Did quitting caffeine speed up your healing?

I keep going back and forth on this. Atm it's the only thing I live for as it gives me a bit of a boost each day. Did anyone find they healed quicker once they gave it up for good? I get caffeine withdrawal when I stop so I never push through it. However, this whole process is making me wonder if caffeine prolongs or even stops recovery. I've spoken to a few people with similar symotoms to me (mental) who are suffering years out and they are all still consuming caffeine daily.

I've not seen anything indicating that caffeine slows healing, but if you're concerned, see what happens if you reduce or eliminate it from your diet.

 

I continued drinking a single cup of coffee throughout my withdrawal, and now often enjoy two cups during the day. 

I've not seen any evidence either. I just really wonder for the people who are taking ages to heal. It is a stimulant on the CNS daily.

Yeah, it's definitely a stimulant.  Yet there are tons of people who drink 5-6 cups a day, and have no anxiety or insomnia issues.  I'm now enjoying a second chai mocha soy latte many mornings, and I'm sleeping pretty good at night (for me).  I also finished retiring this year, so am carrying far less of that work-related baggage (stress/anxiety/anger).

Yeah I love coffee too which is why I haven't been able to stop. Yeah I understand there are big drinkers but they aren't with a screwed up CNS. I can't imagine anyone in our state drinking 5 cups and still healing okay but who knows.

No. I have barely drank any coffee during this. Tastes good but then hours later I get buzzing and tremors

Hmmmm.... this is my ultimate question too.

 

I was a big coffee drinker prior to tapering. About a year after stopping benzos I had to switch to black tea as coffee was making me too anxious. Now I'm wondering if tea is slowing my healing...

 

Like Shamo, it's one of the lone bright spots in my day. But I'm also 5 years out and still totally disabled  :'(

 

Not sure what to do. Reading "Caffeine Blues" right now and (if this book is to be believed), it's a pretty bad substance for even normal people. Must be worse for us.

 

But on the other hand, trying to quit caffeine is also super hard (I must have tried 100 times so far) because I'm always so unwell that even a little bit of caffeine withdrawal makes it so much worse.

 

I'm sure it's worth stopping. I'm going to keep trying. 

 

 

I am going to follow this thread. I have been wondering that too. I have a cup of coffee in the morning and 50 mg of caffeine water midday. But, I do notice that sometimes I get brain fog, nause, and brain tingling after drinking it. I bought caffeine peppermint tea to see if I'll be able to replace it.

Hmmmm.... this is my ultimate question too.

 

I was a big coffee drinker prior to tapering. About a year after stopping benzos I had to switch to black tea as coffee was making me too anxious. Now I'm wondering if tea is slowing my healing...

 

Like Shamo, it's one of the lone bright spots in my day. But I'm also 5 years out and still totally disabled  :'(

 

Not sure what to do. Reading "Caffeine Blues" right now and (if this book is to be believed), it's a pretty bad substance for even normal people. Must be worse for us.

 

But on the other hand, trying to quit caffeine is also super hard (I must have tried 100 times so far) because I'm always so unwell that even a little bit of caffeine withdrawal makes it so much worse.

 

I'm sure it's worth stopping. I'm going to keep trying. 

 

Donnie you took the words out of my mouth. I was able to quit another addictive med while already being in benzo paws and that was rough. But I was able to make it through as I always had my coffee to help me survive and give me a bit of a buzz. It's also my longest standing addiction as I'm 33 now and started drinking redbulls and coke at 16. Not daily but thats when it started. I only drink coffee these days. My sleep is so bad because even one coffee daily keeps me too stimulated in this state.

 

I love the morning buzz and start to the day though as I always feel really drowsy and depressed in the mornings. I don't want to replace it with anything like tea or hot water. I don't do it for the ritual it's just the energy kick. One day I really need to do it.

Yes I know what you mean... I don't get a buzz or anything from tea, but it does help my mood, brain fog and relieves my aches and pains a bit.

 

I have some decaf tea as well and I try my best to use that as the day goes on. But, sometimes a nice cup of regular tea just makes me feel much better.

