Coffee and Caffeine FAQ

I was introduced to coffee, Pepsi and M&M's as a child. I started getting headaches as a teenager and never realized until I was around 40 that I was addicted to caffeine even back then. The headaches eventually turned into migraines which would only go away with a combination of tylenol and caffeine. The only time I was caffeine free was when I was either pregnant or nursing during my 20s. Oddly enough, I have very foggy memories of my college years and into my 20s. Even now, my husband will tell me I've been somewhere or seen a movie that I just have no recollection of. I can pick up a book I'm reading and often I'll have to go back a few pages or a few chapters to remind me who a particular character is in the book. (I should mention that I used Equal for most of my caffeine addiction over the years.)

Last November, after feeling like I just had no energy, no motivation, could barely keep my eyelids open most of the day even after having my morning cup (switched to sugar about a year earlier), I decided to give it up. At that point, I was drinking a 12 oz. cup of coffee in the morning, a cup of tea in the afternoon, and an occasional coke, maybe some chocolate candy once a week or so.

I gradually decreased my caffeine intake, and by early December I was caffeine free. I couldn't go cold turkey because I didn't want to trigger a migraine which would've thrown me back into the vicious cycle. The only symptoms I had was being irritable, weepy for no reason, depressed for no reason, but I felt great physically...

...until a few weeks later when I caught a flu that's still trying to hang on. It's been 3 weeks and this thing is relentless. Antibiotics helped, but they didn't knock it out completely. Before this, I may have caught a cold once a year or so which would end a couple days later. And, this morning I woke up feeling shaky and like I couldn't catch my breath.

My question is has anyone experienced a weakened immune system as a result of cutting out coffee? My white blood count was low at my annual physical. Is this a result of caffeine withdrawal? Will my memory improve if I lay off the caffeine permanently?

Thanks so much, and I'm sorry for such a long post but doctors have so little time to discuss things like this.