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Caffeine use disorder

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Re: Caffeine use disorder

#91

Post by jawilson2 »

tylermac1 wrote: post #64
mdip wrote: post #39

I discovered that if I only consumed caffeine when I had a Migraine headache, that it was the most effective medicine I could take provided I didn't already have a tolerance built up so I gave up caffeine in my 20s. Frankly, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was plagued with minor but persistent headaches for almost a month and was exhausted most of that time since I was used to grabbing a cup of coff…

What was the medicine that ended up helping your migraines? I suffer from migraines semi-regularly and have at separate times taken Maxalt, Imitrex, or generic OTC migraine meds + caffeine.

Excedrin worked for me before I quit coffee.

Also, since starting a low-carb keto diet two years ago, I haven't had a single migraine (I used to get 2-3 per month, both painful ones and visual auras). When I was a pediatric neurology prof a few years ago, a keto diet was standard of care for the kids, and the department was starting research into keto for chronic migraines. Give it a try!

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#92

Post by jawilson2 »

mdip wrote: post #39

I discovered that if I only consumed caffeine when I had a Migraine headache, that it was the most effective medicine I could take provided I didn't already have a tolerance built up so I gave up caffeine in my 20s. Frankly, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was plagued with minor but persistent headaches for almost a month and was exhausted most of that time since I was used to grabbing a cup of coff…

I inadvertently quit coffee a while ago after a bad flu, and not drinking it for a week. What it helped me discover is that I was not getting ANYWHERE near enough sleep. I thought I was functioning fine on 5 hours, but when I didn't have coffee, I was hitting a wall after lunch. When I started getting 7-8 hours, I felt great without coffee, and I started making progress in the gym and losing more weight. Caffeine is supposed to help with those things, but it was actually masking bigger issues for me.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#93

Post by InclinedPlane »

mdip wrote: post #39

I discovered that if I only consumed caffeine when I had a Migraine headache, that it was the most effective medicine I could take provided I didn't already have a tolerance built up so I gave up caffeine in my 20s. Frankly, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was plagued with minor but persistent headaches for almost a month and was exhausted most of that time since I was used to grabbing a cup of coff…

The funny thing is that if you asked people how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee vs a can of redbull I'd bet a lot of people would say the redbull. But a single cup of coffee actually has, on average, maybe twice as much caffeine. People don't realize how much caffeine coffee has, it's a ridiculous amount. Pretty much the only beverages you can get at starbucks that has significantly less caffeine than an 8oz redbull are the teas, hot chocolate, smoothies, and decaf.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#94

Post by dv35z »

jawilson2 wrote: post #91
tylermac1 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What was the medicine that ended up helping your migraines? I suffer from migraines semi-regularly and have at separate times taken Maxalt, Imitrex, or generic OTC migraine meds + caffeine.

Excedrin worked for me before I quit coffee. Also, since starting a low-carb keto diet two years ago, I haven't had a single migraine (I used to get 2-3 per month, both painful ones and visual auras). When I was a pediatric neurology prof a few years ago, a keto diet was standard of care for the kids, and the department was starting research into keto for chronic migraines. Give it a try!

For those unaware: Excedrin's principal ingredients are acetaminophen (Tylenol) + aspirin + caffeine. Each pill contains about 65 mg of caffeine (roughly equivalent to a shot of espresso).

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#95

Post by ild »

mdip wrote: post #39

I discovered that if I only consumed caffeine when I had a Migraine headache, that it was the most effective medicine I could take provided I didn't already have a tolerance built up so I gave up caffeine in my 20s. Frankly, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was plagued with minor but persistent headaches for almost a month and was exhausted most of that time since I was used to grabbing a cup of coff…

If I stop drinking coffee for 2 days, the first cup I'll drink will end up in diarrhea.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#96

Post by yeureka »

As someone trying to quit caffeine for health reasons I can relate to this.

My current strategy is to replace coffee with caffeine pills so I can control the amount exactly and reduce it slowly until it reaches zero.

Also, having to take pills when I feel bad feels rather ridiculous and makes it obvious that I am addicted.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#97

Post by jjkmk »

yeureka wrote: post #96

As someone trying to quit caffeine for health reasons I can relate to this. My current strategy is to replace coffee with caffeine pills so I can control the amount exactly and reduce it slowly until it reaches zero. Also, having to take pills when I feel bad feels rather ridiculous and makes it obvious that I am addicted.

I'm also having a caffeine problem, haven't considered pills at all.

Is there a specific brand / type of pill that works well for reducing amount over time?

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#98

Post by yeureka »

jjkmk wrote: post #97
yeureka wrote: post #96

As someone trying to quit caffeine for health reasons I can relate to this. My current strategy is to replace coffee with caffeine pills so I can control the amount exactly and reduce it slowly until it reaches zero. Also, having to take pills when I feel bad feels rather ridiculous and makes it obvious that I am addicted.

I'm also having a caffeine problem, haven't considered pills at all. Is there a specific brand / type of pill that works well for reducing amount over time?

I am in the UK and here it is quite easy to get 50mg pills in any chemist.

The most common brand seems to be Pro Plus but they cost a bit so I shopped around and found cheaper generic brands on Amazon.

The cheaper brands (apparently intended for sports) come in 200mg pills which I break in half with a knife.

These work fine, but one thing I discovered is that I need to remember to drink water as some of the symptoms of dehydration are similar to caffeine withdrawal.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#99

Post by blacksmith_tb »

tylermac1 wrote: post #64
mdip wrote: post #39

I discovered that if I only consumed caffeine when I had a Migraine headache, that it was the most effective medicine I could take provided I didn't already have a tolerance built up so I gave up caffeine in my 20s. Frankly, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was plagued with minor but persistent headaches for almost a month and was exhausted most of that time since I was used to grabbing a cup of coff…

What was the medicine that ended up helping your migraines? I suffer from migraines semi-regularly and have at separate times taken Maxalt, Imitrex, or generic OTC migraine meds + caffeine.

I have had some luck reducing the frequency of my migraines with high-dose vitamin B2[1], around 400mg a day. Caffeine (I only drink tea) is helpful for recovery from my migraines.

1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15257686

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#100

Post by Xixi »

InclinedPlane wrote: post #93
mdip wrote: post #39

I discovered that if I only consumed caffeine when I had a Migraine headache, that it was the most effective medicine I could take provided I didn't already have a tolerance built up so I gave up caffeine in my 20s. Frankly, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was plagued with minor but persistent headaches for almost a month and was exhausted most of that time since I was used to grabbing a cup of coff…

The funny thing is that if you asked people how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee vs a can of redbull I'd bet a lot of people would say the redbull. But a single cup of coffee actually has, on average, maybe twice as much caffeine. People don't realize how much caffeine coffee has, it's a ridiculous amount. Pretty much the only beverages you can get at starbucks that has significantly less caffeine than an 8oz redb…

I think people underestimate even more the amount of caffeine in green tea. Some kind of green teas, especially the like of Kabusecha/Gyokuro, have way more caffeine than coffee. Up to three times as much in a cup of tea than in an expresso in the case of Gyokuro...
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