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Comment by zeta0134 | Hacker News Reader

I tried this! I went completely caffeine free for over a year and was... fine? But way more tired all the time, and generally having trouble focusing on tasks. In my particular case, I suspect caffeine is a self administered coping mechanism for mild ADHD tendencies, and without that I became much more sensitive to the food I was eating and my changing energy levels throughout the day.

Eventually I realized I had stopped coping with caffeine and, instead, started coping with *sugar*, and gained 20 lbs in the process.

I'm back on caffeine again, but the rules are: one (1) cup in the morning, however I like it. Then water for every other beverage all day long. That seems to have done the trick, and now I again sleep through the night and can more easily remain focused throughout the day.

The point is, experiment, yes! But it's your body and your mind. Take notes and figure out what works best in your case. Everyone is a little different.

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Caffeine is self-medication for the drudgery of the modern life. Also Texas allergy season.

Yeah, I have the same feeling about ADHD. I would like to go decaf, I really do. Like higher blood pressure is already enough reason for me for quitting it. But when I don't drink caffeine, I cannot focus on anything anymore. Now I haven't been tested for ADHD so I don't have access to real ADHD meds. But those come with side effects as well, so I might just stay with caffeine.

I _had_ to quit caffeine last fall, my blood pressure was so high I could literally feel and hear it. (160/95-ish)

Quitting coffee and energy drinks did it for a while, but my sleep issues continued. I had to switch to caffeine free cola too and then my sleep started improving.

Now my BP has normalised around 125/80...

...But it seems I have been suppressing ADD symptoms with my caffeine intake for years and my brain is going 1000km/h and bouncing around. I sleep well and I'm not tired - but I can't focus for shit.

Did you quit long enough that you got through the withdrawal?

Caffeine withdrawal is pretty bad, and you'll probably have trouble thinking. The first time I quit cold turkey, I felt dumb. Couldn't think clearly or focus until I got past it.

I quit caffeine on a regular basis, every few years I'll quit, go a year or two without, then go back on, usually because of something like having to do a lot of international travel where it absolutely helps.

When I quit I do a controlled taper, usually over 3 weeks or so. Currently on a taper now, I'm at 19% of original dose after about 2.5 weeks, and considering pulling the plug completely any day now. I find the hardest part is moving from about 50% original dose to 25%, that's usually where I start to experience the classic headaches and such. I think it's because it's about the window where I start to process all the caffeine out of my body each day, rather than always having some around.

One Christmas, the extended family, most of us caffeine junkies were all at my parent's home. By the second or third day, everyone had headaches and just felt terrible. My brother-in-law wandered into the kitchen to put on a fresh pot of coffee and discovered my Mom was serving everyone decaf. I think the entire clan picked up and headed to the nearest coffee shop within minutes of that discovery.

How long did it take for you to get past it? TBH I was surprised how bad it is. The first three days I could barely stay awake. No headache though. I managed to do 10 days before giving up. Not sure if that is enough to fully get over it.

It was a while ago now but I think it was about two weeks.

Coffee crept back into my life though, the most recent time I cut it out I mixed decaf and regular, decreasing the amount of regular until it was fully decaf over a few weeks. It was mostly smooth, except for one or two steps. I think the week around 50 was bad but still no where near doing to abruptly.

I second the “experimenting” thing. I would recommend going caffeine free for a couple weeks every once in a while, just to kind of… keep track of the addiction. I’ll quit coffee occasionally, historically usually for a tolerance break if it’s getting a bit too much, or to just kind of “reset” my brain chemistry.

I ultimately found that reducing was a good idea, but I personally like coffee a lot and feel it adds something for me. I also have adhd though, so I’m probably playing with a slightly different deck on the “how stimulants interact with the brain” front.

I have found that having controls and limits around caffeine intake is a pretty good practice. I found that to reliably sleep well, I need to never drink caffeine after noon. And reducing my intake a bit helps as well. But from there, I haven’t seen much further benefit from quitting entirely.

i live with (more than mild) ADHD and this is something i only just realized about myself. i used to use medication, but keeping up with the schedules and appointments needed to maintain steady access to the medicine is _exactly_ the sort of thing i struggle with; these days i haven't been medicated for over ten years. i use caffeine (coffe & energy drinks), nicotine (vaping), and sugar (jelly beans) to be a functional member of society. i honestly didn't realize i was self-medicating until a doctor pointed it out to me a year ago.

i'm pretty certain my current habits are shortening my lifespan and that my life would be happier (and more productive) with medicine. at the same time, i have a partner who does use medicine and i watch the hurdles they face (with insurance, with pharmacy shortages, juggling schedules with multiple doctors, having withdrawal when availability doesn't line up) and i feel like i wouldn't stand a chance of juggling all of that.

Another option for self medication is exercise. I've been an endurance exercise addict off and on for my whole life, it can take the place of many of your self medications, or if you can't give those up, it can at least nullify the sugar you are taking in by burning it off.

Just commenting to say I have the same experience.

Same here.

My fix was to quit the job where I felt like I had to drink coffee to survive the drudgery. Now I work from home and can jus be tired if I'm tired. It's great.

try switching to cacao, it made me clamer and more focused

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