Headaches when i don't have caffeine.

Seraph

Headache is a symptom of caffeine withdrawal, also nervy jitters. It will go away after a couple of days if you want to get off caffeine. Have tylenol instead.

Osmund Saddler

Yes I do find myself shacky without it too.

Diane817

If you don't want to go off it cold turkey just wean yourself off of it. Tomorrow drink 4 instead of six, then 2, then down to nothing. It's a cycle you have your body under. It won't get better, only worse.

maggie0704

Hello Osmond,
WOW, that is alot of caffeine! I feel bad for you bcuz i can imagine how hard it would be to function without, but it is not good for you at all.
You need to keep trying to wean because you are going to end up needing even more to keep you going after a while. Your body is dependent on that to give you energy, but it is false energy. The problem is that you drink caffeiene, then it wears off and you come crashing down (especially with that amount of it). I would be that if you came off of it all but for maybe a cup a day, you would find that you have much more energy than when you were drinking 6 cups.
I would suggest weaning very slowly so that you don't have such bad headaches from it. Maybe do 1/2 cup less for about 5 days, then another 1/2 cup less for another 5 days, and so on.
Doing it this slow may take a while, but you will have more of a chance stickign to it bcuz you won't feel so horrible.
That much caffeine in your system is very hard on your heart and who knows what damage the sugar could be doing.
Maybe give the slow weaning a try & if you still have a bad headache, take some Advil or some kind of anti-inflammatory for it. Anything with caffeine in it will just be like the coffee that your trying to cut out.
Good LUCK!

flowergirl2day

.

Hi,

I know exactly how you feel. I used to be just like you, except I'd have 10 cups of coffee or more a day! Getting headaches at work between coffee breaks. Rushing home after work with a headache, getting that cup of coffee before being able to function normally. My headaches almost always dissapeared within minutes of having coffee. That's what I call an addiction!

I was able to quit cold turkey when I got sick late last year. I think I was too sick to have any withdrawal symptoms and did not crave it at all. I have severe hypertension, but can drink coffee in moderation. I will have a cup a day but drink herbal teas mostly. A lot of them don't even contain any caffeine and you'd never know it. Just to let you know that if I can get used to drinking tea (and liking it), so can anyone else.

P.S. Do you check your blood pressure? (It could save your life!) All that caffeine in your system gives you temporary spikes in BP.

Flowergirl

zach016

Hi Della,

Don't beat yourself up about it, it happens to many of us. Knowing that we can get relief from a cup of tea would make really different if you DIDN'T have a cup!!!!

Caffeine, as you know, is a drug and you need to treat it like a drug.

IMHO, you can approach it two ways.

1- go cold turkey. Set a date when you are going to stop, preferably a day when you have a few days off so you can be b----y at the walls at home or at your S.O.. Pull up some informaion from the internet about what you can expect (headaches etc.) and be prepared.

This is the hardest method to do it but it is the quickest and after a couple bad days you'll be in the clear.

or;

2- Taper. Figure out how much you 'need' to take right now and go from there. If it is 10 cups you can either cut to 9 cups for a few days then 8 cups etc. etc.. When you get down to 4 dups revert to 8 - 1/2 cups.

The other way to taper is to figure out the amount of caffeine you need and divide the doses up throughout the day adding time between doses. so if you need 10 cups a day and you are awake for 15 hours a day have 1 cup every 90 mins.. The next day every 100 mins. and you will eventually only have time for 9 cups, then 8, then 7 etc. etc..... It might sound hard but it isn't and will be worthwhile.

Good luck!!

Zach016