The author went old turkey. That is rough. For me going cold turkey caused massive headaches. I cut out caffeine a decade ago. It was a haphazard affair. I wanted to improve my sleep, so I started limiting my intake by stopping in the afternoon. At the same time I started having anxiety and panic attacks in the morning before my first dose. It was so bad I lost 10 pounds. That’s when I started to figure out “hey this might be a problem”. Over the course of a month I reduced my caffeine intake to zero. No headaches. Panic attacks went away. Ymmv.
I did the cold turkey thing too. No headaches, but what did happen was day 1 I was groggy but functional. Day 2 I was just so unbelievably sleepy, I took the day off work and slept all day. Then all night, and most the next day. By day 4 the sleepiness was wearing off but wow, I was hit with an adenosine freight train. I have had aches in some big muscle groups like my quads, it felt like the day after running a marathon with no training. Turns out this is a known (though not very common) side effect of caffeine withdrawal. It took about 10 days before I felt more or less normal again.
I have never drunk coffee. However, I do take a very very small dose of caffeine pills. The pills are 200mg but I break them into tiny pieces and micro dose around noon with last dose around 3pm. Some days I take 100mg total, other days I take 200mg total. Another thing I do is eat proper food at same time because otherwise I become jittery.
I also cycle off caffeine or taper the doses every few months when I am travelling.
My stomach is solid.
Does anyone know if the acidity is from coffee or caffeine itself?
I cold turkeyed once and did not feel much except for the first few days, probably because I am not a heavy drinker.
However, I picked it up later because I always want to drink something with taste, and the mix of coffee, some milk and sometimes a bit of sugar does provide satisfaction without feeling the guity of gaining weight.
I reduced my coffee intake gradually back in ‘21-‘22down to just green tea in the morning. I did not notice any real changes in my life aside from two points. I took longer to ramp up productivity and alertness in the mornings. I also now eased into my “go to bed” routine at night whereas on coffee it was a much more dramatic crash. We ended up having our first kid mid-‘22, and I got back on the java wagon. Of all potential vices, this one certainly feel lightweight. I just don’t drink it after Noon.
It had become increasingly clear to me over the last few years that my anxiety disorder was being massively exacerbated by caffeine. It took so long to figure this out because it takes 6-7 hours _after_ a single coffee for it to hit, and if I'm drinking coffee the whole time, I'm always a bit anxious, rather than an obvious cause-and-effect.
In April I tapered down to one espresso a day, and then half an espresso, and then finally nothing. I'm still drinking a _lot_ of decaf, which is helpful (although check your decaf, some is still caffeinated enough to not be worth the name).
Immediate symptoms from going to half an espresso to zero espressos a day was massive dysphoria and melancholy. Around week 4 I started Wellbutrin, which made it very hard to figure out my moods reliably until it had settled down. Around week 12, I was off caffeine and feeling like myself again except minus the anxiety.
I miss it. I have had, since then, I think 4 real espressos. It gives me a reliable energy boost, and makes me happy, but then 6-7 hours later, the anxiety I lived with most of my life is back until I nap, take a benzodiazepine, or wait it out 12 hours or so.
All this to say: if you have GAD, and still drink coffee, try not drinking coffee for a month, and see where you end up. I would describe myself as no longer having GAD, although I am still titrating down the (fairly effective) SSRI I was on to manage it.
I've been off of all forms of caffeine for about 40 years. I was thoroughly addicted to it, and in my 20's, I was drinking about six cups of coffee per day. It took me three tries to kick the habit, and the final time I quit (all cold turkey), I felt like a heroin addict (I assume). I had cold sweats, shakes, headache, and vomiting. I missed two days of work while recovering.
I'll never forget how awful I felt, and it's a constant reminder for me to never go back to caffeine. I make coffee for my wife every morning, and the smell is enticing, but I can easily resist. My wife is a zombie when she wakes up, and she really needs the coffee. She doesn't seem to have an issue with it, and usually has only one cup per day. Now when I wake up, I'm alert and ready to go.
Caffeine is difficult to avoid, and it's such a commonly used drug that most people do not give it a second thought.
