How long does it take for caffeine to leave your symptoms ?

Question

So i'm coming off Hydroxycut Hardcore(6-8 pills a day), and massive loads of pop... I took hydroxycut was for almost two years straight... basically i could drink 4-5 monsters a day and it would have no effect, on top of my hydroxycut... it was weird

-But i have quit (about two days ago) and i have had massive headaches, hungry all the time... i was just wondering what that side effects of quitting caffeine are? and how long it takes to leave your system?

Answer 1

As long as caffeine is in your blood, it's effects will also manifest.

The time it takes for the body to eliminate one half of a caffeine dose is normally between 3 to 12 hours. It is called the half-life of caffeine. Several factors can shorten or lengthen the half life of caffeine. Smoking, medications and diseases are some factors. Pregnant women have higher caffeine half-life, 18 to 20 hours - pretty much longer for the fetus since its organs are not yet fully formed to be able to eliminate caffeine easily. About 99% of the elimination process takes place in the liver.

The effects of caffeine can begin as soon as you swallow your caffeinated beverage or food. It easily enters the bloodstream through the stomach and the intestines. Noticeable effects can be experienced 15 minutes after ingesting and peaking at around 30 - 60 minutes.

If you regularly drink a cup of coffee or tea in the morning and another in the evening, you can expect to have caffeine in your blood every hour of the day. The effect of caffeine in your body will be active 24/7. Stress hormones are released by the adrenal glands because caffeine fools your body into thinking that you are in a stressful situation. It follows that your body is in stress mode 24/7. We cannot avoid it but we normally encounter stressful situations in our daily lives and ingesting caffeine heightens the stress effects.

We know that coffee and tea are rich in antioxidants and having these in our body gives us better protection against diseases. The irony is that coffee and tea also contain caffeine which may not be good if you take more than 250 mg (approximately 10 cups of green tea or 3 cups of coffee). Nausea, dizziness, headaches and irregular heart beats are some symptoms of taking too much caffeine.

Decaffeinated coffee or tea may be helpful although they are not totally caffeine free. At least only a little caffeine is left and you can drink more without having the symptoms of caffeine overdose and getting more benefits from antioxidants that these beverages contain. See the benefits you get from this decaffeinated herbal green tea .

An alternative to drinking decaffeinated tea is decaffeinating it yourself. See my earlier post: Decaffeinated Tea.

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and about quitting:

Prepare for the withdrawal symptoms, which can begin within hours of your last caffeine fix, and may last for up to two weeks:

headache

fatigue

difficulty concentrating

poor motor skills

flu-like symptoms

Kicking it in one clear cut may work well for some, even with the symptoms. Feeling the headache and fatigue can actually demonstrate just what the caffeine is doing to your system. It does also give some an important sense of accomplishment - since some people may not notice the difference when giving it up gradually.

There is no question that the withdrawal is tough, it is very tough, but cold turkey is the best way to go. Start on a Thursday because the third and fourth days are the worst. You do not want to be at work while you are in the worst phase. The clarity you will sense when you are cleared out is unbelievable. You will feel like you had forgotten how lucid the human mind is. It is TOTALLY WORTH QUITTING!!!

DRINK LOTS OF WATER, LOTS AND LOTS OF WATER. Get yourself a replacement drink, it could be water, carbonated water, juice, decaf - just something to get when the urge for a cup sneaks in.

"Postum" is very similar to coffee, but without any caffeine. Try it. You might like it. Hot Carob is another good choice (somewhat like cocoa).

Ginseng root is a great herbal alternative to caffeine, and pills of it can be found at health food stores. It is a natural alternative for your energy needs! As with trying any new chemical, if you are pregnant or seeking to become pregnant, it is a good idea to consult your doctor first.

As an alternative to quitting gradually, you could just go cold turkey. This is harder, but often more effective. If doing this, increase your water intake drastically, it will often help reduce the headaches. The big problem with "cutting down" is that it makes you really look forward to your daily ration. A great mindset to be in when you're quitting something is to look upon it as a happy experience, not a painful one that you want to postpone for as long as possible.

Another thing to try: The first week, drink your coffee as you normally would. The second week, when you make your coffee, use 3/4 regular and 1/4 decaf. The third week, use 1/2 and 1/2. The fourth week, use 1/4 regular and 3/4 decaf. The fifth week, you're drinking decaf!

Use your strength to fight your weakness. One example is that if you are competitive, find someone just as competitive with you to compete with to see who can stay off of coffee the longest.

If you wish to reintroduce caffeine into your diet on a non-addicted basis limit yourself to one cup of tea or coffee per day, preferably in the morning and no later than early afternoon. Caffeine addiction is often born out of habit, so therefore don't slip back into the habit of reaching for a tea, coffee or diet coke whenever you feel like it.

[edit] WarningsThere is caffeine in lots of drinks, not just the dark ones like coffee and cola. Stay clear of energy drinks and be careful with tea. You should make a habit of checking out the ingredients of what you eat and drink so you don't sabotage your efforts.

Chocolate and other cocoa derivatives contain caffeine. If you're serious about getting off of stimulants, you may consider quitting chocolate as well. Caffeine concentration is directly related to the darkness of the chocolate. For instance, a milk-chocolate bar will have much less caffeine than a dark chocolate bar[1].

With headaches being the most common (and severe) symptom, watch out for caffeine laced headache remedies, such as Excedrin. Interestingly, caffeine is an ingredient in many of the most frequently used prescription headache medications.

Decaffeinated coffee does contain a minimal level of caffeine. While it may serve as a stepping stone, do realize that continuing to consume decaffeinated coffee does not constitute quitting caffeine. If you enjoy hot drinks, look instead for no caffeine products such as herbal teas or even soups.