Today I started a fast and with that cut out my caffeine consumption... I am hurting bad!! Especially bad headache... Since I am also fasting all I am drinking is water... Does anyone have any suggestions to help alleviate caffeine withdrawals??

Usually, in the past when I've come off caffeine I have used aspirin to help with the headache.. but this time I don't want to do that...

What have you tried or done??

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have

Elayne

Elayne - I felt your pain! You just have to ride it out. Seriously - it will get better in no time.... I hope. I admit to taking ibuprofen to help take the edge off. I knew it would be short term. You will feel better once you get out of the fog. That much I DO know. Good luck!

I go slowly. I use a substitute and wean myself off it.... green tea, weak coffee, even caffeine tablets. It only takes 2-5 days for me. But I never take pain killers or otc meds, so never even think of them as options.

thanks Peony.... Gosh I guess I've never gone off caffeine before without taking aspirin or ibuprofen... Makes me realize how much of addiction this stuff is. I just hope the headache is not as intense tomorrow... and what's weird too.. I've been drinking quite a bit of water but instead of feeling hydrated I am feeling dehydrated.. and my fingers are really swollen as I am retaining water...

Strange happenings in my body

Elayne

Elayne,

I'm with Peony, you gotta hit it cold turkey and hang in there. When I stopped drinking coffee years ago I recall having a caffeine hangover for pretty much one full week. It was almost too much for me to go through but it will get better.

The latest indulgence I had to kick were energy drinks (Monster, Red Bull, Full Throttle) aimed at kids of all people! These things are loaded with enough caffeine to stop a bear and again, our nation's youth are ingesting these awful products. I foolishly began partaking in them to help my endurance cycling which it did. The trouble is robbing Peter to pay Paul (or is that old expression backwards???) - you pay in the long run regardless.

You can do this, just think how much better you'll feel when it's over.

Regards,

David



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2007 08:25PM by diamond dave.

Thanks David for your encouraging words... and your honesty.. about the red bull drinks.. Yikes.. those are powerful stuff...I can't imagine coming off those.. I've actually cut my coffee consumption down a lot in preparation for going cold turkey..

I used to drink one cup of coffee that had enough grounds in it to make 10 cups of coffee..That one cup would give me the shakes so bad and I found myself being really irritable... So I cut that out about about 8 months ago and actually went off coffee at that time.. but I used aspirin and such to handle headaches.. and dummy me I started back drinking coffee about 4 months ago.. I sooo love the taste of a really rich well made cup of coffee.....

But now really only drinking it for the caffeine kick.. cuz I've been drinking yucky folgers!! and it's weak and tasteless I only drink about 2 cups a day .. and dang the withdrawals are kicking my hiney! I so hope it doesn't take 5 days, as I am in the process of packing and moving and my folk are out here to help me.. My timing can be impeccable...

Elayne

dry brush massage vigorous
all over
naked

2-3 times/day
will hasten the detox

as well as tongue scraping

and pranayama may help
the breath of fire



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/02/2007 09:10PM by fruitgirl.

custom, I drank coffee so strong that my family called it monkey sweat. I would pretty much drink a whold pot full in the morning and that was all I would ingest in the morning, I live in washington state and there are latte' stands all over I thought they were so tasty. In June I went cold turkey and stopped the coffee and went raw. I had a headache for about three days. It was a mild achey feeling all over also. I am not sure if it was due to other things I was getting over but I attribute the headache to the coffee. Then one day I woke up and the headache was gone. It will pass. I think it is important to not dull your senses with over the counter pain pills.

-Sure the above ideas are great. Substitute other things.......or just wean yourself off of it. Find tasty substitutes so the taste and calories are NOT the issue. Stay full on those other tasty things......avoid heavy stress/long-hour work situations.....get some kind of cardio exercise in 3-5 times a week......and get to bed at LEAST 1 hour earlier than you usually do....even if you are just laying there....or reading light reading. Drink plenty of your water / substitute drink all day.....until all desire to drink something else passes.

-Just some tips/opinions......as I DO have some experience with quitting caffeine! Ha! ha!

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

Oh, you just have to tough it out. I've done it many times, gone through the fog, the killer headache, the cravings. Just keep up drinking all the water you can and remember, all things pass, including the headache. You'll feel much better soon.

I think I missed two days of work when I gave up coffee. The headache lasted close to a week, as I recall, and I truly was in a fog. But I knew it would pass.... I actually started drinking half decaf half regular for a while, so I guess that's a way to "wean" as well. Good luck!

Those headaches actually come because the blood vessels in the neck and head --constricted by the caffeine-- expand back to their normal size. The increased blood flow, back to what it should have been in the first place, actually causes the headache. It may help you just to remember this.

The recommendations to dry skin brush is a definite help, as is massage. I don't think I would have made it off of caffeine and in particular "iced lemon tea" addiction (exacerbated by the bacteria that breed in commercial restaurant tea machines, which affected my gut flora) without several massage sessions in the week or so it took to get past the symptoms.

One time (yes, I've been on and off of caffeine addiction several times) I switched from the usual sources to chocolate-covered ice cream bars for a week or so, which only gave minimal symptoms for me, and that did the trick. Generally, though, I would recommend going cold turkey and toughing it out.

Caffeine is a diuretic, and affects the body's water-retention system. Your system is struggling to clear out the unwanted stuff, and the osmotic pressure balance (driven primarily by the "sodium-potassium pump" but also affected by other concentrations) is not right, at this time, which is why you are retaining water. The usual solution is two-fold: continue to drink MORE, not less water, and eat plenty of raw veggies and nutrient-dense foods until your body can re-balance itself. You spent (probably) years getting into your current state. Be grateful that it only takes a relatively short time to re-balance things into a much better state. Once you get free of the addiction and into a healthier state, you will feel much, much better than you ever did while still consuming caffeine (and the other addictive toxins like refined sugars, etc...).

Hang in there - it's worth it! Good luck!

The combination of fasting and coffee withdrowal is the worst. I've done it and my fast went to shambles and my coffee went in. Try it separately: first stop the coffee (with the ideas above) and only then, when you have no more symptoms (in about 3-4 days, to a week if really addicted) try fasting. The headache was terrible for me for one day, the second day it came only in the afternoon and it was bearable and then it stopped altogether. I was still sleepy for a week or so afterwards (maybe just the thought of giving it up made it that way) but now I'm doing just fine (and I was addicted big time).

Hand in there and split the two - fasting and no coffee.

Good luck.
cricri

love,
peace
cricri

Thanks to everyone for all your support and suggestions...

I decided last night that it was stupid for me to try and fast and stop coffee at the same time. But, I did find the excruciating headache took away any hunger pains. Yesterday evening I drank warm water and also had an avocado with some homemade salsa. That fat seemed to help with the headache...

I will get through.. and darn it I hope I will remember when I am tempted to drink coffee again what this has felt like in regards to withdrawals..

Next I will tackle a fast and eliminate wine. Which is my other vice. I do love a good glass of wine once in awhile, but know it's not good for my body


Elayne

Ah yes Elayne, a nice glass of wine. And I also love high quality (read expensive) tequila. I should say "used to" as I've not had a drink of anything in over two years. Still have an extensive wine selection and well stocked bar for my friends and family, however.

I was going to suggest that you accomplish the coffee cessation first before fasting when I originally responded to your thread but forgot! Nice to see others are paying attention. Glad you're taking this course of action as I feel it's easier on the body and mind.

Best of luck. You know we're here for you!

Regards,

David



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/03/2007 03:09PM by diamond dave.