Quitting Caffeine Cold Turkey

[KValley]

Well, in anticipation of trying to conceive later in the summer, my plan was to take a few weeks in June/July and wean myself from coffee. I don't drink THAT much- 1-2 cups on weekday mornings before work; 3-4 cups on weekend mornings. But I like it strong, dark roast, black. I don't drink black tea or soda, so this is my one caffeinated vice.

After a dreadful bout of food poisoning over the weekend, I went for three days without coffee- just the though of it on my tender stomach was painful. Since I had this unanticipated head start, I decided that I'd just go cold turkey and give it up completely. It's been five days!!!

I just took some ibuprofen to get through
this morning's withdrawal headache. Any idea how long caffeine withdrawal lasts??

Now, on to giving up wine http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

[Nutmeg]

KValley, good for you! I'm a huge coffee addict and have already made my husband promise to give it up along with me when we start trying to have a baby. All I can say is be sure to find some other way to "treat" yourself to make the sacrifice of your morning cup o' joe a little easier. As for the withdrawal, my experience has been 4-5 days (I know, that must be a terrible sign of my caffeine dependency).

Best wishes on all of your "endeavors"!

[funnybone]

Not sure how long it lasts but if I were you, I would drink a regular coffee first, then a decaf, etc. This way, you are weaning yourself off. Or, if you make your own coffee, mix decaf with regular, that way you get less caffeine.

When I was pregnant, I couldn't stand the smell of coffee. It was the only thing that bothered me. I don't remember headaches associated with not drinking it though. I did drink the occasional glass of wine while pregnant, and both my kids were big and healthy (one over 10 lbs and one just under 10 lbs.). The Dr. said the occasional glass (1 to 3 a month was really not a problem).

[JulieM]

KValley, I'm sure mpuskar is right, 4-5 days at the most for the headaches. If you don't like black tea, you might try switching to a tasty green tea. One I like a lot is The Republic of Tea's Green Tea Honey Ginseng. They also make an excellent black tea that is a Peach Apricot flavor. Good luck and best wishes on conceiving this summer! My stepdaughter is having her first child in about six weeks and being childless myself I'm very excited!

[kima]

Hi Julie,
I don't if you read my other post (about having a bad Saturday) but I hope you are feeling better.
I got a severe bout of food poisoning wheb I was 5 months pregnant with my first daughter- it was hell! Since then, and that was 20 years ago we have all had food poisoning at some time or other9never home cooked food and usually when we are travelling!)
Anyway, I admire you on the no caffefine stand. I don't know much about fertility and caffefine. I do know that during the the first 3 months of pregnancy it is usually pretty easy to go without coffee - good old morning sickness!
Well just wanted to touch base- take care! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[lorilei]

Here is an article that might be helpful to you -- the beginning of the article just deals with the effects of caffeine, but the end talks about "detoxing" from the effects of caffeine. You might find some of the hints helpful!
http://www.healthy.net/asp/templates/article.asp?PageType=article&ID=2046

[MrsReber]

I can't speak from personal experience since I never liked coffee and don't consume caffeine due to mitral valve prolapse. My husband, on the other hand, has to have his coffee or he'll get that headache. He did wean himself off it a couple of times. He began by mixing decaf and regular coffee and drinking tea. I thought green tea still had caffeine in it, though. I'd stick to the herbal teas if I were going to drink tea. Now that I'm pregnant, everyone wants to give me tea for some reason! The worst part is that I'm hot all the time and I only want to drink water!

[jmarie]

My doctor told me I needed to start thinking about bladder repair surgery. I decided to go off caffein and a year later, he told me that I could probably wait a couple of years more because I had gone off caffein! I was going to tell you that you would get headaches...but then noticed that you had them. Mine lasted 7 or 8 days growing less in frequency and and pain. It's worth it! the health bebefits are many!

[Grace]

Just to add my two cents, I sell coffee for a living (and therefore drink my fair share of the stuff!), and both my regular gynocologist, and my fertility specialist (endocrinologist) told me that drinking a little bit of coffee in no way interferes with conception. Because I drink about as much as you do, and I was having infertility problems, I asked both of them about it. They assured me as long as I wasn't drinking a pot a day regularly, I didn't need to worry.

