with different flavoured herbal teas.

I don't drink caffeinated coffee at home, but I will occasionally when I am out, and I drink black tea sometimes. I gave up most of my caffeine when I saw that it was making me anxious and upsetting my belly and I am much calmer and feel better now. I also have no 'withdrawal issues' from my occasional 'real coffee'!

I hope this helps. I don't drink fizzy drinks much at all so can't offer much suggestions other than having a nice alternative drink at hand

Best of luck

From a chronic migraine patient.... I recommend to slowly go off of caffeine.

I had to get off it because it didn't play nicely with my migraines. I wasn't drinking much to begin with, so I just quit cold turkey.

In your position, I'd cut down, maybe switching to a blend of decaf and caffeinated coffee, gradually decreasing the amount of caffeinated coffee you include in your mix. Once you're down to decaf coffee, switch to decaf tea, then switch to herbal tea.

If you liked pepsi, it might be that you liked the bubbles and will miss them. You can buy a Soda Stream and just drink plain seltzer water with some lemon juice. I did that back when I was originally learning to like water. Or you could buy pre-flavored seltzers.

My experience has been that making changes in steps leads to them being lasting changes rather than trying to make sweeping changes all at once.

Not everyone gets headaches or withdrawals from giving up coffee. Simply stop. Drink water try both chilled and quite hot. Personally I love a slice of lemon in my water.

I get migraines. Have since I was 13, though they’re less frequent these days. I also love both coffee and Yerba mate. I have very low blood pressure, so I figure it’s self-medicating.
Sometimes a double espresso with a side of water will stop a developing headache from becoming full-blown.
Earlier this year I cut down my coffee consumption from 6-8cups of coffee per day to 2-3cups. I also stopped using creamer in favor of unsweetened almond milk and skim lactose-free milk. It was doable. Still... without coffee in the morning there’s little chance I’d talk myself into getting up at 5a.m. for work.

GailK1967 wrote: »

Not everyone gets headaches or withdrawals from giving up coffee. Simply stop. Drink water try both chilled and quite hot. Personally I love a slice of lemon in my water.

Lmao. Sorry but if I simply stopped I'd probably be hospitalized. Usually people who don't get headaches or withdrawals don't drink much to begin with. They aren't addicted to the caffeine. I drink 9-10 coffees a day. Simply stopping would not be an option even if I wanted to, thankfully I don't.

suzannesimmons3 wrote: »

Mithridites wrote: »

I get migraines. Have since I was 13, though they’re less frequent these days. I also love both coffee and Yerba mate. I have very low blood pressure, so I figure it’s self-medicating.
Sometimes a double espresso with a side of water will stop a developing headache from becoming full-blown.
Earlier this year I cut down my coffee consumption from 6-8cups of coffee per day to 2-3cups. I also stopped using creamer in favor of unsweetened almond milk and skim lactose-free milk. It was doable. Still... without coffee in the morning there’s little chance I’d talk myself into getting up at 5a.m. for work.

I've had migraine since I was about 3 or 4 ....I have a strong coffee with pills and chocolate and that usually halts the head pain in its tracks.

This is so strange to me because caffeine aggravates my migraines. I know it shouldn't because migraines dilate blood vessels and caffeine restricts them, but anything messing around with mine seems to be a problem.

I now make my own herbal teas. Started growing herbs myself - they're not too difficult, thankfully - and a lot of common herbs are pretty good teas. oregano, marjoram, rosemary - you can make tea from all of them. Some fun tea and pureed fruit recipes can be found, too - one I remember was making tea from basil and then adding pureed strawberries to the tea, maybe a little sweetener or lemon to get the taste just right.

Also, if you have trusted sources of clean citrus or pomegranates (nothing sprayed on or coating the outside), citrus rind and pomegranate rind are edible and full of vitamin C and other nutrients. Clean them, dry them out, and then grind them up a little to put into the tea to steep. They often add a nice tanginess to any drink.

Ginger slices make a good tea as well - you need to boil them for 15 minutes, then steep for 15, though, so it takes a little longer. Turmeric added to drinks is good, but you need to add the powered turmeric, or make and powder yourself. They don't actually make tea well.

Also olive leaves, fig leaves, ginger leaves, and guava tree leaves you can make tea with (the boil 15, steep 15 thing again). I think you may be able to do the same to grape leaves, too, but not sure on that.

Tons and tons of things are added to boiling water to steep that can be tasty and interesting, you know? Or made from sun tea. Or mixed in after blending, too. :-)