 

My problem is that I often have another regular tea in the afternoon just to make it through the day... I was down to one in the morning, and then I had set back from walking too much and (out of self pity) allowed myself to have another tea.

 

I'm sure I'll try and cut out the second cup again soon. Damn this benzo damaged state 

I've not seen any evidence either. I just really wonder for the people who are taking ages to heal. It is a stimulant on the CNS daily.

All I've seen is some people  say they felt much better when they stop it and others say they have no problem with it, and others on here pointing out a study done on Rats that said caffeine upregulated the GABBA receptors. I'd feel happier if it were done on humans

 

BUT...I did Geno testing which says I have a slow COMT gene, and caffeine is one of the things I should avoid, before I did that I stopped drinking caffeine year's ago anyway BUT..Started drinking tea again  earlier this year as I was pissed off I'm in hell regardless of what I do, and I just wanted at least 1 thing I consider 'part of normal everyday living, yesterday I threw the teabags out after drinking 3 cups of tea, but ended up getting them  back again this morning they were in a sealed bag in the bin.

 

I should have flushed them down the toilet like I did  with the cigs when I stopped smoking 6 year's ago as I feel like a fkn crack head with no crack without the tea, so I am going to try the 'taper down'' method instead just try stick to 1 cup and drop the amount down from the cup each day then stop. Or do what I was doing a week ago I was going every other day without one, so maybe I'll try doing that then every 2 days by the time I hit every 3 days if I can do that then that's long enough in my mind to be able to stop it completely. I stopped drinking Alcohol CT 6 years ago too the same day as the cigs and never went back but this seems harder than that to do now!!!   

 

Yet when I last stopped caffeine I went CT then too ffks!  Its like the Benzos have given me an addition to the tea they did with the booze and cigs, once I went on them my intake of both rocketed way up! Lots of other people on here said the same thing, once on the benzos they were drinking really heavily compared to before and smoking a LOT more too.

 

                                                                Nova xxx  :smitten:

I feel like a fkn crack head with no crack without the tea, so I am going to try the 'taper down'' method instead just try stick to 1 cup

 

This made me laugh!! It's soooo true.  I've thrown out coffee and tea only to pull it out of the garbage (in a tin or box of course).

 

I can soooo relate.

 

I'm currently trying to cut down to one tea a day again and it's about as fun as it sounds.

I might have to go through the dreaded cold turkey and hope I feel better in a month.

I might have to go through the dreaded cold turkey and hope I feel better in a month.

Hi Shamo , I'm going  Caffeine CT from today as I can't help feeling I'm''self sabotaging'' myself more than I realise  as much as I enjoy it, Caffeine does do a lot to the brain and the gut, plus my sleep is shit and I only drink Tea very early hours of the morning like 4-5am and the latest is 8.30am, but I think its still effecting me more than I realise all those hours later.  Plus its possible it may also be the reason for other symptoms I have, and not noticed its actually the caffeine causing is IDK, but I do know I've seen a lot of people say they felt better minus the caffeine when they stopped, so here's hoping

 

 

 

      Nova xxx  :smitten:

I feel like a fkn crack head with no crack without the tea, so I am going to try the 'taper down'' method instead just try stick to 1 cup

 

This made me laugh!! It's soooo true.  I've thrown out coffee and tea only to pull it out of the garbage (in a tin or box of course).

 

I can soooo relate.

 

I'm currently trying to cut down to one tea a day again and it's about as fun as it sounds.

Man its a show up!! fkn bin rustling ffks!! Its no good , I can't bloody ''taper'' tea so its got to be a CT job, and I've got non left now after yesterdays 'bender'' and I can't get out so I can't get any more now even if I wanted to, as my food delivery isn't due to mid week and by then Its going to be nearly a week gone past so I won't be so bothered about it by then. I was thinking of trying this as a replacement for something else to drink than just water all the time , plus its good for your gut bacteria as well    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/chicory-coffee#TOC_TITLE_HDR_8

 

 

                                   

 

 

 

                                                                        Nova xxx  :smitten:

Yeah I've got bad constipation these days and I think coffee is actually making it worse long term. It effects the acid levels in your gut which are important for digestion. I agree with everything you said. Who knows this might be messing our brain and stopping it healing. Even if I drink it in the AM I still cant sleep. Terrible.