Another interesting side effect I noticed while doing coffee was the poor quality of the code I had written on the previous day. I was doing embedded assembly (6809) at the time, and each morning, I would pick up where I left off and notice a ton of mistakes. It looked like I was high while I wrote the code. Under "normal" circumstances, my code is often error free, and requires minimal debug.
I am lucky enough to get regular palpitations. I read that caffeine can make them worse, so I stopped for a few months. They got worse. Talked to my Dr about it and he said yeah, sometimes it doesn't work like you'd think.
(Along the same lines, actually, I also made my palpitations much worse this year by dramatically improving my physical fitness. Turns out that slow heart rate for me means more palpitations. Heart rates above ~70 means almost no palpitations. Something about overdrive, but I am not an expert.)
So at least I don't have to give up my caffeine ;-)
> Question Does consumption of caffeinated coffee have a beneficial, detrimental, or neutral effect on the risk of recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes?
> Findings In this multicenter randomized clinical trial including 200 patients with persistent AF undergoing cardioversion, the risk of recurrent AF was significantly lower in the group allocated to coffee consumption (47%) compared with the abstinence group (64%).
I stopped caffeine in large part because of the culture around it. So many people treat it like a competition: who needs more before they can get started in the morning. Like some kind of perverse contest over who’s more addicted, as if that’s something to be proud of. Even this article starts the same way—a brag over how many pots they needed.
I adopted the perspective of treating it like a drug, and to use it for its benefits when appropriate.
I got a headache when I had to show up fasted for a blood test. Didn’t like that at all so I got decaf for home morning coffee. I can drink whatever in the afternoon and now no headache when I fast for blood tests. Much happier about that outcome.
Think the author's case is extreme and so is his remedy.. For most that drink 3-4 cups a day or so there's no need to stop imho.
There's numerous benefits that keep appearing in medical lit, including protection vs atrial defibrillation, stomach cancer etc.
For me I stopped briefly during bad bout of gastritis with all the withdrawal symptoms listed but have resumed since. No known bad effects so far. Yes my tummy is not in ideal condition but that's due to other vices like alcohol.
Stopping greatly reduced issues with my stiff neck and I also noticed that my hands are not nearly as cold as before. I drink black tea time to time, but it is nowhere near as addictive as coffee so I have no trouble with moderation.
This article (and it's second part) couldn't have come at a more helpful time. I have such an unhealthy relationship with caffeine (and sugary drinks in general), that I would literally go days without drinking any water. If it didn't come from a 7-11 or a coffee machine, I wasn't going to drink it.
Just this week, I decided to quit cold turkey, and drink nothing but water, and it has been eye opening. I didn't realize how much I depended on the drinks to get me through the day. But going just-water is definitely the only way I could have done this. Something about knowing I have nothing to look forward to besides water helps me just drink water, instead of waiting until I can find some energy drinks, and getting dehydrated in the process.
Not everyone is going to have as unhealthy relationship with caffeine as me, but I'm hoping my kidneys and gut will thank me. I know 22 year olds seldom suffer from heart attacks, but I'm not going to be 22 forever, so might as well start now.
I used to get chronic headaches all through high school. I exclusively drank Mt Dew. When I got to college I was too lazy/cheap to actually go buy soda for my dorm, so I inadvertently went cold turkey. I had a headache for about a week, then after that, my years of chronic headaches were solved.
I went a good 10-15 years without a drop of soda and I’ve never had coffee. The only caffeine I got would have been a little from chocolate, which was never eaten for the caffeine. More recently I’ll have the occasional soda, typically only if I’m sick. I’ll have a Dr Pepper.
Someone who used to be a prolific commenter here, who was also an emergency medicine nurse(!), pointed out that for the most part, for long-term caffeine addicts, everything "good" about caffeine was simply the cessation of withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal cessation feels great! You can stay that way all the time if you like.
I had a rough bout of insomnia 10 years or so ago, and one of the things I did as a result was to cut caffeine completely. I thought it would be super hard to do. Maybe it was? I don't remember, it's been so long. I have no idea why I'd ever deliberately consume material amounts caffeine again.
