Caffeine Withdrawal Diary

11:32.56 - Sunday 25th April 2004   (Link to This Entry)

For the past few days I have cut the number of cups of coffee I consume in a day right down to almost zero and this has, naturally, had a negative affect on me in true 'cold turkey' style. I had read up on what to expect and wasn't really looking forward to the headaches, nausea and possible vomiting, but my urine was so dark it looked like it hadn't been filtered at all, and so something had to be done.

Day One
Didn't have my usual two cups on waking, felt sluggish all morning and only really started moving around midday. Had a social cup in the afternoon with a client and perked up a little. Headaches started in the evening, felt woozy at some point during the day and hovered over the toilet bowl just in case, but nothing was forthcoming.

Day Two
A single crippling headache all day, a real head-splitter. Concentration is almost zero making work almost impossible. Took a nap on the sofa around 2pm which helped a little but the headache returned with a vengeance afterwards. Driving is decidedly dangerous because I can't concentrate and I hate the bright light of daytime.

Day Three
Headache is still there but the level of pain is roughly halved. I managed to get some work done today (mosty copy-paste so I didn't have to think). Had a coffee in the afternoon and the pain went away almost instantly. Spoke to a chap who had been on 30 cups a day when he gave up - it wasn't pleasant, apparently. Was actually able to work the whole afternoon and evening and get a good night's sleep.

Day Four
A lot of physical exertion in the garden, a sure fire way to get the blood pumping and the head pounding. Had to take a break at once point but I was able to continue after only a short rest. Soaked in the bath to relax and slept well.

Day Five (today)
Up fairly early today, I can feel a headache creeping back in as it's been a good 48 hours since I last had a coffee. Nowhere near as bad as before, however, and I spent the morning working. Either the headache will get worse, or it will ease off, depending on just how bad my 'addiction' was.

Hopefully the headaches will now ease off before disappearing altogether, but if that's not the case then I can live with one coffee every two days.