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What are the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal?

Sun, 2006-01-15 20:08 — Daniel

Regular caffeine consumption reduces sensitivity to caffeine. When caffeine intake is reduced, the body becomes oversensitive to adenosine. In response to this oversensitiveness, blood pressure drops dramatically, causing an excess of blood in the head (though not necessarily on the brain), leading to a headache.

This headache, well known among coffee drinkers, usually lasts from one to five days, and can be alleviated with analgesics such as aspirin. It is also alleviated with caffeine intake (in fact several analgesics contain caffeine dosages).

Often, people who are reducing caffeine intake report being irritable, unable to work, nervous, restless, and feeling sleepy, as well as having a headache. In extreme cases, nausea and vomiting has also been reported.

References.

Caffeine and Health. J. E. James, Academic Press, 1991. Progress in Clinical and Biological Research Volume 158. G. A. Spiller, Ed. Alan R. Liss Inc, 1984.

Comments

Fri, 2008-08-15 11:53 — Andrea (not verified)

Caffiene Headaches

I quit drinking coffee about 5-6 days ago, and I've been having excrutiating migranes and my whole body is sore. My neck, my shoulders, my back, my legs, everything. My migranes are so bad that I can't even sleep at night, and when I'm at work, I can't even focus. I'm wondering if the migranes are so bad because I used to drink so much coffee daily, or if it's because my body is really going through a temporary hardcore withdrawal phase?

Tue, 2008-08-12 04:39 — jc

Reply please

hi
i am 15 years old and recently had a caffeine overdose, this was due to drinking way to much coffee because i was tired, so instead of rest i was drinking aloto coffee.
i started to drink it about 6 weeks ago also added to the mix was 1-2 cans of engrey drink every thursday, when i went shopping
Its been about 6 days since i took the overdose and now i am withdrwaing from caffeine.
i have mild headaches, find it hard to conceerntate, i am very tired, and i cant be bothered to do much, i fell diffrent, find it hard to get to sleep.
this is really scaring me and i now fell depressed.
Is this normal, after a caffeine overdose then withdrwal ?
Are the fellings tempoary or permant ?
another thing during the withdrwal can you eat food with caffeine or just beverages ?
i appreciate you reading this and please can you reply
many thanks
jc

Tue, 2008-07-29 21:25 — CoffeeDrinker

Coffee is very bad

I have been drinking coffee for 10 years, normally one cup a day after
lunch. I am having body aching, almost the entire body. At night, my
legs (culf) and arms will have a numbing and aching feeling.

I stopped drinking coffee before but
continue back due to drowsiness after lunch.

I remember it takes me about 10 months to get rid of thise horrible
body aching feeling. The first 9 months after quitting coffee still
have those body aches. Only after
10 months, you can see the difference. So, sometimes it is really
elusive for coffee drinker. They might
think it is other sickness which causes the body aching.

Coffe is a very bad drink, and for those unable to persist 10 months of
quitting, they might think that coffee
is not the culprit of thier body aches.

Tell me, who can persist of 9 months of coffee withdrawal yet still feel the
body aching without thinking the body aching might be caused by some other sickness???

Quit Coffee ! Before it destroy the
quality of my life !

Fri, 2008-07-25 15:05 — Alicorn (not verified)

Withdrawal Symptoms

Hi all:

Congratulations to all of you who are trying to get out from under the caffeine monkey! I stopped drinking Diet Pepsi to eliminate the aspartame. Didn't even think about the caffeine at first. I quit as of last Tuesday, July 15, around 10pm, and haven't had either a Diet Pepsi or regular soda since then. My main withdrawal symptom has been the headaches. At first I was taking Excedrin, and then I realized it has caffeine in it, too, so for the last two days, I've been trying to muscle through the headaches on my own. I've also noticed the increased sense of thirst, a small bit of GI upset, and increased trips to the bathroom. My Diet Pepsi intake was about 40-60 ounces per day, along with the equivalent of a chocolate bar. At least after reading this forum, I realize that all my symptoms are tied together and are directly related to the caffeine withdrawal. I can say I have not experienced brain fog, leg pains, or other symptoms, and within the first 3-4 days I was noticeably calmer and less tense, without feeling like I'd lost energy. I didn't seem to experience much fatigue either, but the headaches keep recurring. That's been the hardest part.

I've made it nearly two weeks and I'm determined to go the distance. My best to you all and good luck. :)

Tue, 2008-08-05 09:59 — bodrum property (not verified)

thanks for information

thanks for information

Thu, 2008-07-03 02:24 — Nat (not verified)

After all this time...

I'm 18 and had stopped drinking soda when I was 14. I had never been a huge soda drinker, but my intake was faily moderate. Anyway, it's been four years and I'm still getting headaches and feeling irritable. I can't think of anything else that could be the cause of these horrible reoccuring headaches. It was suggested to me that they could be from caffeine withdrawals. But after four years? Is it possible?

Sat, 2008-07-26 19:07 — Anonymous (not verified)

caffine w/d

maybe HIBLOOD PRESSURE ? THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT GOOD LUCK

Fri, 2008-07-04 13:41 — Anonymous (not verified)

Caffeine Withdrawal

I only have a couple of neuroscience classes under my belt, but my medical advice is as such:

It's not possible to be experienceing caffeine withdrawals after four years. When you're addicted to caffeine, your body increases response to the adenosine receptor sites in the brain and thus has a increased response to adenosine, a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of calm and tired. Caffeine is an adenosine aganonist, meaning it blocks up the receptor sites in the brain recepetive to adenosine. When your not on caffeine, those receptor sites fill up with adenosine, and due to their increased sensitivity, you experience withdrawal. Over time, clinacally claimed as 5-7 days, the adenosine sites return to normal. The cease to be hypersensitive and your withdrawal symptoms will subside.

Wed, 2008-07-02 09:37 — felicia (not verified)

help

i just have a question. why would a doctor tell a teenager that is underweight to not drink soda anymore? ive been eating and everything and she said i cant drink it anymore. could it have something to do with diabetes? it runs in my family but i dont have it. im getting my blood sugar tested today.

Wed, 2008-07-02 13:02 — Daniel

re: help

Your doctor would be the one to ask that question of. Any other response you get will just be a guess.

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