Yeah I've got bad constipation these days and I think coffee is actually making it worse long term. It effects the acid levels in your gut which are important for digestion. I agree with everything you said. Who knows this might be messing our brain and stopping it healing. Even if I drink it in the AM I still cant sleep. Terrible.

 

I haven't drank coffee in a really long time until I got sick. I used to get my caffeine from energy drinks and pills and had to stop those CT when I went into withdrawal. But, I have been drinking coffee steadily for about 4 months now. I have digestion issues where when I eat, it feels like the food is getting stuck and I have some inflammation of the binary duct. Could this be the coffee or just another benzo withdrawal?

It really is hard to say. At first coffee would help me go to the bathroom like a laxative almost but I think over time it changes your gut health.

I feel like a fkn crack head with no crack without the tea, so I am going to try the 'taper down'' method instead just try stick to 1 cup

 

This made me laugh!! It's soooo true.  I've thrown out coffee and tea only to pull it out of the garbage (in a tin or box of course).

 

I can soooo relate.

 

I'm currently trying to cut down to one tea a day again and it's about as fun as it sounds.

Man its a show up!! fkn bin rustling ffks!! Its no good , I can't bloody ''taper'' tea so its got to be a CT job, and I've got non left now after yesterdays 'bender'' and I can't get out so I can't get any more now even if I wanted to, as my food delivery isn't due to mid week and by then Its going to be nearly a week gone past so I won't be so bothered about it by then. I was thinking of trying this as a replacement for something else to drink than just water all the time , plus its good for your gut bacteria as well    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/chicory-coffee#TOC_TITLE_HDR_8

 

 

                                   

 

 

 

                                                                        Nova xxx  :smitten:

 

Having a little chuckle to myself about tapering tea 😂 WTF has happened to our lives

Yeah I've got bad constipation these days and I think coffee is actually making it worse long term''

Hi Shamo I thought the same thing too, I had constipation prior to drinking tea again, but its gotten even worse since drinking tea again, anyway today is DAY 3 No caffeine, hopefully its going to get better sooner rather than later, and its too early yet to say if its made or going to make any difference.

 

All I know is I woke up even bloody earlier today, but then again I think  fell asleep pretty early so I'm wondering if I actually slept OK, or longer than I think I slept although I feel like I still need a good sleep, I'm worn out with all the symptoms plus not sleeping properly, and the constipation is bloody agony it makes everything a lot worse 

 

 

                                                    Nova xxx  :smitten:

 

 

 

   

I feel like a fkn crack head with no crack without the tea, so I am going to try the 'taper down'' method instead just try stick to 1 cup

 

This made me laugh!! It's soooo true.  I've thrown out coffee and tea only to pull it out of the garbage (in a tin or box of course).

 

I can soooo relate.

 

I'm currently trying to cut down to one tea a day again and it's about as fun as it sounds.

Man its a show up!! fkn bin rustling ffks!! Its no good , I can't bloody ''taper'' tea so its got to be a CT job, and I've got non left now after yesterdays 'bender'' and I can't get out so I can't get any more now even if I wanted to, as my food delivery isn't due to mid week and by then Its going to be nearly a week gone past so I won't be so bothered about it by then. I was thinking of trying this as a replacement for something else to drink than just water all the time , plus its good for your gut bacteria as well    https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/chicory-coffee#TOC_TITLE_HDR_8

 

 

                                   

 

 

 

                                                                        Nova xxx  :smitten:

 

Having a little chuckle to myself about tapering tea 😂 WTF has happened to our lives

  Hi HM  Your telling me WTF?? there's a lot of advice about tapering down form Caffeine to avoid withdrawal symptoms but no way can I do it if I got tea in my home I'll drink it , and I drink even more when I try to taper the shit so its CT  for me, its no use lying to myself when I know I'll keep drinking it while its there.

