My thymoma, that I've mentioned in earlier posts, was causing problems again and so psychic help was sought. During a tele-healing session, I was advised to refrain from tea or coffee consumption for a period of about four days while my condition was monitored (remotely). In the meantime, I was to drink nothing but warm water. This came as something of a surprise but I nonetheless agreed to abide by the recommended restrictions.
I'm somewhat unusual in that I seldom consume straight water. All of my fluid intake comes normally from the consumption of coffee in the morning and tea for the rest of the day. Both coffee and tea contain caffeine and I didn't realise the drastic effect that the changeover would entail. Yesterday was the first day and I spent most of it sleeping, having been overcome by a profound lethargy.
Having missed my morning cup of coffee, I never really woke up. When I was not sleeping, I was in a very irritable mood and had a thick head. Later in the day, a dull pain in my hip joints set in and refused to abate. It persisted throughout the second day during which I decided to take a pain killer in order to obtain some relief. I checked on the Internet to find out if caffeine withdrawal could induce such suffering. Indeed it could. This one site titled HOW I BROKE UP WITH CAFFEINE (AND WHY I DESPERATELY NEEDED TO) said:
“The cessation of daily caffeine consumption produces a well-established withdrawal syndrome comprised of subjective symptoms and functional impairment, including headache, tiredness/fatigue, decreased alertness, decreased energy and difficulty concentrating,” he said. “These effects are likely to be more severe depending on the habitual caffeine intake (i.e. a larger or longer addiction results in greater withdrawal effects).
“Caffeine is an adenosine receptor antagonist, so when caffeine is removed, the effects of adenosine are magnified. For example, cerebral blood flow is increased when caffeine is withdrawn (acute caffeine administration decreases cerebral blood flow velocity) resulting in headaches. Aside from vascular effects, we also know that caffeine withdrawal can alter central nervous system activity.
“Given the spread of adenosine receptors throughout the body, and the importance of adenosine for the functioning of most cells, the consequence of withdrawal from large habitual doses of caffeine (i.e. >600mg/day!) will result in a broad array of symptoms.”
Like the author of the previous article, I had no idea what a grip the drug had on me. He wrote:
As Associate Professor Desbrow assured me: “The good news is that even in the most severely affected, symptoms typically subside within a week.” He was spot on. A week had now passed since Matt’s unintentional gauntlet-throw. I was waking up fresh (not drinking alcohol probably played a part there), I felt normal again, I’d discovered an excellent organic, caffeine-free tea that more than resembled my usual go-to, and most importantly I felt like I had my brain back again.
In fact, not only did I have it back, but I felt as if I was able to operate at a higher level than usual. Most notable was being able to stick to one task through completion, and my productivity (particularly at night – again, hello whisky) was remarkably better.
I’m still quite uncertain about whether I can recommend quitting caffeine. Without embellishing in the slightest, the withdrawal was one of the most rubbish experiences I’ve put my body through. I’ve experienced plenty of post-ride fatigue, but this happily took the worst of it and factored it by five. The very marrow of my bones hurt, and that’s without beginning on the crushing headaches.
I have been highly critical of people who take antidepressant medication (as over three million Australians do) but I now realise it was a case of the kettle calling the pot black. I was no better. It's taught me to get my own house in order before criticising others.
The following video does a good job of explaining the effects of caffeine:
