Quitting coffee and the ensuing effects

This is now my concern. After saying several times, on this forum and elsewhere, that I would rather go blind than give up coffee, I am starting to become concerned about the possible psychological side effects. I have a reasonably large coffee intake (5 or 6 cups a day), and lately I have not been able to so much as lose my credit card without going into a mild hysterical fit. I also have a lot of trouble concentrating. I've started to wonder just how things would be without coffee. Will there be changes? How is it done?

I HAVE TO GIVE UP COFFEE AND ALL FORMS OF CAFFEINE.

Also, my almost daily cocktail of Excederin Migraine needs to stop ASAP (I apparently get rebound headaches).

My doctor told me I could get such a bad headache that it might send me to the EMERGENCY ROOM.

YAY.

I AM NOW BORING (I can't really drink booze either).

TIME FOR A NEW BRAIN

excedrin migraine has lots of caffeine! i hope he gave you some other headache meds at least.

LOBOTOMY PLZ

yeah, he gave me stuff for my migraines and a low grade anti-depressant (?!) to ward of potentially terrible withdrawal headache.

I AM OFFICIALLY DULL

don't quit coffee! coffee needs you!

what do doctors really know

can you taper? do the half decaf half regular? or did he say you have to stop immediately?

is it time to try topamax yet?

I LOVE COFFEE BUT IT DOES NOT LOVE ME ;_;

excederin migraine is officially a BITCH

AM I GOING TO TURN INTO A HIPPY WITH MY NEW HERBAL TEA DRINKING BEHAVIOR??!

I have to go cold turkey! The fact that I could get such a raging headache that would send me to the emergency room is scary.

brain doctor put me on samples of Maxalt?

Imitrex doesn't work for me, as demonstrated by 4 DAY migraine. ;_;

i have to say that quitting coffee did help my headaches a lot. i stopped over the last month or so.

I had no idea caffeine was so addictive. It's like you guys are talking about smack or something. Good thing I've always preferred tea.

how fancy of you

honestly though i lived for a good 2, maybe even 3?, years drinking non-caffeinated tea, having maybe a coffee or caffeinated tea every couple of weeks. then introduced it again slowly.

i mean now i'm almost full-blown addicted again but hey we'll see

what i'm saying is that you can do it! see how you feel, gauge it, etc

xposts - tea has caffeine

I basically only drank tea for about 5 years, but now that I'm back in the US and there isn't much to do besides hang out and read at a starbucks, I'm drinking coffee again. The effects vary, from invigorating to draining. Driving home yesterday buzzing off the caffiene felt more dangerous than driving home from a bar after a couple of beers.

i think that most people just like being drugged

which is obv not new news!

yeah, my dr said i'll feel a million dollars better with my daily headaches (i know, sad!). migraines, maybe not, but i won't be taking a frightening amount of excederin to counteract the withdrawal of excederin.

thank you, all. i can do it, i guess. i mean, anything is better than having a headache all the time, right?

i *might* be able to drink coffee eventually, but NO MORE excederin. EVER.

yeah, my dr said i'll feel a million dollars better with my daily headaches (i know, sad!)

that didn't make sense. blame my creeping headache that is coming on.

WITHOUT my daily headaches.

maybe you also need yoga!

but no headstands

http://www.celestialseasonings.com/images/products/herbal-teas/roastaroma-lg.jpg

YOGA!! excellent idea!

laurel and i were just discussing what i need to take up to make me seem badass now that i'm officially boring.

it's down to jujitsu or kickboxing.

If I ever go off coffee cold turkey, I'll have to spend about four days in bed with the lights off.

does that TASTE like coffee, but isn't?

fuck! i'm going to be unconscious for several weeks.

remind me again what the problem with decaf coffee is? are you not allowed to have that because of the teensy tiny amount of caffeine?

pretty much!

no soda either! (not that i drink that much of that anyway)

srsly, i'm going to be a zombie

but, if it helps, it helps, i guess.

- that roastaroma tea or something like it sort of tastes like coffee
- there are these roasted chicory or hazelnuts or whatever swiss beverages you can buy in health food stores
- decaf coffee

there is a coffee alternatives thread but i need to not be in the office any longer

i may try to roastarama, but it may make me sad.

i'll see how i do cold turkey. the excederin i took at noon is wearing off and my brain hurts.

i apologize in advance if i'm grumpy to any of you in the next few weeks.

I love Roastaroma. I drink it every weekday morning. It doesn't taste exactly like coffee, but it's made with chicory and cinnamon and barley and things like that, so it has a similar robustness. It also gives me the same "I am at work and about to start my very productive morning" feeling. But it's been a few years since I drank coffee regularly, so maybe I have just gotten used to the alternative.

MOLLY I'VE GOT IT: SAYOC KALI -- FILIPINO KNIFE FIGHTING.

A friend of mine who is TEENY TINY and very shy used to take this, it look AWESOME.

http://bladearts.com/SayocKali.aspx

jaymc, thank you for the heads up about the celestial seasons goodness. Generally, I don't like chicory coffee, but something is better than nothing, right?

LAUREL OMG

No one will ever say, "Oh, Molly? That librarian who has 3 cats and knits and doesn't drink? She's boring!" IF I CAN IMPRESS THEM WITH MY FILIPINO KNIFE SKILLS.

"Sayoc Kali is ALL BLADE - ALL THE TIME. "

it's official. i want to die.

Oh Molls. u_u

Are you home? Please go home.

no, i'm at work, moaning to my coworkers.

i think i will crack open my box of chamomile tea and see if i can trick myself with a caffeine-free hot beverage.

agh

help.. meeee

Quitting or cutting back?

quitting

for a week at least