Are flu symptoms a side effect of breaking a caffeine adiction?

Question

Or am I actually getting sick?

Answer 1

I wouldn't say you get "flu" symtoms, but you will likely experience symptoms of withdrawal that can include severe headache, fatigue and depression.

Here are some things to help you in order to wean you off of coffee or caffeine though:

Cut down the amount you drink gradually over a period of days or even weeks. It's also important to drink plenty of water during the process in order to keep your body well hydrated.

If you find that you miss your morning coffee-drinking ritual, replace it with a new tradition that will also boost your health and energy. Vegetable juice makes a great coffee replacement, and if you're in a hurry you can try Living Fuel Rx Superfood. Both options will give you the energy boost that you're looking for in the morning without the negative effects of caffeine.

While you're in the process of weaning yourself off coffee, here are some tips to reduce the chance of harmful effects until you can completely eliminate it:

Use organic coffee. As mentioned above, coffee is a heavily sprayed crop, so drinking organic coffee might reduce or eliminate your exposure to toxic herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. It will also help the people working in the coffee fields, as they will be exposed to fewer pesticides as well.

Try "Swiss Water Process" decaf. If you are going to drink decaffeinated coffee, be sure that it uses a non-chemical based method of decaffeination. The "Swiss Water Process" is a patented method and is the best choice. Most of the major brands are chemically decaffeinated, even if it says "naturally decaffeinated" right on the container. If you are unsure of the methods, contact the manufacturer.

Avoid sugar and milk. These are actually much worse for you than the coffee itself. Don't compound the detrimental health effects by adding milk or sugar to your coffee.

Only use unbleached filters. If you use a "drip" coffee maker, be sure to use non-bleached filters. The bright white ones, which most people use, are chlorine bleached and some of this chlorine will be extracted from the filter during the brewing process.

Answer 2

When I stopped drinking caffeine, I was so b*tchy that my family thought I was possessed with the Devil! I was so cranky and had horrible headaches... My hands would shake a lot, too. I never had any flu-like symptoms, so maybe you are sick? Take some Vitamin C :-)

Answer 3

I'd say your flu symptoms are a side effect of having the flu. Kicking a caffeine addiction can leave you super tired, cranky or shaky, but not sneezy or snotty.

Answer 4

If you're taking in too much caffeine, you may want to cut back. Kicking the caffeine habit is never easy, and the best way is to cut back slowly. Otherwise you could get headaches and feel achy, depressed, or lousy. Guess it could feel like the flu.

Answer 5

Flu symptoms are not a side effect of stoping caffeine.

Answer 6

I know you can get a pretty nasty headache so you should wean yourself off caffeine slowly. I have never heard of getting any flu-like symptoms though.

Answer 7

Your sick. I have been a heavy coffee drinker and at times have left it just like that. What you describe could have come along do to the season changing. It's weird but when one goes from cold to hot weather you can get sick. Many have including me.

Answer 8

Yes,it could be. Whenever you go through withdrawls from anything you can get a whole bunch of different symptoms. Hang in there and take some extra vitamin c and get plenty of rest.Besure to drink plenty of water also.

Answer 9

It could be a mix of both.
Your body is so used to having caffine, a sdden jolt, will make you feel sick,
But it might have affected your imune system in some way so you picked up a bug.
Just drink lots of tea, try chamomile.

and take it one day at a time.

Answer 10

It's called with-drawls. It will pass within a few days. Your body is just trying to figure out what is going on. Sort of like giving up smoking or smack.