Thread: Caffeine withdrawal. How bad to you have it?

I just drink about 6-8 cups of black a day. works for me!

About a year ago, I read a series of articles, like this one, about why caffeine is bad for diabetics. It stimulates the adrenal gland to produce more adrenaline and adrenaline stimulates the liver to dump more sugar in the blood to provide "fight or flight" energy. But caffeine also inhibits burning sugar in the muscles and the end result is a big spike in blood sugar.

I decided to eliminate caffeine entirely to see what would happen. Not only did the diabetes almost disappear (I no longer need to take glucophage) but I lost about 12 pounds without dieting.

Based on my anecdotal experience, I've come to think that some diabetes is actually caffeine poisoning.

When I worked the midnight shift a while ago,and was building my house during the day,I drank about 12 cups of coffee a day.When I could finally get to bed,I couldn't get any sleep because my legs wouldn't stop twitching.Restless leg syndrome.It's wicked.Doc said 12 cups of coffee is enough for three days.Cut that down to three a day and your legs will behave.From then on THREE cups(or four)a day and I sleep well.

Originally Posted by Chimensch

I decided to eliminate caffeine entirely to see what would happen. Not only did the diabetes almost disappear (I no longer need to take glucophage) but I lost about 12 pounds without dieting.

WOW! congrats! that is great! i love to hear stories like yours.

type 2 diabetes is very preventable and treatable with a proper diet which includes watching how much caffeine you take in. plus some peoples bodies can be overly sensitive to caffeine which can cause a number of different things. unfortunately doctors don't typically tell people that their diets can cure anything (please don't think i am doctor bashing as i respect them immensely, but they are typically not trained on proper diet). just for clarification, when i say diet i mean well rounded eating habits that include a balance of proteins, fats, carbs, minerals, etc. i don't mean "diet" as in the south beach diet or any other clicky fad that simply seems to starve a person into loosing weight, and then they gain it back.

Originally Posted by Chimensch

About a year ago, I read a series of articles, like this one, about why caffeine is bad for diabetics. It stimulates the adrenal gland to produce more adrenaline and adrenaline stimulates the liver to dump more sugar in the blood to provide "fight or flight" energy. But caffeine also inhibits burning sugar in the muscles and the end result is a big spike in blood sugar.

I decided to eliminate caffeine entirely to see what would happen. Not only did the diabetes almost disappear (I no longer need to take glucophage) but I lost about 12 pounds without dieting.

Based on my anecdotal experience, I've come to think that some diabetes is actually caffeine poisoning.

Yuck, that glucophage stuff is nasty. SWMBO was on it shortly for some glucose issues and she was miserable.

Originally Posted by Quick Orange

Yuck, that glucophage stuff is nasty. SWMBO was on it shortly for some glucose issues and she was miserable.

Originally Posted by chee16

WOW! congrats! that is great! i love to hear stories like yours.

type 2 diabetes is very preventable and treatable with a proper diet which includes watching how much caffeine you take in. plus some peoples bodies can be overly sensitive to caffeine which can cause a number of different things. unfortunately doctors don't typically tell people that their diets can cure anything (please don't think i am doctor bashing as i respect them immensely, but they are typically not trained on proper diet). just for clarification, when i say diet i mean well rounded eating habits that include a balance of proteins, fats, carbs, minerals, etc. i don't mean "diet" as in the south beach diet or any other clicky fad that simply seems to starve a person into loosing weight, and then they gain it back.

Thanks to you both. I would also like add that things really began to turn around for me when I moved to Italy. What happened? I unconsciously started eating a better diet with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, pasta, olive oil, the whole Mediterranean diet. Also, I moved into the old town center of Modena where everything is in walking distance, so I walked a lot and didn't use the car much. The typical suburban American lifestyle where we're always in the car and don't walk much and eat a lot of fast food is really unhealthy.

Originally Posted by chee16

first i will say, all you coffee lovers please don't take any offense by what i may say. *HEALTHY RANT WARNING*

i have never been a coffee drinker, ever. i always thought it looked like a nice habit, nostalgic even, get up and brew the first cup and enjoy waking up. but then i smelled it. then i took a sip. i didn't like either. then my mom told me how she really wished she could quit, but just couldn't go without it, this was the third turn off. but i think one of the biggest factors was that my dad NEVER drank coffee, and i always wanted to do everything like him. so if he saw it as a weekness, then there was no way i would do it.

i also really hate having to rely on a substance like that to function. it just bugs me for some reason.

now heres the part that is going to tick some people off.
there is absolutely no reason that you shouldn't be able to get enough energy from your food to function from early in the morning all the way til bed time without any nap times. it is that simple. i don't have a perfect diet (and i should since i own a health food store) but i can honestly say that when i wake up i am up and don't ever need a nap. whether it is 6 hours of sleep or 9 doesn't matter (though i find more then 9 makes me feel sleepy). food can give you all the energy you need if you choose the right stuff.

also, coffee is bad for you. there, i said it, everyone all at once try to hit me through the computer screen. coffee is a mild neurotoxin that depletes your adrenal glands which can cause mood swings and low energy levels. it is also a diuretic and it is recommended that for every cup of coffee you drink you should be drinking something like 2 cups of water.

if your going to drink coffee buy a free trade organic brand, grind it yourself and drink it black. it doesn't have to be free trade really but that is better. coffee is heavily sprayed with pesticides so organic is important.

if you want to quit i suggest you use some type of adrenal support/cleanse supplement for the first little bit, also infrared saunas are great for getting rid of the withdrawl symptoms. a good greens supplement is a great suggestion for anyone but especially for quitting coffee (or smoking) as you will have significantly more energy, and the increased amount of anti oxidants will aid in you body detoxing. if you really love the taste, all i can say is that they do make greens supplements in cappucino flavour thats the best i can do.

there, i'm done, please don't think less of me.

Okay Chee, so if I were to translate all this crap into an answer to the original question, would I be correct to say you do not suffer from caffiene withdrawal?

Originally Posted by icedog

Okay Chee, so if I were to translate all this crap into an answer to the original question, would I be correct to say you do not suffer from caffiene withdrawal?

You obviously were when you wrote that.