Quitting caffeine cold turkey

[FullM3lt]

Hi, my name is FullMelt and I'm a caffeine addict :dance:

Contrary to popular belief...caffeine is a physically/psychologically addicting stimulant. :ycool:

I've been drinking caffeine on a daily basis since I was about 15. I'm 22 now, almost 23. I lived on the stuff in college. I depended on it for energy at work...and it did make me more productive. Whether it was soda, coffee or energy drinks like Red Bull or Rockstar, I was drinking it. I'm trying to get more serious about my general health, and these acidic drinks are not helping. The caffeine/acidity of these drinks is especially bad for somebody with IBD.

My schedule is very flexible and i've been having health issues lately so I'm more or less on "vacation" till the new year I had to undergo some heart tests recently (stress test, echo) and while they came back 100% fine, my doctor suggested that I cut out caffeine completely if I'm really worried about avoiding heart issues in the future. I already had to abstain from caffeine for about 36 hours before the tests, so I figured this was a good time to just stop completely. I had already drastically cut back on my intake, but a large cup each morning is still about 200mg of caffeine a day. Some days that number could have been as high as 500mg, I never really kept track. I've been at 1 cup a day for about a month, and I'm an all or nothing guy so no 'weaning' for me.

Right now I'm at 74 hours without caffeine, and the main headache has mostly dissipated..although the headaches still come and go. The first 48 hours was a constant migraine. This post is mostly a diary for myself, but I'd love to hear about your experiences with caffeine or your input on how caffeine can effect the general health of people with IBD.

I'll probably update this every 12 hours or so...Some people may be laughing at the notion that caffeine is addicting but it really is! It's not like cocaine or heroin :lol: but I am noticeably fatigued and the headaches are very real. I also read that caffeine can exacerbate costochondritis symptoms (don't get how that works) so maybe this will help my costo pain too.

Here we go :ycool:

 

[acheallova]

Caffeine is highly addicting hun. You are looking at the #1 supporter of the Pepsi industry until my diagnosis, then immediate cold turkey stop. It was hard, i just found gatorade and stocked up. Every time i wanted a Pepsi ( drank between 12-20 a day) would reach for an electrolyte. Better that way i guess. Caffeine is very dehydrating and bad for so many symptoms. Migraines, constipation, dehydration, addiction and bowel issues.
Glad you have made this choice. Keep it up!!
I'm here to support you if you need. -hugs-

 

[FullM3lt]

Caffeine is highly addicting hun. You are looking at the #1 supporter of the Pepsi industry until my diagnosis, then immediate cold turkey stop. It was hard, i just found gatorade and stocked up. Every time i wanted a Pepsi ( drank between 12-20 a day) would reach for an electrolyte. Better that way i guess. Caffeine is very dehydrating and bad for so many symptoms. Migraines, constipation, dehydration, addiction and bowel issues.
Glad you have made this choice. Keep it up!!
I'm here to support you if you need. -hugs-

Thanks for the support :dance:

Wow 12-20 a day?? How long did it take for you to feel normal again? I've read that it can be anywhere from 48 hours to 2 weeks....I feel that the first 3 days were the worst for me and that the bad part has passed...but I really don't know!

I can feel a headache creeping up on me again...:voodoo:

 

[acheallova]

Honestly,
It took me bout a month to fight off the headaches and urges for a caffeine fix. But i managed thru somehow, so it does get better as time passes.
Keep it up! -hugs-

 

[seebee]

I will be following your thread carefully to see if I should quit my morning coffee as it is causing me lots of heartburn.
Good luck!

 

[FullM3lt]

I will be following your thread carefully to see if I should quit my morning coffee as it is causing me lots of heartburn.
Good luck!