 

                                    Nova xxx :smitten:

Yeah I've got bad constipation these days and I think coffee is actually making it worse long term''

Hi Shamo I thought the same thing too, I had constipation prior to drinking tea again, but its gotten even worse since drinking tea again, anyway today is DAY 3 No caffeine, hopefully its going to get better sooner rather than later, and its too early yet to say if its made or going to make any difference.

 

All I know is I woke up even bloody earlier today, but then again I think  fell asleep pretty early so I'm wondering if I actually slept OK, or longer than I think I slept although I feel like I still need a good sleep, I'm worn out with all the symptoms plus not sleeping properly, and the constipation is bloody agony it makes everything a lot worse 

 

 

                                                    Nova xxx  :smitten:

 

 

 

 

 

I feel you Nova.

 

Im down to just 1 coffee atm but gut issues aren't good at all. I'm trying more safer long term laxatives than senna atm. Senna made things worse and stopped my bowel moving on it's own completely. I would love to quit caffeine for good soon but I've got so much shit going on atm it's hard. I'm only drinking shitty instant stuff so I'm not hooked on the proper shit.

Yeah I've got bad constipation these days and I think coffee is actually making it worse long term''

Hi Shamo I thought the same thing too, I had constipation prior to drinking tea again, but its gotten even worse since drinking tea again, anyway today is DAY 3 No caffeine, hopefully its going to get better sooner rather than later, and its too early yet to say if its made or going to make any difference.

 

All I know is I woke up even bloody earlier today, but then again I think  fell asleep pretty early so I'm wondering if I actually slept OK, or longer than I think I slept although I feel like I still need a good sleep, I'm worn out with all the symptoms plus not sleeping properly, and the constipation is bloody agony it makes everything a lot worse 

 

 

                                                    Nova xxx  :smitten:

 

 

 

 

 

I feel you Nova.

 

Im down to just 1 coffee atm but gut issues aren't good at all. I'm trying more safer long term laxatives than senna atm. Senna made things worse and stopped my bowel moving on it's own completely. I would love to quit caffeine for good soon but I've got so much shit going on atm it's hard. I'm only drinking shitty instant stuff so I'm not hooked on the proper shit.

Senna don't work for me and it fks me up terrible, and as you probably know its not good to use either, I've been using glycerine suppositories and this below , I hate using anything but when your bowels completely stopped up  you have to do something to get it clear .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know about you but I ended up with Anal fissures and haemorrhoids from hell for ages, you name it I tried it. all natural stuff organic,  and nothing helped until I saw this on a natural health website

 

Thanks for the great site! You people are providing a wonderful service to humanity. Please accept my contribution (a folk cure for hemorrhoids). My ex-boyfriend (a geologist) was out in the bush when he came down with major hemorrhoids from wading waist deep across a freezing lake. The old prospector he was with told him to rub bacon grease (yum!) on the area. He swears they went away right away!

 

 

I make my own lard  from pastured pigs fat I buy on line its dead simple to make all you need is a slow cooker, and pastured lards is excellent for you, I wouldn't eat the stuff they sell in the shops as its hydrogenated lard. Anyway,  I thought why not FA else is helping so I made suppositories buy poking a thick straw into the fat froze it, and just used unfrozen lard on the outside and it works!!! I was shocked by how quickly I got relief from the pain and it stayed away too, normally I either get barely any relief or a tiny bit but the pain always comes back even if I don't go to the toilet and its agony for ages even laying down, but this has worked great!!!

 

                Nova xxxx  :smitten:

Luckily I don't have any of that stuff going on. No pain or bloating even. I've just got lactulose from the pharmacy and gonna try straight magnesium citrate powder but need to get it online.

Luckily I don't have any of that stuff going on. No pain or bloating even. I've just got lactulose from the pharmacy and gonna try straight magnesium citrate powder but need to get it online.

NOW brand of magnesium citrate powder is a good one, I can't take lactulose, it made me feel rough even before Benzos plus I had to drink 1/3 a bottle before it worked, but it works fine for other people, I hate the taste of it too yuck!!! 

 

                                                        Nova xxx  :smitten: