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Original poster

Have you given up caffeine? If so, is it worth it?

53 replies

TR888 · 12/04/2020 07:16

I would like to give up caffeine because of a stomach condition which is not helped by it (GORD). I had no coffee and tea yesterday and my god, the headache!!! Unbelievable. It’s still here today and it´s making me want to go back on it just to relieve it.

If you’ve given caffeine up, was it worth it? Some people apparently feel much better and clear headed. How long did your withdrawal symptoms last? Also, I love hot drinks, what can I drink now instead of tea and coffee?

OP posts:
TheLovleyChebbyMcGee · 12/04/2020 07:21

I have up caffeine when I was breastfeeding. You don't have to, but we had a very difficult sleeper so I was trying everything!!

I'm not a big coffee fan, but I switched to decaf, and I've never drunk tea. You do get decaf tea bags though, or how about fruit or herbal teas?

VictoriaBun · 12/04/2020 07:26

Haven't had caffeine for years now. Once your through the headache you will be fine.
Drink at least 2 litres of water a day to help flush out your system and keep hydrated.

ScrapThatThen · 12/04/2020 07:31

Try Pukka teas as a replacement, especially liquorice or turmeric. I guess you need to do it for two weeks and then evaluate. Might be stressful in a national pandemic though. Bet it will be worth it for your stomach.

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1066vegan · 12/04/2020 07:33

I've given up coffee (a couple of times but then ended up drinking it again because it's more practical at work) but still drink tea.

I've been off work for a couple of weeks and because of lockdown I've ended up giving it up again without particularly planning to (haven't had coffee in the house for a few years).

I had horrendous headaches for 2 or 3 days but am absolutely fine now. To be honest, I don't feel any better for it but figure that anything which affects me so badly when I stop using it can't be good for me.

I don't miss it at home, as long as I've got tea but do get bored when I only have water at home.

dinosaurtin · 12/04/2020 07:34

I’ve drunk decaf coffee for a few years now for health reasons. Once you are past the headache, which was only a few days for me, then it’s great. I love not being reliant on coffee to get me up in the morning. Also my health is so much better, which is long term and was worth the few days headache. Good luck with it.

1066vegan · 12/04/2020 07:35

Should have read get bored when I only have water at work.

CigarsofthePharoahs · 12/04/2020 08:09

I have tried and failed more than once. During pregnancy I managed to cut down.
I lasted a week on my longest attempt to give it up entirety and for everyone else's sake I started drinking tea again!
It's a good job I've never tried anything stronger. I'd be awful!
However it has made me quite strict with my children. I'm sure part of my problem is having lots of caffeine far too young. My children are 9 and 6 and haven't had any except the tiny amounts in chocolate.

1990shopefulftm · 12/04/2020 08:11

I d say the withdrawal symptoms were 3/4 days, I still drink decaf tea or coffee now. I definitely feel it was worth it, I m limited in what fizzy drinks I can have when I go out but normally find an option to have.

Elouera · 12/04/2020 08:15

OH and I stopped a few years back when on a juice diet. He was drinking 8+ instant coffee a day, I'd had maybe 2-3. I got headaches, whereas he didn't!

It might be easier to cut down over a week, rather than go cold turkey. I found alternating between real coffee, then a decaf can help, or mixing the real coffee with decaf. That way you are only getting half the caffeine per cut, then wean it down. Plenty of water helps too.

Elouera · 12/04/2020 08:16

In terms of feeling good, we did, but it was more to do with losing weight from the juice diet and exercising daily. I'm really not sure if the caffeine made much difference, to me anyways, because I didn't drink all that much before the diet.

MythicalBiologicalFennel · 12/04/2020 08:17

Yes I had to give caffeine up after a lengthy bout of severe anxiety. Withdrawal symptoms lasted only for a day (that headache that no medication touched! Ouch!). To be honest I was so poorly from the anxiety that I barely noticed the withdrawal.

It means I sleep like a log every night which hadn't happened in almost 10 years. I drink decaf coffee and decaf tea. PG tips is pretty good.

WLmum · 12/04/2020 08:19

I gave it up a few years back. As others have said, headaches for a few days but once through them I felt a lot better. I have recently started drinking it again, but need to stop - it doesn't take much to make me feel jittery which doesn't help anxiety at all! Also much less of a energy/crash rollercoaster. I found it generally easy as everywhere does decaf these days and I don't believe most people can taste the difference.
Caffeine is actually a really strong 'drug' on the body and the mind. Very affective and very addictive.

