Caffiene Addiction help

[Rhiannon]

Hey all
I am an admitted caffiene addict. What i mean by this is If i don't have Pepsi in the morning i am hit with hard headaches.. Coffee and tea will help..

I would really like to know if anyone has any advice for getting clear of this.
*as i drink a pepsi now.

Thanks all
Rhiannon

[Lilith]

Why would you want to ????
:D



I know WI got the monkey off his back. My understanding is that it's a cold turkey thing. I am sure the withdrawls are a bitch. I never intend to find out.

[wyndhy]

it's the dt's and your body will overcome. coffee and tea will not help 'cause you are still taking in lots of caffeine. if you don't want to take caffeine into your body anymore, you just have to do it and deal. or try weaning yourself to help with the headaches. do half caff and drink less of it everyday until you can go without all together. that may help your body gradually adjust and keep fatique and headaches to a minimum. cold turkey, it can take about a week for symptoms to go away, but they will go away.

[Rhiannon]

thanks for advice people .. It appear cold turkey might be the answer unless doctor has better idea as my headaches are pretty debilitating

[jseal]

Why would you want to ???? ...
My kinda gal!

[Lilith]

If you suffer from headaches without the caff and are going to try to quit I'd suggest aspirin instead of tylenol or advil.

[Jude30]

You can try to ween yourself off the caffeine but the best bet is just cold turkey. It hurts like hell for a few days but eventually it goes away.

Like Lil said though if you're going to take something for the headaches pay attention to the ingredients of the medicine. A lot of your OTC pain relievers have caffeine in them to help speed the action of the pain reliever. So no Exederine for sure and I think some Tylenol products have caffeine in them.

As far as the headaches being debilitating I know what you mean. I feels like some has wrapped a leather strap and around your head and is tightening it like a tourniquet.

[Jude30]

If you're worried about the affects of pop/soda on your body but still want/need your caffeine fix there are other ways. One of my personal faves is Shower Shock (http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/accessories/8fb2/) caffeinated body wash. I got the bar soap from my wife for Christmas last year it it's pretty cool stuff.

[Atlas]

As others have mentioned, it may be best to cut back at first so your body doesn't go into "shock."

I'm there with you, but without intentions to quit the habit. Last time I drove without a cuppa joe first, I ran a red light for the first time in my life and didn't care that I almost got hit. All hail the coffee bean!!!!

[Oldfart]

Giving up cigarettes was hard.

Giving up Coke (the fizzy drink) was hard.

I'd really rather not give up my coffee, and no desire to decaf.

No Coffee, fuck it, just shoot me.

[scotzoidman]

Caffeine blocks receptor sites in the brain where the sleep hormone usually fits. Long term caffeine use leads to the brain creating more receptor sites. Withdraw caffeine suddenly, the brain gets sleep message overload, with all the crankiness that entails. Some studies say caffeine bad, some say caffeine good; unless there's a health problem from caffeine intake, I say why give it up?

[sodaklostsoul]

:coffee:

[Mae]

Kicking the Diet Coke habit, here. Drinking lots of water with just a squeeze of lime. :)

[WildIrish]

Cold turkey...that's what did it for me.






Ate nothing for three weeks but cold turkey. :p

[Lord Snow]

Coffee is the nectar of the gods and should be worshiped as such. The day I give up my coffee is the day I die, and even then there better be a hot cup of it waiting for me on the other side.

[Teddy Bear]

This thread was intriguing enough that I decided to do a search on it......
I was surprised at how many OTC meds contain caffine.


Here are a few sites I thought were good, there are tons more......

For a list of foods and meds containing caffeine:

http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/triggers-caffeine


What is the best way to stop caffeinated foods and beverages?

It's important to decrease your caffeine intake gradually because abruptly stopping it increases your risk of caffeine withdrawal headache. We recommend that patients at The New England Center for Headache begin by eliminating one portion of caffeine from the daily total and stay at that level for a 5 to 7 days. For example, if you drink 5 cups of coffee per day decrease one cup every 5 days, eliminating another cup the following week, and so on, until you have stopped drinking caffeinated beverages and eating foods that contain caffeine.
Remember to include the caffeine content of medications when you total your daily caffeine intake.
http://www.headachenech.com/faq/default.asp#18

The most frequent symptom associated with caffeine withdrawal is moderate to severe headache. This can occur between 12 and 24 hours after last intake of caffeine. It usually lasts for one to two days, though some may have a headache for longer. If you are purposefully attempting to stop consuming caffeine, be certain to check labels on pain medications. Some medications combine caffeine with acetaminophen and aspirin, since caffeine is an effective pain reliever.
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-symptoms-of-caffeine-withdrawal.htm


Good luck to you!! :)