I Gave Up Caffeine Today-And I Feel Like Crap

[Kathy in Cambridge]

So I decided to try to give up coffee. I made it through the morning OK, and felt slightly energized after a midday visit to the gym. About 2 PM I needed a nap, but I'm forcing myself to stay awake so I can go to bed at a normal hour. I feel really groggy, slightly headachey, and very out of sorts.

Does anyone have any advice about getting through this? I know my body was addicted to caffeine so I may feel like this for a while.

:-(

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. i gave up cigarettes on saturday

and i feel like utter shit

[bigwillq]

3. Dang it

I'm going to stop smoking cigs starting over the weekend. My b-day is Friday so I'm planning on partying hard thurs-fri-sat and then Sun (maybe Monday) stop gradually.

Did you stop cold turkey? Let me know.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. the patch

dont go cold turkey...never knew anyone you could do it...statistically higher chances on either the patch/gum and zyban ...but doc put me on paxil anyway so now i am on the patch and paxil (still sucks big time)

[bigwillq]

11. I was afraid cold turkey

wasn't going to help. Think I'll try the gum or the patch. Have you ever heard of "Smoke away" I've been hearing it advertised on the radio alot recently.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. nope

and in my opinion wear the patch sunday night to counteract the morning craving on monday

best of luck

[bigwillq]

19. Yeah, I expect to party through the weekend

So I don't want to stop the morning after a drinking binge b/c I know I'm gonna wanna smoke when I get up. Debating whether I want to do patch or gum. Don't think gum will work. But I'm gonna to give it a shot. Still debating when I want to give it up. Decisions, Decisions....

[La Lioness Priyanka]

20. go with the patch

the gum is awful!

[bigwillq]

24. Thanks for the advice n/t

[Skittles]

5. I gave up cigs in Oct 2001 and replaced it with a caffeine addiction

I still have yet to overcome that one. :o

[tridim]

10. I did the same thing..

I used to smoke and drink Dr. Pepper all day long. Gave it all up for 4 mugs of coffee a day. At least they say coffee has some health benefits. :) There's obviously nothing good about the tar in cigs and the tar in Dr. Pepper.

[bigwillq]

12. How did you stop smoking? n/t

[Skittles]

26. Well, I wore the patch for a couple of weeks

but honestly, the biggest factor was I moved in with my boyfriend Tombo, a militant anti-smoker with a dog's sense of smell (and hearing). I got tired of sneaking around for cigs and getting busted anyway. I tell you, one time he was working on the roof of his house and I was in the barn, a fair distance away, and he screamed I CAN SMELL THAT F***ING CIGARETTE and I said Dammit! and he said I HEARD THAT! :o

Truth be told, I was by that time ready to quit. I was tired of spending so much money on cigs and also tired of planning if each and every situation I would be in, where and when could I smoke. It was hard work and I am basically a lazy person.

[Zomby Woof]

2. BLASPHEMER!!!

Caffeine is the source of all life - all things flow from caffeine (and coffee flows from caffeine drinkers).

ZombyCoffee is out of decaf today. :evilfrown:

[Kathy in Cambridge]

6. Thanks-I may have to wean myself off gradually

I LOVE coffee-there are some excellent, strong decafs out there now. I just don't like what it does to my kidneys. :evilfrown:

[southerngirlwriter]

4. The only thing that helped me detox from caffeine was this:

Treat yourself very kindly. As little stress as possible. Long, hot bubble baths. Soft music. Go to bed early.

I had four days of horrible withdrawals -- bad headaches and such -- and then it went away. Now I can't stand the stuff one bit.

You'll get through it. Good luck!

[waterman]

7. Those symptoms usually go away after a few days. If not try backing

down gradually, instead of cold turkey.

[BurtWorm]

8. You decided to quit coffee? No one was making you?

I'd be curious to find out if there's a rational reason to do that, Rose! You couldn't just cut down a little? Was it making you feel like shit? Was it getting in the way of your enjoyment of life?

(By the way, I quit smoking a couple of weekends ago, and it's going very well. Take the bubble bath, go-easy-on-yourself advice. That has worked for me in giving up cigarettes.)

[Kathy in Cambridge]

15. I have chronic UTIs, and caffeine is not good for them

:-(

I think I might do 1/2 decaf 1/2 caf tomorrow. Maybe do it gradually.

Thanks for the advice.

[BurtWorm]

25. I think caffeine is harder to kick than nicotine

on account of the physical symptoms of withdrawal--the headaches in particular. I think you have to go easy. I support your idea of doing half and half.

[bobthedrummer]

13. You might want to try herbal tea

I quit caffeine once and it helped, especially with the headaches.

I relapsed and still drink coffee, good luck!
:hi:

[NicoleM]

14. Hang in.

It will get better in a couple of days. In the meantime, you might need some Advil or Tylenol or something around the time you usually start drinking coffee.

I second the idea of herbal tea. It might not make you feel any better, but it will give you something tasty to drink that's good for you.

[gristy]

17. How much sugar/refined carbs do you eat?

You might go on an atkins-like diet. A friend of mine gave up coffee and went on an atkins diet simultaneously and he started to feel better in less than a week. Sugar will give you a headache and make you feel crummy as your hormone system (i.e. pancreas/insulin) tries to maintain your blood sugar. A diet higher in protein and fat (watch your cholesterol) will reduce your blood sugar swings and you'll feel better.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

18. That's Why I'm Giving It Up Too-I'm on Atkins

OWL (Ongoing Weight Loss). I never gave up caffeine on the induction portion, but I notice it's been affecting my blood sugar.

I think my body was addicted to caffeine, which is why I feel gross.

[southerngirlwriter]

21. This will definitely help if you're on Atkins:

Go to the biggest grocery store in your town (they're the only ones likely to carry this). Atkins has just released a peanut-butter-chocolate-swirl ice cream. The carton size they sell it in (at least, here) is just 12 carbs even if you eat the whole thing at a sitting.

I rarely eat it, as I'm trying to get off junk food altogether, but for extremely stressful days, the kind of serious depression-type days I've had lately, it's a marvelous treat that helps perk me up. If chocolate is a comfort food, by God, go buy some comfort.

Good luck!

SGW

[smirkymonkey]

22. Taper off to a low dose and then

quit. I am on the half caf/half decaf now, but I plan on quitting by April (I need coffee in the cold weather). It really messes w/ my stomach.

I also drink herbal tea at work, which kind of replaces the psychological need for coffee. It's a tough habit to break though, good luck!!

[Redneck Socialist]

23. I've gone off coffee a couple of times

and I get pretty severe head aches when I stop. The headaches stop pretty soon though. For coffee going cold turkey is best. Trying to wean yourself is only delaying the inevitable. You'll be fine in a couple of days.

[Pobeka]

27. And you might think about taking magnesium supplements

.. for the lack of energy side of things. A lot of our food doesn't have the amount of magnesium it used to, and magnesium helps a lot with my energy level.

I take a couple a week -- it's not a huge amount, each tablet is only 66% (I think) of RDA.

I had to almost entirely quit caffeine because I developed an allergic reaction to it.

Now I only do decaf, the odd bite of chocolate (which has a different variety of caffeine). I've learned to enjoy tea as well, which you can make mostly decaf by letting it steep for 20 seconds or so, pouring off the water, adding fresh hot water and let it steep for another 90 seconds.

Good luck on your journey. I really, really miss Starbucks italian roast. I used to enjoy it so strong you could stand a spoon up in it :-)