Good luck.

TodoDoingDone · 12/04/2020 08:20

I gave it up in the past, but weaned myself off it slowly, reducing the amount slowly and I can't remember headaches.
It will get easier and I did notice the difference to my stomach when I have up Coffee.

Chemenger · 12/04/2020 08:21

I have one, glorious, cup of half-caff coffee first thing in the morning then drink mint tea for the rest of the day. I might have the odd fully decaf (mostly in the old days when we could go to cafes and restaurants, remember that?). After a couple of days of headaches it’s been great, definitely sleep better.

picklemewalnuts · 12/04/2020 08:24

I did and it helped me a lot.

There's an easier way to do it though...

I mixed decaf and caffeinated together in the tub, and over time upped the decaf. Didn't notice any difficulty at all.

Put an inch or two of each in a jar, add more decaf every few days. Eventually it will be totally decaf with no effort on your part.

OlivejuiceU2 · 12/04/2020 08:25

Gave up a few years ago for health reasons. Like everyone else had headaches for a few days but felt great afterwards and get much better sleep. Just stick to decaf now.
DP decided to do the same also and feels much better for it.

ohwerehalfwaythere · 12/04/2020 08:25

Drink loads of water and the headaches won't last long

Bollards21 · 12/04/2020 08:27

More or less. Used to have four or five cups a day.....not don't have much more than that a year (only when on a long / night drive etc and I need to stay awake). And yes the health benefits are noticeable for me....especially imroving my sleep.

RNBrie · 12/04/2020 08:28

I think my withdrawal lasted 2 weeks and was pretty horrendous but really, totally worth it.

I used to say I wasn't at all affected by caffeine and it made no difference, I could drink coffee at bed time etc.

Now I sleep so well, deeply and soundly. I love it. I use Yorkshire Decaf tea and Nescafe Azzero Decaf which are perfectly acceptable and plan never to consume caffeine again!!

Oh, one weird side effect. People now assume I'm vegetarian. No idea what the correlation is but at least 3 people have said to me recently that they thought I was vegetarian and no one ever said it to me before I gave up caffeine.

Fedupofitnow123 · 12/04/2020 08:28

I gave up caffeine about 3 yeara ago, it was such a hard decision, my withdrawal lasted about 2-3 days, I couldn't believe how bad the headache was on the first day, agony!

But, I've found that I now no longer have headaches at all, well, hardly ever, I never buy paracetamol, I can wake up and be right as rain and not need caffeine to help wake me!

I no longer have any migraines either.

Honestly the best decision and I did go back, recently, to drinking coffee, but the headaches started coming back, I had a migraine and I quit again. I drink 1 fruit tea in the morning and the rest is usually water, juice, milk

maddy68 · 12/04/2020 08:28

I haven't had caffeine for years. (Except in the odd bar of chocolate). It definitely eased my ibs

HairyMaclary · 12/04/2020 08:30

I gave up years ago, weaned myself off over a week. I know drink herb tea, usually camomile, occasionally peppermint or redbush. For treats I get some loose tea tea from T2, a ‘tisane’ of all sorts of different things. This provides me with something g a bit different if I want it. I still drink 4-6 cups of hot drinks daily.

If the headache gets unbearable try a glass of coke, the caffeine may help Your headache but it’s not a hot drink.

I really notice if I have a cup of tea now, I start talking really fast and my hands get sweaty. I only drink it about once a year.

mistermagpie · 12/04/2020 08:32

I stopped caffeine completely when I was pregnant three times. Well, drinks, I still ate chocolate but I don't eat that much anyway.

In a few days it will be out of your system so keep going now you've started.

One thing I will say it that if you've stopped caffeine and then have some without realising, you will feel absolutely wired. I drank a can of coke and felt jittery and weird. It made me realise just how affected I must have been by all the coffee beforehand and it really put me off.

mistermagpie · 12/04/2020 08:34

There is still caffeine in decaf tea and coffeee by the way, just in case you need to stop it completely.

Fennelandlovage · 12/04/2020 08:39

Gave up 2 years ago, after the horrible headaches I haven’t looked back. Thought I would miss the ritual but I didn’t. In have not replaced with decaf and have switched to herbal teas which I love now and have replaced the morning coffee need.