Coffee contributes to my heartburn as well. I will say that after I quit soda and energy drinks my heartburn drastically improved, but it was still there. I think it's too early to tell right now, but my heartburn seems to be dissipating by the day...the only liquid I need is H2O! :thumleft:

I'm at 96 hours, or 4 days without caffeine. Still feeling sluggish and it was REALLY difficult to get out of bed, but the main headache seems to be gone! I'm also a little irritable at times, but it's not that bad... I am sleeping like a rock, but I slept like a rock even when I had caffeine daily. :hallo3:

I think the worst part has passed, but I could be wrong....I almost had a cup of coffee yesterday but I resisted! No urge to have any this morning. Just drinking lots of water and fruit smoothies. I woke up without a headache yesterday, but I had one creep up on me by noon. Same thing today, no headache after a shower and some breakfast, but I'm bracing for another headache. :sign0085: I will admit that I am lucky to have a small amount of pain meds on hand because of my costochondritis....if the headaches get too bad I'll just pop a vicodin :lol2:

I think the half life of caffeine is about 4-5 hours...but that can vary from person to person. I was having about 200mg of caffeine per day via 1 large cup of coffee each morning...so I think I still have a few days before the caffeine is completely out of my bloodstream.

Thanks for the support! I'll update again either later tonight or tomorrow morning

 

[furiousfunker]

i had a caffeine addiction once, i only had a couple of cups a day, but i used to use a pre-workout supplement which was insanely high in caffeine (this was all before i was dianosed with crohns)

I decided to quit the PWO cold turkey and i felt terrible, headaches, terrible abdominal pains, very short tempered... but it continued for much longer than 2 weeks, it was going on for months, so i went to see the doctor, after a lot of tests and things, i was diagnosed with crohns disease and was having a very bad flare up

anyway, since getting my crohns under control somewhat (not full remission yet) and i started experimenting what things are good and bad for me, I very quickly realised caffeine is not good at all for me, makes me very ill.


moral of the story.. caffeine sucks.

 

[Grumbletum]

I quit caffeine when identifying it as a major trigger on an elimination diet when bowel problems were first suspected. I didn't find it too hard to do because it eased my symptoms so much ( urinary urgency cos of UTIs caused by a fistula. )
Even now, minus fistula, coffee - especially milky ones like cappucino - will irritate both my bowel and my bladder so I've stayed off it, with very occasional lapses.
I had withdrawal headaches too for about two weeks I think it was. But I did get to sleep much easier eventually.

 

[FullM3lt]

Thanks for the input guys, nice to know that I'm not alone with these feelings!

I'm at 122 hours caffeine free now (about 5 days) and the headaches are still coming and going! They are pretty intense at times, but it's more of a roller coaster instead of a constant headache like the first 48-72 hours.

The irritability seems to be dying off which is nice....Slept like a rock again last night but woke up very groggy. Still mentally foggy and having trouble concentrating. I feel like a have a mild case of the flu....but I guess that's normal.

With my caffeine consumption I'm expecting these headaches to last for at least 9-14 days based on what I've read...The only good thing is that I don't crave the caffeine at all. I know that it's bad for GI conditions and anxiety, and I have both! That's what keeps me going.

 

[seebee]

The only reason I didn't quit my daily coffee yet is because of the headaches. I'm scared that they will be so strong that I won't be able to work and give my students the attention that they need.
I'm glad to hear that the craving for caffeine isn't there. Good luck and hang in there - there's a light at the end of the tunnel!

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I also had to quit not only caffeine but carbonation too when I first developed IBD. Caffeine makes everything go through me even more quickly, and my guts get very gurgly under the influence of caffeine, it's just not pleasant. And weirdly, I never got migraines until IBD came along - then suddenly when the IBD manifested, I started getting migraines regularly too, and caffeine seems to trigger them. Also weirdly, carbonation really hurts! It kind of feels like gas pain but also kind of feels like, the bubbles are getting stuck along the way? I don't know what's actually happening but it was easy to give it up because it was doing me a lot more harm than good. So no more soda nor coffee for me. These days I drink a lot of herbal caffeine-free tea, and fresh juice from my juicer. Much better for me and doesn't cause any symptoms.

