Caffeine withdrawal headaches.....

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

I originally wanted to be caffeine free to be free of the addiction and cravings and just to take a step towards better health. I had surgery with a 5 week recovery and wasn't eating much for a few weeks and certainly was not driving to McDonald's for a large Diet Coke. I thought it would be easy, but as I said in my pp, I realized I was having caffeine headaches after 4 weeks and my pain medication had probably been masking them. I discussed it with my doctor and he said there was no medical reason for me to quit, so he didn't see a problem if I picked up my caffeine habit again, which I did.

I have always been sensitive to caffeine and have had to moderate my consumption or I won't be able to sleep, but it also causes irregular heartbeats. I think things must have changed with age because about 3 years ago my irregular heartbeats got so bad that they distracted me at work over a period of several days. I have had them checked out numerous times in my life and everything checks out as being within normal parameters. Caffeine just affects me that way and I was also told that everyone has these irregular heartbeats, but not everyone can feel them. I can and it's bizarre. I just decided that I had had enough of the weird heartbeats and decided to just quit. There is also freedom that comes with kicking an addiction. Plus, the weird heartbeat episodes are much less frequent now that I am caffeine free.

 

[DLgal]

I get caffeine headaches although the only problem I perceive is making sure to avoid them. If my medical professionals ever suggested it was causing a cardiac issue I suppose I'd consider quitting. I'm interested in what other individuals have to say about their own experiences.

I have anxiety that is made considerably worse by caffeine. Even just a little bit. I get shaky and am more prone to panic attacks. I don't drink caffeine really at all anymore. I also have migraine and IBS and caffeine aggravates both conditions.

 

[tigger867]

Drink A LOT of water... I just quit coke and did it cold turkey as well. Headaches were terrible... water helps a ton (I hate the way water tastes too).

 

[ronandannette]

I have anxiety that is made considerably worse by caffeine. Even just a little bit. I get shaky and am more prone to panic attacks. I don't drink caffeine really at all anymore. I also have migraine and IBS and caffeine aggravates both conditions.

Did you have any issues stopping?

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

If I don't have caffeine in the morning, I will get a headache. My only solution has been to drink something w/caffeine. I have given up diet sodas, but I have been making up the caffeine quota with more coffee and tea.

 

[DLgal]

Did you have any issues stopping?

No, probably because I didn't drink much to begin with. I will get a headache if I try and stop cold turkey. I am one of those slow caffeine metabolizers. If I have any caffeine (even chocolate) within like 8 hours of bedtime, I cannot fall asleep. I would drink one cup of coffee early in the morning and it would give me energy to last all day. Stopping took a week. I slowly tapered down, then switched to decaf, now only occasionally even have a decaf coffee (more for the comfort/habit of drinking something warm in the morning). The only thing I've noticed is that I do sometimes get sleepy in the afternoons and take a quick cat nap. It is much easier to doze off now during the day if I want to, and sleep comes much easier at night.. When I drink caffeine, even if I am feeling exhausted, I CANNOT sleep midday. A couple months ago, I mistakenly made regular coffee instead of decaf and I felt HORRIBLE. I was shaky and anxious and my heart rate was elevated for hours. I was jumping out of my skin.

 

[Cubbiecakes]

I've been mostly caffeine free for 3 years now. It's nice not to have that addiction on my back.

I'll have 3-4 cups of decaf coffee a week, and that's the sum total of my caffeine consumption. (Decaf coffee still has some caffeine in it)

Best part about this is that I can actually sleep. No lying awake, I'm usually sound asleep within 10 minutes. Also, no getting up in the middle of the night to pee. (Caffeine is a diuretic)

 

[Magical2017]

For me it was not the caffeine so much (I do drink a cup of coffee each day), but the aspartame I wanted to get away from. So I have replaced one form of caffeine with another. I should give up coffee but I do enjoy it now--I guess it was an acquired taste because I used to hate it.

Unfortunately I feel a headache coming on when I skip my cup of joe.

 

[runwad]

I don't drink pop but I do have one or two cups of coffee in the morning. I've been drinking coffee in the mornings all my life. Mostly I like it because it's warm. I could switch to decaf and be fine with the taste, but I'll get the headaches too. Nasty!