I think it's probably a garbage drug. Whether it's strictly true or not that it has no beneficial effects once you're acclimated to it, telling myself that made quitting really easy, so I recommend just accepting the idea. There are better addictions to nurture.
I am coming up on a year without caffeine like this guy. I was never addicted like he was, nor did I face severe health problems from it. I just noticed that the quality of my decision making went way down on caffeine. I was not able to prioritize things properly. I would feel strangely tired or lazy sometimes or way too energized. Now without caffeine, every day I feel stable, productive, and happy.
In my penultimate year I was struggling under a huge lecture and lab workload, working at the weekends, and partying too.
I developed stomach pain and went to the campus doctor, who sent me off to A&E (ER) with suspected appendicitis. My appendix was fine, but the doctors thought I might have a stomach ulcer. I discharged myself early to get back to the library, so never actually got a diagnosis!
I was drinking 3-4 cups of coffee and ~500mL knock-off Red Bull a day, eating a poor diet, and then drinking alcohol in the evenings. I went cold turkey and spent an entire weekend in bed with the worst headache imaginable.
I think I managed a few months before cracking and getting back on coffee. I quit cold turkey again a couple of times but in recent years I titrated off of it by gradually changing ratio of caffeinated to decaffeinated beans in my coffee at home. I drink 1 - 2 small cups a day now.
I like to stop caffeine for a few days and then drink back, basically it feels so amazing drinking it that way because the effect that has on me, it's better than If I drink it everyday.
I used to drink a few cups of coffee a day. I've been completely off caffeine for several years now. It's at a point where a single chocolate chip cookie will have me wired for an hour. I occasionally fantasize about the effects that a cup of full strength coffee would provide. This drug is very powerful when used sparingly. It's easy to forget what it used to be like when you're drinking 2+ cups every day for years on end.
I'd drink 12-15 cups of coffee a day and start the day with 12 Oreo cookies and after I solve my first computer problem, usually in 15 minutes, I'd knock down another 12 Oreos. Now, its zero Oreos and one cup of coffee max a day, with many days, no coffee.
Thank you, andsoitis, for returning to this blog post. I also appreciate all the comments here, especially folks telling their stories.
I should write a sequel now.
31 comments
[ 4.7 ms ] story [ 58.6 ms ] threadPart 2 (231 points, 124 comments) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5017486
I also cycle off caffeine or taper the doses every few months when I am travelling.
My stomach is solid.
Does anyone know if the acidity is from coffee or caffeine itself?
However, I picked it up later because I always want to drink something with taste, and the mix of coffee, some milk and sometimes a bit of sugar does provide satisfaction without feeling the guity of gaining weight.
In April I tapered down to one espresso a day, and then half an espresso, and then finally nothing. I'm still drinking a _lot_ of decaf, which is helpful (although check your decaf, some is still caffeinated enough to not be worth the name).
Immediate symptoms from going to half an espresso to zero espressos a day was massive dysphoria and melancholy. Around week 4 I started Wellbutrin, which made it very hard to figure out my moods reliably until it had settled down. Around week 12, I was off caffeine and feeling like myself again except minus the anxiety.
I miss it. I have had, since then, I think 4 real espressos. It gives me a reliable energy boost, and makes me happy, but then 6-7 hours later, the anxiety I lived with most of my life is back until I nap, take a benzodiazepine, or wait it out 12 hours or so.
All this to say: if you have GAD, and still drink coffee, try not drinking coffee for a month, and see where you end up. I would describe myself as no longer having GAD, although I am still titrating down the (fairly effective) SSRI I was on to manage it.
I've been off of all forms of caffeine for about 40 years. I was thoroughly addicted to it, and in my 20's, I was drinking about six cups of coffee per day. It took me three tries to kick the habit, and the final time I quit (all cold turkey), I felt like a heroin addict (I assume). I had cold sweats, shakes, headache, and vomiting. I missed two days of work while recovering.
