how to get over your caffeine addiction.

coffee flavored protein powder

Thanks for posting, I am currently fighting my Diet Coke addiction as well. I am terrified of these headaches as whenever I do try and reduce my DC, the headaches come on with a vengeance! I am anxious to hear what others have to say!

Maybe wean off. Maybe instead of a full cup have 3/4 of a cup then cut it back to half, etc. Or instead of three a day, have two, then one.

I drank caffeinated tea for a couple of weeks. I still drink tea every now and then.

I get serious headaches from c affine too. I used to drink 32oz of pop before noon every day. I kicked the caffine about 10 years ago.

there are two ways, one, just do it! You will suffer major headaches for several days. take ibuprofen, CHECK YOUR PAIN RELIEVERS, ALOT OF THEM HAVE CAFFEINE IN THEM.

the other way is to just slowly decrease the amount of caffeine you have each day.

when I did it, I first cut out all after noon, then cut out entirely. I started by switching to a caffeine free pop, then a few years later I switched to decaf tea. So now no sugar substitutes and no caffeine, and no calories!

Check with your doctor first, but I used the weaning method, and if I got a caffeine withdrawal headache I took an Excedrin. The Excedrin has a bit of caffeine but also kills the headache so it's kinda like Nicorrette and gradually you can withdraw.

I bought one 16oz diet coke a day and split it up wiened myself off of it slowly drank lots of water 8 plus cups a day flavored with Mio I have been off of diet coke a week and a half and I dont miss it.

Another vote for tea. I was a serious Mt. Dew drinker and over a period of 3 months I'm down to a half gallon of tea a week and no soda.

Hi, my name is Sarah and I'm a Coca-Cola addict

First you treat it like any other addiction, admit it's there and then decide to take action against it.

I am a 3 - 4 coke a day drinker usually. I haven't touched one in almost 2 1/2 weeks. A year ago, I went three months without one but that was due to medication that made it taste like absolute crap. I haven't really had any headaches this go round because I've been substituting with unsweetened tea. Usually a BC powder will knock a caffeine headache out as it has a decent amount in it. The headaches will go away as your body gets used to not having it. Honestly, I don't think it's the caffeine that your body will miss so much as the sugar. I still get really tired (like i feel like I'll sink through the floor) around 2:30 and at that point will eat a small Clif bar or grab some fruit and in a few minutes will feel much better.

Good luck and remember it's not you, it's them and it's just better that way!

Thanks for posting, I am currently fighting my Diet Coke addiction as well. I am terrified of these headaches as whenever I do try and reduce my DC, the headaches come on with a vengeance! I am anxious to hear what others have to say!

Ask your physician about taking Topamax, it is for migraines and it makes carbonated beverages taste like crap. I used to drink 3 cans of diet coke a day and I have been taking it for three months now and have had two cans of diet coke the entire time. Just doesn't taste the same. Topamax helps the headaches.

I do drink coffee and I hear there are some good things about coffee and I can't be perfect.

I don't know if I would recommend topamax just for caffeine withdrawl headaches. I took it for a couple years (2-3) for chronic migraines (17+ years now) and it did have other serious side effects. Can cause kidney stones if you don't drink lots of water, weird parts of your body getting "pins and needles" so painful it wakes you up (like your middle toe or the middle of your shin for no reason). It does make carbonated things taste yucky but it also makes you puke if you drink alcohol (it's used for alcoholics trying not to drink too), although it made me feel "drunk" when I first started taking it and raised my dose. It also makes it really hard to talk correctly. Like I would be thinking of "let's take the dog for a walk" and "let's take the blender to cement" would come out. Totally non-sensical words/thoughts that appear somewhere between your sensible brain and your mouth that will say anything. Definately worked great for migraines and I did lose a bunch of weight on it (it would make me not be hungry and forget to eat) but the only reason I would take it, would be for actual medical need.

As for the caffeine addiction, tapering off is probably the best advice. Just drink less and less each day till eventually you don't need it at all. (although, I'm a total caffeine addict (drinking a diet coke right now) so I have no experience in actually giving it up) :happy:

Caffeine isn't bad by itself, but the diet soda is just chemical crap. As for dropping the caffeine, two ways....hard and short or hard and long.

Hard and long....try to ween yourself off it slowly by cutting back quantity or switching to black and then green tea, which are progressively lower in caffeine.

Hard and short....drop it cold turkey. Just stop. Throw it all out of the house and make sure you don't pick up any randomly (fast food, vending machines, etc.). You'll have the headaches for 2-3 days (regular advil or tylenol do not have caffeine, excedrine and others do) and the feel like you're in a fog for several days after the headaches end. After about a week it will all be over and you'll probably end up feeling better than you do now.

Every so often I have to kick coffee and clear my system. I drop it cold turkey and stay off it for a while before giving in and going back to drinking coffee.

The one thing I can't break myself of is drinking soda (DIET only though). I know it's horrible for you, it's like... chemicals and whatever but I have a server caffeine addiction. If I don't get any, I get these headaches that are seriously devastating.

I want to stop drinking it, not only as its unhealthy but it's a needless money sink.

So, if you've been in this spot, how did you get past it? What did you do to make the pain less?

been there done that.. I Gave pop up for lent (in feb) and had about 10 days of NASTY headaches. Just take some tylenol (midol has some caffine in it so thats an option ) and drink lots of water or ice tea. I'm 40 days pop free and havent really missed it. I had a swig of my husbands coke the other day (ew to start with) but it was NASTY and made my stomach hurt!. Just be bigger than your addiction and push through the head aches they eventually go away

i was drinking a few big travel mugs of coffee a day and one day i just put the mug away and that was it. I had rough headaches and terribleness for about 2-3 days and ever since then no headaches. I now sleep better and feel better all day long, getting up in the morning is easier. I drink more water in place of the coffee and my workouts are way better. Caffeine effects everyone differently but well worth the few days of headaches in my case.

I'm not sure if it was mind over matter but it worked for me. I was seriously addicted to evergy drinks 2 sometimes 3 a day, I tried to give up heaps of times but got the headaches too. Anyway my brother in law told me to start eating Green Apples (granny smith) daily. Apparently they slowly release caffine into your system and can help with caffine addiction. Now I only have one coffee a day and if I miss that it doesnt affect me. Good luck you'll get there.