Caffeine Withdrawal

Okay, I admit it: I've been drinking coffee. While I will continue to maintain that it is Anthony's fault for the rest of my life, I have, on occasion, been known to shoot down a mug of Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks Grande expresso.

It all started this past summer, when we attended the Dropkick Murphy's concert in New York. We were a bit early so we went to the Starbucks down the street. At that point I was pretty damn tired of Anthony asking me if I wanted something and not liking anything in the store, so I went ahead and got my first grande expresso.

Which led to other grande expressos, and multiple coffees. In fact, while I was working at BJ's over the summer, I got a cup of coffee every morning before work. Even when I had to search for change in the seat cushion, I got my coffee.

Then I moved to DC, where I am even poorer. I drink Anthony's coffee on the weekends and try to avoid Caribou Cafe in the morning. I have FAILED.

Two days ago I went to see my new doctor for the first time. I told her that I'd been experiencing these headaches for about a year or so and had thought they might be due to an eye problem. Then I went to an optometrist over the summer and he said there was nothing wrong with me. So new doctor tells me, "I would cut out the caffeine."

Traditionally, I'm not much of a caffeine person. Until this summer: no coffee. Prior to that, no soda, no caffeinated teas, no sugar - nothing on a regular basis.

And now I'm on day 2 of a headache. A frickin' Advil-repellent headache. Grrrrr...

I read up on the subject too. An article on CBS News says:

as little as one cup of coffee can cause an addiction, and withdrawal from caffeine produces any of five clusters of symptoms in some people:

-Headache, the most common symptom, which affects at least of 50 percent of people in caffeine withdrawal

-Fatigue or drowsiness

-"Unhappy" mood, depression, or irritability

-Difficulty concentrating

-Flu-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and stiffness.

"Onset of these symptoms typically occurs within 12 to 24 hours of stopping caffeine and peaks one to two days after stopping," Griffiths [Roland Griffiths, PhD, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine] tells WebMD. "The duration is between two and nine days."


The rest of the article can be found here.

Can you believe it??? If I'm going through caffeine withdrawal, this crap can last up to NINE DAYS?!!!

Someone just shoot me now.