Fullmelt, I wish you lots of luck in quitting caffeine! The headaches can be awful but they went away pretty quickly for me (about a week if I'm remembering correctly) so hopefully they'll be over for you soon too. Hang in there! You're doing your body a big favor by quitting this stuff!

 

[FullM3lt]

The only reason I didn't quit my daily coffee yet is because of the headaches. I'm scared that they will be so strong that I won't be able to work and give my students the attention that they need.
I'm glad to hear that the craving for caffeine isn't there. Good luck and hang in there - there's a light at the end of the tunnel!

I don't blame you, the caffeine headaches are horrid!! Luckily I'm on a winter break of sorts so I figured now would be a good time to quit for me. I couldn't imagine having to teach or doing anything productive right now :lol: I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I hope it's worth it!

@cat-a-tonic

I quit all carbonated drinks about a month ago and it has helped a lot! I don't know how I drank caffeine or carbonated drinks for so long while having IBD. I think that's why I'm not craving caffeine...because I know the pros of quitting definitely outweigh the cons. Caffeine makes food go straight through my guts :rof:

I'm having a pretty horrid headache at the moment, but it's all good. I'm at 127 hours no caffeine (lol @ me counting) I know my body will thank me in a week or so when everything starts to balance out.

Will report back tomorrow morning. That will mark the 6th day of no caffeine!! :ycool: Thanks for the support guys and gals

 

[FullM3lt]

146 hours caffeine free

No headache this morning.....yet :rof: Went to bed with a pounding headache. I could feel my heart beating in my cranium :voodoo:

Pretty sure I caught a cold or something after visiting the doctor yesterday....the waiting room for my GP is the same waiting room as the 24 hour clinic... I had some guy coughing on me for 10 minutes before my appointment and now I have a sore throat and cough. I don't think it's related to the caffeine withdrawal :lol: Just cold season! Oh well. I got a CBC done because of some swollen glands i've had for a while, and it was normal again....got a referral to a rheumatologist for my costochondritis. My GP thinks it's Tietze Syndrome now because I have painful swelling at my costochondral joints

I'm sleeping like a ROCK. Still fatigued and foggy brained but I read that this can last for up to 2 weeks so I'm ready for that. Feeling 5x better than I did on day 2. BM's have been reduced as well...I'm just going once in the morning instead of 2-3 times in the morning like I did with my morning coffee.

My mood seems to be leveled out too. My anxiety levels are definitely lower...and my heartburn has pretty much disappeared at this point.

 

[Bld]

I gave up caffeine around 15 years ago and it was awful for a while but now if I have any it makes me feel really ill. Giving up was the best thing I've done.

 

[FullM3lt]

I gave up caffeine around 15 years ago and it was awful for a while but now if I have any it makes me feel really ill. Giving up was the best thing I've done.

I'm hoping I feel the same way in a few weeks! No pain, no gain.

 

[FullM3lt]

About 170 hours caffeine free. No headache....yet :dance: Usually they creep up around 1-2 PM

It was a week ago today that I had my last sip of coffee. I'm feeling pretty under the weather, don't know if it's because of the caffeine or if I really caught something at the clinic. No fever, just a sore throat, congestion and fatigue. Although I'm sure the fatigue is related to the lack of caffeine.

Every day I think "the worst has past" but it could be another week. I have no clue, i've drank caffeine for sooo long :lol:

It's a drug! Granted it's not that bad going cold turkey but it's still pretty uncomfortable.

 

[FullM3lt]

About 194 hours caffeine free...just over 8 days since my last dose of any caffeine. The morning fatigue is diminishing but I'm still having pretty bad tension headaches later in the day. Tylenol helps me on the bad nights so I can sleep.

Things are looking up from here :cool2: No desire to drink caffeine, I really think i'm doing my body a huge favor. My BM's have been super regular since I quit :lol2: It's awesome!