I'll never forget how awful I felt, and it's a constant reminder for me to never go back to caffeine. I make coffee for my wife every morning, and the smell is enticing, but I can easily resist. My wife is a zombie when she wakes up, and she really needs the coffee. She doesn't seem to have an issue with it, and usually has only one cup per day. Now when I wake up, I'm alert and ready to go.
Caffeine is difficult to avoid, and it's such a commonly used drug that most people do not give it a second thought.
Another interesting side effect I noticed while doing coffee was the poor quality of the code I had written on the previous day. I was doing embedded assembly (6809) at the time, and each morning, I would pick up where I left off and notice a ton of mistakes. It looked like I was high while I wrote the code. Under "normal" circumstances, my code is often error free, and requires minimal debug.
(Along the same lines, actually, I also made my palpitations much worse this year by dramatically improving my physical fitness. Turns out that slow heart rate for me means more palpitations. Heart rates above ~70 means almost no palpitations. Something about overdrive, but I am not an expert.)
So at least I don't have to give up my caffeine ;-)
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/28412...
> Question Does consumption of caffeinated coffee have a beneficial, detrimental, or neutral effect on the risk of recurrent atrial fibrillation (AF) episodes?
> Findings In this multicenter randomized clinical trial including 200 patients with persistent AF undergoing cardioversion, the risk of recurrent AF was significantly lower in the group allocated to coffee consumption (47%) compared with the abstinence group (64%).
I try to keep it to once or twice a week at most, and around lunch time, as I still like coffee. But this way you don't build a dependence.
This year I quit cold turkey and holy crap, night sweats, panic attacks, flu like symptoms for several days.
I still don't know how coffee tastes.
I adopted the perspective of treating it like a drug, and to use it for its benefits when appropriate.
There's numerous benefits that keep appearing in medical lit, including protection vs atrial defibrillation, stomach cancer etc.
For me I stopped briefly during bad bout of gastritis with all the withdrawal symptoms listed but have resumed since. No known bad effects so far. Yes my tummy is not in ideal condition but that's due to other vices like alcohol.
Ymmv
Just this week, I decided to quit cold turkey, and drink nothing but water, and it has been eye opening. I didn't realize how much I depended on the drinks to get me through the day. But going just-water is definitely the only way I could have done this. Something about knowing I have nothing to look forward to besides water helps me just drink water, instead of waiting until I can find some energy drinks, and getting dehydrated in the process.
Not everyone is going to have as unhealthy relationship with caffeine as me, but I'm hoping my kidneys and gut will thank me. I know 22 year olds seldom suffer from heart attacks, but I'm not going to be 22 forever, so might as well start now.
I went a good 10-15 years without a drop of soda and I’ve never had coffee. The only caffeine I got would have been a little from chocolate, which was never eaten for the caffeine. More recently I’ll have the occasional soda, typically only if I’m sick. I’ll have a Dr Pepper.
I had a rough bout of insomnia 10 years or so ago, and one of the things I did as a result was to cut caffeine completely. I thought it would be super hard to do. Maybe it was? I don't remember, it's been so long. I have no idea why I'd ever deliberately consume material amounts caffeine again.
I think it's probably a garbage drug. Whether it's strictly true or not that it has no beneficial effects once you're acclimated to it, telling myself that made quitting really easy, so I recommend just accepting the idea. There are better addictions to nurture.
In my penultimate year I was struggling under a huge lecture and lab workload, working at the weekends, and partying too.
I developed stomach pain and went to the campus doctor, who sent me off to A&E (ER) with suspected appendicitis. My appendix was fine, but the doctors thought I might have a stomach ulcer. I discharged myself early to get back to the library, so never actually got a diagnosis!
I was drinking 3-4 cups of coffee and ~500mL knock-off Red Bull a day, eating a poor diet, and then drinking alcohol in the evenings. I went cold turkey and spent an entire weekend in bed with the worst headache imaginable.
I think I managed a few months before cracking and getting back on coffee. I quit cold turkey again a couple of times but in recent years I titrated off of it by gradually changing ratio of caffeinated to decaffeinated beans in my coffee at home. I drink 1 - 2 small cups a day now.
Might give quitting a go again.