If you still feel more comfortable quitting, I will add that I too feel the headaches on the days I don't drink any, and the few times I've gone for awhile without drinking any, it seemed that the headaches went away after 2 days or so. So don't worry, you won't have to suffer headaches forever!!

[Chefmom]

Oh, my, have I been there!!! I too was a junkie of Mountain Dew for over 10 years. It came down to me doing a Nutrition Project in Culinary School, after seeing it on paper I was drinking 75% of my daily calorie intake. At the height of my addiction it was about 6 liters A DAY. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, snacks, Mountain Dew was a part of it all.

After I found out I was pregnant with my oldest, I was far into the pregnacy and I drank caffeine the whole way through. When my husband and I wanted a second child I decided that the caffeine had to go!!! I took my spring break from school (4 weeks) and went cold turkey.

I think I would rather go through child birth every day than give it up cold turkey. It was the hardest thing I ever did!!! I did still drink soda, but only non-caffeine ones, breaking from the sugar is another story all-together. But, after about 2-3 weeks, the shakes and headaches started to subside. I did take a lot of pain killers, the headaches all day and night were a killer!

I wish you luck, I am now caffeine free for 6 YEARS, I do still indulge now and then, one drink is all I can take though, if I "indulge" with a second helping I go through it all again, about a day or so of headaches and BAD cravings. I recently gave up soda, and the sugar is just as hard to give up. I don't have headaches, but the cravings and fatigue isn't fun.

Tami

...also, my friends noticed RIGHT AWAY, I wasn't in school for 1 hour before people were talking about how calm I was. My nickname was "The Bi!ch" and I had earned it. My husband likes me MUCH more off caffeine. AND, I can think SOOOOOO much more clear now that my head is free of it. Before I would have thought that I needed a TON of caffeine to get through the day and to concentrate, but now that I'm off it's the exact opposite, I can think MANY things at once, and am much more focused. Caffeine free-it's a good thing.

[Sarah]

KValley, it gets better! I went off caffine on the advice of my herbalist, and I didn't think I would survive. Mostly because I didn't have headaches, but back spasms!! She told me to keep drinking water to flush the remaining caffine out of my system, and my chiropracter adjusted me a couple of times so that I could sleep. It took about a week and a half, but that was 3 years ago. Good luck!

Sarah

[KValley]

You guys are great! chefmom and aggie I am so happy for you that you quit your "coke" and MD http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif habit- your insides must love you for it!

Grace- I just this very moment came back from the gym (which indicates that I do have an addiction- to this BB- I haven't even showered yet! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif), where I read of a study recently published in JAMA that showed even a cup a day increases a woman's risk for miscarriage. Last month it was a study that showed caffeine decreased fertility for women/increased fertility for men. What is one to think!!! As I start to read more about what to and not to do in trying to conceive and while pregnant, it gets more and more confusing!!!

Really, though, even if there is no risk, I just have a personal/emotional need to be as clean on the inside as possible- no caffeine, no alcohol, I'm working to cut out as much sugar and refined anything as I can BEFORE I get pregnant, so I won't be trying to do all of this and deal with the physical/emotional stress of pregnancy. I'm a big control freak and I know so much of this whole process is out my hands, so I'm compensating with what I CAN control. I got some sick sense of satisfaction over having my caffeine withdrawal headache this morning and not giving in!

[makedah]

I didn't have problems (other than cravings at first and tiredness) when I quit caffeine. I'm back on it again, though. (Just coca-cola). But I will be quitting again as soon as these last two cans are gone. Sodas are so worthless and I hate feeling like I need this "crutch" to get through the day.

[mariakj]

KValley - You are doing the best thing for your baby-to-be. I know how hard it is to kick caffeine because I had to kick it cold turkey the day I found out that I was pregnant with my son. After the doctor showed me the little red line on the pregnancy test I asked her what I needed to do right away to be as healthy as I could for the baby. Surprisingly she told me to cut out all caffeine. I couldn't believe it. I thought pregnancy would be a breeze for me because I don't smoke and I rarely drink, so I wouldn't have to give anything up. Caffeine was my only real vice, but she told me it had to go and from that moment on it was cold turkey. Part of the reason she wanted me off of caffeine was because studies had shown that it could cause problems for the baby during the first trimester and the second reason was that I have a heart murmur and she didn't want the added stress of being pregnant to cause problems for me.

