Caffeine withdrawal

MANDY2910 · Apr 22, 2022

I am sure I am not the only one who had to stop caffeine in order to prepare for surgery and after. I am not a huge caffeine drinker, but I enjoy coffee and diet Mtn Dew, which are both pretty high in caffeine no matter how much you drink. I have already stopped drinking the soda and am down to one cup of coffee in the morning. So far that one cup has staved off the withdrawal headache etc., but it’s time to go off completely. Any helpful hints to help with headache, etc.? I am dreading it.

Kcuster83 · Apr 22, 2022

Since you kind of weaned yourself off you should be ok. The headaches usually happen with cold turkey quitting. With that being said, there is no guarantee but I hope its the case. Pre-op diet with headaches sounds horrible. I was allowed dcaf coffee which actually still has a little bit of caffeine, if you can have it, it may also help not get headaches. Ask your team.
I hope the best for you!

BeeVee · Apr 22, 2022

I didn’t quit before and I wish I had. My surgeon told me I didn’t need to. But, after surgery, I wasn’t able to drink barely any water let alone coffee. Let’s just say my days after surgery hurt that much more and it was awful.

JudyNY · Apr 22, 2022

I agree with Kcuster that since you've been weening it off, it shouldn't be a problem. It wasn't a problem for me and I hope the same for you.

suzannethemom · Apr 22, 2022

I was also down to one cup of coffee when I quit before surgery. I started to feel nauseous on day 4, so I had one cup of coffee. Then another cup on day 7. After that, I was fine. I never had headaches or nausea. I think that giving myself a little more coffee made a difference.

missyinacage · Apr 22, 2022

I was the queen of iced coffee and quit cold turkey. Which was dumb, so it's good you're weaning yourself down. Even cold turkey, it was just a few headaches. I don't remember any other symptoms, even tiredness.

KarenWV · Apr 22, 2022

dianeseattle said:
Ive had one cup of caffeinated coffee every day since I was in my teens. I don't think this rule applies to modest use. I think a lot of overweight people drink excessive amounts of caffeinated sofa.

That probably is true. I also think that bc of the diuretic effect of caffeine and the huge importance of staying hydrated after surgery, especially the 1st 2-3 months, I think the no caffeine rule is pretty much standard just before and certainly after surgery. I waited almost 3 months after surgery before adding my caffeinated sugar free flavored water enhancer. Even now, almost 10 months post-surgery, I add the same amount of plain water for each amount of caffeine that I drink.

KarenWV · Apr 24, 2022

Yeah, after I start sipping on my caffeinated water throughout the day, I wear a path to the bathroom. I haven't really stopped to count how many trips. And now I'm working on increasing to 8 16oz bottles of water daily = 1 gallon. Trying to help my body stay more hydrated and feel fuller rather than grazing & nighttime snacking. Btw, these water bottles aren't new everyday. I refill from the tap & refrigerate until almost icy cold.

missyinacage · Apr 24, 2022

I also waited 3 months before I added caffeine back in. I have a morning latte and an afternoon iced latte. And at least 64oz of water on top of that.

Karen, I love your BTW .. I care about the environment. It always makes me happy to hear anyone thinking about making better choices for the earth. And yourself. I am currently struggling with the nighttime snack cravings as well. Maybe I'll try to up my water too.