Weaning off caffeine...

I'm one of the many millions who loves coffee! But I've come to realize it sets me on an anxious path for the day, and I've done this my entire adult life! I'm on day two of no caffeine, and fell asleep with a caffeine headache today and slept the afternoon away, even waking myself up snoring a couple of times, and I usually don't snore when I sleep! Caffeine, to me at least, is a powerful drug with adverse effects. Wish me luck in this weaning process!
Patty

ewwwwwwwwwwwwww. i need to do that also.........i'll try with you..okay? you'll have a caffeine withdrawal buddy!!!!

You go girls!!! Caffeine w/d is 3 days of hell!

You both have my undying love and support!
Okie

This is one day without caffeine, and having slept most of the day away, I'm up in the a.m., but I do feel calmer! Pat...let's do this together! And, Okie...thanks for the support!
Love
Patty

It is hard but hard is not impossible! Good for you for being good to you.

You can also do it slowly instead of complete withdrawal by mixing regular with decaf, slowly decreasing the regular.

I go back and forth. Sometimes I need the caffeine so I have it. But it can make my anxiety worse and also when I have too much during the day, even if I don't feel jittery in the evening, I notice I want to snack more. I think that is my response to the nervousness caused by the caffeine.

So, I mix it up according to my needs at the time.

I really love coffee. Teas too, but coffee's my fav.

You're right, coffee/caffeine is a powerful drug with negative side effects. You aren't the only one who has realized this, and though you will have to adjust a bit when those around you are drinking it, it's well worth it, imo.

You can do this. If you begin to have headaches though, you know-- you're weaning too fast. It IS a drug, a very addictive drug, so don't be afraid to have a few sips while you wean off. It's not worth feeling sick while doing so.

((((((hugs)))) You go girl!

I'm sorry I can't jump on the bandwagon. I eliminated alcohol and soda. I now drink 50/50 coffee.

But, kudos to you all....for having so much strength and courage.


Dee

I'm also going to jump on the bandwagon! I've been suffering from anxiety and I don't need anything adding to it. This will give me a reason to drink more water. ;-)

Today will be day #1 of no caffeine

-wb

Off topic but related to healthiness.

I agree, caffeine IS a drug and good to avoid if you can.

But don't stop there. Pay attention to everything you put in your body.

What's in the foods you eat? How was it grown? What was it fertilized with? Was the animal raised naturally and allowed to roam like is an animal's right, to raise it's offspring, to live a real animal's life? How was it fed? Was it fed with feed that includes antibiotics and growth hormones, natural or otherwise, to accelerate it's growth and make it a quicker turnover and therefore more profitable? This applies to cattle, fowl, and even fish. Corporate mega-farming!

I strive for organic and local. Local is important to me because it is harvested riper and is fresher and because there is no need to fly and truck it to my market, adding to the greenhouse effect and using non-replacable fuels. Do I need blueberries year-round from South America? My favorite anti-oxidant, but no I don't; I can eat local and seasonal.

If I can't find local and organic then I choose organic first, then local.

A good book if you are interested in more, and where I am learning about some of this, is Jane Goodall's book (do you remember her? she studied chimpanzee's) titled "Harvest for Hope" A Guide to Mindful Eating. Very good book and makes you think and see ways to make a difference for yourself, your local farmer, and our beloved Earth.

wbl...I'm on day two and feeling pretty rotten! I know this is the withdrawal. I can't do like Echoes suggested and go 50/50...tried that before and still get nervous and anxious, so it's cold turkey for me. I'm also avoiding soda with caffeine, and no tea. I really want to do this before my school year resumes next week, as I associate working with having a cup of coffee nearby.
Some people, like myself, are just much more susceptible to the effects of caffeine re/anxiety, and I feel a bit sad that I'm just biting the bullet regarding this, having battled anxiety all my adult life! It can only help to rid the added element of caffeine!
Good luck to all who are trying this with me!
Love
Patty

hi seeker,

you can mix decaf and regular to a less than 50/50 too.

just a thought.

I wish you the best!

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seeker1950 said:
I really want to do this before my school year resumes next week, as I associate working with having a cup of coffee nearby.

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Good luck. I tried to cut out caffeine cold turkey because I use it a lot as well during the school year - tried giving it up last year for Lent ... I made it 4 days and people were begging me to have caffeine. Apparently I am quite moody and irritable when I go cold turkey! (Oddly enough I can go days during the summer without caffeine - maybe it's the stress on top of everything else that makes it so bad during the school year to quit).

I wish you all lots of good luck!

I can't believe I found this thread right when I need it. I am so addicted to Mt. Dew. I am having migraines about every day and have had a virus that came from Hades.

I need so badly to get off the caffiene. Anyone with panic disorder doesn't need to have caffiene. I know that. It's perfectly clear in my head, but my body screams for the caffiene. My head screams for the caffiene.

I am allergic to codiene. A highly knowledgable friend told me yesterday that codiene and caffiene are remotely related. Since codiene makes me toss my cookies and have massive migraines, that would explain a lot.

Any and all advice and help will be most appreciated. You know, I can walk in and have surgery and walk back out in the same day but I can't seem to put down the pop. What in the world has happened to my steel iron will that I used to have?