I have to say that giving up caffeine was one of the best things that I did. My son just turned one a couple of weeks ago and I haven't had caffeine since the day I found out I was pregnant. For the first week after I quit, I thought I would die. I sat at work and just held my head, but after the first week things got better and I didn't really miss it after that.

For whatever it's worth, you are really doing the right thing for you and the baby. You probably only have one or two bad headache days left and then you are home-free. Goodluck and happy baby-making.

[AD]

For almost a year, I drank coffee like water, having 6 or more cups of coffee a day. I hardly drank any water or ate much food either. I don't know how I survived. Anyway, when my digestive problems set in 4 years ago, I quit all but one or two cups in the morning. I did it all at once, and felt absolutely NO headache or withdrawal symptoms.

[CheerLiz]

I quit my Diet Coke habit in the most efficient way possible -- meningitis. So I had the meningitis headache and the caffeine headache at the same time, and couldn't tell the difference. I certainly don't recommend it, but I can tell you I'll never drink Coke or Diet Coke again, because I associate it with that horrendous headache. We have a leftover 12-pack in my pantry, and I get nauseous just looking at it.

So congratulations, KValley, on five caffeine-free days! Just focus on one day at a time, and before you know it, you'll be un-addicted! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif



[This message has been edited by CheerLiz (edited 04-25-2001).]

[KValley]

Thanks everyone for your encouragement and ideas!

mpuskar My DH LOVES coffee, so the whole June/July weaning time for me was to coincide with him being gone for 6 weeks! I've read that men are actually more "fertile" with caffeine, so he was relieved when I told him I wouldn't ask him to quit coffee with me. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

funnybone I was intending to do the gradual decaf/coffee process, but baby, I'm just going for it! I think the real test for me will be the weekend. Our routine of a leisurely breakfast and a pot or two of coffee will be hard to break. We've got a French press, though, so today I will buy some yummy hazelnut decaf in anticipation of Saturday morning.

Julie Congratulations on your soon-to-be born grandchild! I love herbal tea, but I have a feeling I will be expanding my selection http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Maureen I just reread the "..saturday" thread. Thank you for sharing your husband's story- it made me laugh!! I finally felt better Monday afternoon, after a final morning of misery. DH and I had lunch (tomato soup and a smoothie for me) in San Francisco, at the very end of Balboa Street just south of Golden Gate Bridge, overlooking the ocean. It more than made up for a lousy weekend! And the hotel took the meal charge off my bill without a peep!

lorilei Wow- what an article!! Thank you - there were some really good suggestions on getting through this. No matter what though, I am NOT giving up chocolate!!

MrsReber I've been following the pregnant susans thread and I'm so excited for you! It's been quite inspiring (and sometimes a little scary) following all of your pregnant ladies' travails! Hope to join you in a few months....

Okay, back to unpacking! Julie

[aggie94]

Julie,

Good luck! I admire your efforts! I quit caffeine cold turkey about 6 years ago. Until then, I was a Coke addict. (That's Coca-Cola, not the other kind!). I literally used to drink at least a 6-pack of Coke or Dr. Pepper a day. Some days, it was closer to 8 or 10 cans. BAD!!! I quit cold turkey when I started exercising seriously, because there was no way I could drink as much water as I needed and all that soda too.

I was working in a lab at the time, and for several days after I quit, I had BAD shakes, and would notice that my hands trembled as I tried to transfer chemicals and handle glassware. It went away within a week or so, and after that, it got a lot easier. I also dealt with the morning headaches, but those went away eventually as well. For awhile, I craved the taste of Coke more than the actual caffeine itself. I started off switching to drinking Sprite, cutting back on my soda intake generally, and drinking LOTS of water. I now have the occasional caffeinated drink (oolong tea, an iced mocha, or the rare can of Coke), but it's probably not more than once a month now. And the caffeine actually serves its purpose, whereas before, it was no problem to drink two cans of Coke with dinner and go to bed an hour later. Now, if I need an afternoon pick-me-up, I can drink a cup of coffee and feel the effects. For the most part, though, I stick with water. Keep a water bottle with you at all times, and sip from it often. During that 'transition,' I was usually drinking about 120 oz. of water a day.

Stick with it - you'll get past the bad stuff, and marvel at how great you feel being caffeine-free!