I don't know if you guys believe in adrenal fatigue, but if it's real I definitely had it. I actually feel like jumping on my elliptical today for the first time in 8 days! The light at the end of the tunnel is near. If any of you are big coffee/caffeine drinkers, I highly suggest you giving this a try! Not judging, if caffeine isn't causing you any problems then keep on drinkin! It was just a good choice for me to stop.

Have a good day people

 

[FullM3lt]

Aight, my last post here on this topic. 10 days off caffeine and I think the bad part of the "withdrawal" is over. My body has been programmed to process caffeine for far too long so it might be a bit longer before everything is completely "normal"

Feeling good though, glad I gave up this garbage

 

[InstantCoffee]

I don't have any reason to suspect my coffee habit causes symptoms but I'm going to try to cut it for 30 days anyway.

I'm going on 1 cup a day until January then I'm going to try to skip all January to see if there's any change in my health.

I am 'addicted' in the sense I get headaches without but really I drink it because I love the taste and it's my #1 source of hydration, it used to be my stomach felt worse drinking tap water than making coffee with it, can't really explain it.

 

[acheallova]

Full,
I'm so proud of you. Keep it up as you are strong and will beat any HA that may come along. So excited cravings are gone. Yay!!! Muah-hugs-

 

[FullM3lt]

Full,
I'm so proud of you. Keep it up as you are strong and will beat any HA that may come along. So excited cravings are gone. Yay!!! Muah-hugs-

Thanks!!

Today is the 2 week mark. I have a sinus infection so i'm not feeling well at the moment but I'm so glad to be done with the caffeine thing. I didn't even realize that I was basically self medicating for fatigue by drinking coffee and energy drinks. No more for me!

Not to get too graphic but my BM's have never been so pretty :rof: :lol:

My recent flare is a thing of the past. I'm almost positive that it was diet induced....i've made some major changes in the last month and I'm starting a juice fast tomorrow. No more caffeine cravings :ycool:

 

[tiloah]

Congrats on two weeks. I have tried quitting so many times. I try to taper off because the last thing I need is to trigger even more migraines than usual. But I haven't been able to do it yet. I wish you the best of luck in continuing.

 

[FullM3lt]

Congrats on two weeks. I have tried quitting so many times. I try to taper off because the last thing I need is to trigger even more migraines than usual. But I haven't been able to do it yet. I wish you the best of luck in continuing.

Mind over matter :thumleft: I don't know why but I really didn't have cravings at all. I was just psychologically done with caffeine, even if my body physically wanted it.

I don't plan on ingesting any type of caffeine ever again....I'm an all or nothing type of guy.

 

[acheallova]

Great job Full!! Way to go.-hugs-

 

[superzeeman]

Wow, I quit coffee three years ago and then started back up 6 months ago. I am a coffee fanatic. I buy my beans raw, roast it every three days, brew it in a vacuum brewer, and drink a pot a day. I love caffine. I love the way it clears my mind, revitalizes my body, and generally makes me human. I am so fortunate that it does not effect my crohns and if it did, I still wonder if I could quit this wonder nectar from god. I am proud of your accomplishment, I would not be so brave again. I quit once and hope to never have to be without a cup of joe

 

[acheallova]

Some of us chronies are lucky enough not to be irritated as such super....good for you! That's great you are able to tolerate. -hugs-

 

[FullM3lt]

After thoroughly researching caffeine and how it effects our neurochemistry I don't think I could ever put that stuff in my body again.... :eek2:

It was never really that big of a "trigger" for me....I just know it's a stimulant and I have anxiety issues to begin with...I feel much more leveled out without caffeine. It was just an early new years resolution for me, and I'm going to stick with it. Nothing against people that love caffeine, it's just not for me I suppose...I'd rather achieve 'natural' energy

That sounds kinda condescending lol but I just want to see how I feel without caffeine long term