Horrified and ashamed,

Jan

((( Jan )))

you could start mixing the Mt Dew with 7-Up or another no-caffeine soda to move from caffeinated to non-caffeinated.

That's a very good idea, Echoes. I thank you and my head ache thanks you.

Hugs,

Jan

Patty, day two........i'm doing okay. but i have been drinking de-caffinated during the workday.......i do the decaf with iced milk and a teaspoon of sugar or splenda......i get the taste, but not the rest......then i'll quit that.

soda drinkers: http://members.aol.com/seanborg/mtdew/caffeine.htm

I've been drinking decaf also, Pat. Have had a massive debilitating headache throughout the afternoon and evening. Tylenol didn't help! But I'm reminding myself how dependent I've been on caffeine and just bearing it.
Patty

Thanks, Echoes...
I may have to do some half and half if this headache continues tomorrow, but that will be day three and hoping it will get better!
And, January...we have mutual headaches!
Patty

It's only day #1 for me and I already slipped up and had soda (with caffeine). I think I'll be better able to handle the withdrawal on Monday. Good luck to everyone thus far. :-)

-wb

Good luck, seeker and fayerody and all others trying to quit the caffeine habit. It usually takes me 3 days when I wean off caffeine, before I am headache-free and back to my usual mood (not so cranky). Hang in there, it shouldn't be long. I have weaned a number of times in my life, and usually do it by going cold turkey. Right now I am at a stage where I don't drink coffee, caffeinated pop, or black tea. But I drink 1-3 cups of green tea a day. This amount works really well for me and my health, plus I get all the good cancer-fighting stuff in the green tea.

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January said:
I am so addicted to Mt. Dew.

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Well, maybe you should get your Mountain Dew in Canada? I well remember my first experience with caffeinated Mt. Dew. I was thirsty as anything after a long road trip into the States, and I was looking for something to hydrate with before going to bed. This was before bottled water, BTW. I found a vending machine, and bought 3 Mt. Dews, and chugged them. Didn't sleep a wink. Did the same thing, another time, with Mellow Yellow. Talk about false advertising....Anyway....

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January said:
I know that. It's perfectly clear in my head, but my body screams for the caffiene. My head screams for the caffiene.

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The best solution is to taper off, just like you do with other psych meds. Best done by planning ahead, IMHO. Reduce by 20-25% and hold for three days. Repeat. Ibuprofen or tylenol for the headaches.

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January said:
A highly knowledgable friend told me yesterday that codiene and caffiene are remotely related.

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Well, as a chemist, I'm going to say I disagree with that. They are both alkaloids, but that is a huge category. Just like humans and amoebas are both animals. Caffeine and codeine have very different structures, and have very different effects, as a result.

Please let go of the feeling of shame. Becoming physiologically dependent on a substance is just how our bodies work. Taking a position of insightful introspection gives us the ability to make new choices. Just take it as slowly as you need to, to let your body adjust with some measure of comfort. You don't need to suffer.

Best,
Lar

strange.....i was a sucker for diet coke. i jumped on the bandwagon and started on decaf diet coke. i hardly drink coffee. didn't change anything for me by doing that. i guess, i'm immune to caffeine. how can i be immune to caffeine??? my hubby made a pot of coffee this morning before leaving to be with a friend to ride atv's. it's regular. doesn't do anything to me at all. lol. weird. oh, well. i guess, i'm a weirdo. i have treatment-resistant chronic major depression. no wonder the antidepressants won't work on me. lol.

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Didn't sleep a wink. Did the same thing, another time, with Mellow Yellow. Talk about false advertising....Anyway....

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Thank you for the thoughtful information on weaning/tapering off. It is one of the most commonly asked questions of the boards I frequent. It's good to know.

Tapering off is more comfortable and lends to more success because of that. The discomfort of sudden withdrawal or sudden changes tends to make us want to give up and return to the old behavior.

Although I say that I quit cigarettes cold turkey, I did actually consciously taper off first and that was helpful to me, I realize now.

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Larry_Hoover said:
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January said:
I am so addicted to Mt. Dew.

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Well, maybe you should get your Mountain Dew in Canada? I well remember my first experience with caffeinated Mt. Dew. I was thirsty as anything after a long road trip into the States, and I was looking for something to hydrate with before going to bed. This was before bottled water, BTW. I found a vending machine, and bought 3 Mt. Dews, and chugged them. Didn't sleep a wink. Did the same thing, another time, with Mellow Yellow. Talk about false advertising....Anyway....

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Haha. That's what I was thinking. Didn't know the USA and Canada had different rules for the inclusion of caffeine in clear beverages. I was shocked when I found Mountain Dew (or another greenish pop like that) at my local Pizza Pizza. They get past the restrictions by calling it an energy drink! Amazing.

... I'm thinking I should cut back on my caffeine intake because school will be starting soon and my intake will increase (it keeps me awake for class, and seems to sometimes calm me down if I'm anxious... weird). I'll use the advice here, definetely! (And hopefully avoid any comments about my mood being irritable from my friends)

((((((((((( Larry ))))))))))

Thank you for your most kind advice. I bought som decaf and some regular and am opting for slowly reducing it.

I had no idea that Canada has different laws about Mt. Dew than the US. I'll bet you never chugged 3 Dews again! Oh my!!

Hugs,

Jan