Caffeine withdrawal symptoms – watch out!

Caffeine addiction is nothing to laugh about. It is estimated that one in eight people will experience symptoms that will interfere wit their ability to carry out normal day to day activities and tasks

Death by CoffeeToday I was faced with an ugly monster that is caffeine withdrawal. I felt like a druggie that had been hit by a planet repeatedly so I decided to do a bit of research to figure out what type of monster I was dealing with and found that caffeine addiction is nothing to laugh about.  It is estimated that one in eight people will experience symptoms that will interfere with their ability to carry out normal day to day activities and tasks. Although caffeine withdrawal is seldom dangerous, it can leave you feeling very uncomfortable for a few days. Trust me, I know!

Headaches

Most people suffering caffeine withdrawal will encounter moderate to severe headaches which can occur 12 to 24 hours after the last intake of caffeine. Be careful what medication you take at this point as combining caffeine with aspirin may be a bad idea. Consult your doctor before hand.

Depression and Tiredness

Through your caffeine withdrawal it may be common to feel slightly depressed and sleepy. Many people often have trouble concentrating and putting yourself through caffeine withdrawal may bring on significant mood changes. Hence it would be good idea not to plan on doing this near to an important date (such as your anniversary!).

Other Symptoms

Many other symptoms have been recorded, such as

  • Flu-like symptoms,
  • nausea,
  • vomiting,
  • muscle pain,
  • joint pain,
  • diarrhea,
  • stiffness.

How do I stop drinking coffee?

The best method in order to get rid of your caffeine addiction is to ween yourself off. i.e. if you drink 8 cups of coffee during the day, only drink 5 the next, 3 the day after that and so on until you’re eventually off caffeine altogether or you are on a limited amount of decaf. Make sure you drink lots of water in this time. Many experts reckon it will take only nine days to kick the habit which is much better than stopping smoking!

Good luck!

Image from MediumTall

Author: NickDuncan

Nick is the owner of Code Cabin, founder of WP Google Maps, WP Live Chat Support, and Sola Plugins,

11 thoughts on “Caffeine withdrawal symptoms – watch out!”

  1. Some things in life smell better than what they taste like…
    ie. Pop-corn, Braaing boerewors, and coffee ~seriously, think about it?
    If you don’t believe me, try eating / drinking it with a peg on your nose!
    Smell / Taste / Appearance all add to the desire…

    Whilst pregnant, the luring smell of caffeinated filter coffee  drove me insane in the office, while I sipped on de-caf… Now that I’m not pregnant, I’m not really interested?

    Strange but true, human nature wants what it’s not allowed…

  2. why do this to yourself?
    I kinda know that coffee is kinda not really that good, but then, crossing the road is also a bad life choice.
    At between 12 to 15 coffees a day, several cokes (fizzy stuff that makes you burp. not powder), more ciggies than are good for us, Terry and I stumble through our days, seemingly wired and hyped up.
    Better than being aware that we should possibly be miserable.
    At any rate, if you feel a need to drink less coffee, please consider that you are reducing the demand for coffee, which will cause supply prices to increase…

  3. eeeek!! I wonder whether tea has the same effect..? I know tea also contains caffeine, but I’m guessing this is different due to it being more natural or something.. hmm.. I’m quite curious to find out..

  4. Yeah, just another example of the saying “everything in moderation”, I enjoy a good cup of Coffee now and then, but I am very aware of not going overboard – I like to alternate and have hot chocolate or Milo instead sometimes.

    1. You’re right Daniel, however my ability to judge moderation is seriously lacking 😉

  5. Nick, the main symptom of caffeine withdrawal is a blinding headache. If you go to the chemist (try it) and ask for something to relieve the agony, guess what you’ll get. A headache pill with the main ingredient of . . . you guessed it, caffeine! The chemist will tell you (ask) the only thing that will relieve a caffeine induced headache is . . caffeine.

    Best thing to do is drink more coffee. Actually, believe it or not, coffee is much better for us than we are led to believe. I read about a recent study done in the US on the reasons and causes of senility in the elderly and they came up with the surprising finding that heavy coffee drinkers are less likely to suffer from this condition.

    Drinking upwards of ten cups a day, myself. Drink more coffee, I say.

  6. I caught the flu in a worse way than ever and was put on the strongest anti biotic on the market. At the same time my wife suggested that I should completely stop drinking coffee and replace it with water. At that stage I used to drink about 12 coffee mug sizes of coffee a day and about 1 liter of coke which I also stopped abruptly. I got worse and worse and then drank “******** to dry up my nose” for the first time with all my other medication. About half an hour later I woke up and had the worst feeling of depression, fear, anxiety and loneliness possible. I literally wanted to run into a wall to try and get the fear out of my mind. I drove around in the middle of the night crying but nothing would help. I was literally on the verge of committing suicide as I then believed it was the only way possible of escaping from my anxiety. The next morning the doctor gave me anti depressants, but the moment it wore out the depression got worse and it made me scared of using those drugs. Five days after it started my son phoned me unaware of what was happening. He suggested that I should drink less coffee and more water and when he found out I completely stopped coffee and coke he told me to immediately dink some coffee. Literally within ten to twenty minutes I was my old self again. I believe caffeine withdrawal can be far more dangerous than we think, especially when your immune system is at a all time low. The real danger in my situation was that I didn’t even knew that “caffeine withdrawal” existed, which if I did, could have spared me the worst immaginable five days of my life. It’s more than likely that individuals might actually have committed suicide without ever having known what instigated it.

    1. I’m glad you pulled through. It’s truly amazing what any addiction can do to us.

      Thanks again.

      Nick

  7. As a matter of interest.
    Imagine being injured in a car accident and then not being able to consume coffee or smokes for a while due to being in a coma or internal injuries. Your only lifeline being a drip. What consequences will this have on your body mentally and physically, especially being comatosed. We so often hear of people passing on when at first it seemed as if they were getting better. Does anyone know if any research have ever been done regarding withdrawal of substances that patients might have been subjected to, especially those not capable of fending for themselves. I’m of the opinion that in a weakened state of the body withdrawal symtomps can have far more serious consequences on patients probably even resulting in death.

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