Caffeine tolerance

[otho11]

At this point caffeine has zero effect after months of drinking 5 or 6 cups of coffee daily.

Has anyone stopped using caffeine for time to reset their tolerance?

How long does it take?

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Yes.

First day you will be fine, no real notice other than maybe being a bit more tired
2nd day you will likely crash. Hard. Constant headache as well, so keep the advil near.
Day 3+ You're golden.

I would wait a MINIMUM of 1-week to reset tolerance, IDEALLY wait 2 weeks and you can ensure a 100% full tolerance reset.

That's just my experience, I've cycled caffeine multiple times in life.


Also after you get to around the 2 week mark, you will notice some very positive things. If you're ever the type of "Ugh, I wake up and feel like shit until I have my coffee" you will then turn into "I wake up and feel just fine" when your body no longer relies on the caffeine.

 

[repoman0]

Yes.

First day you will be fine, no real notice other than maybe being a bit more tired
2nd day you will likely crash. Hard. Constant headache as well, so keep the advil near.
Day 3+ You're golden.

I would wait a MINIMUM of 1-week to reset tolerance, IDEALLY wait 2 weeks and you can ensure a 100% full tolerance reset.

That's just my experience, I've cycled caffeine multiple times in life.


Also after you get to around the 2 week mark, you will notice some very positive things. If you're ever the type of "Ugh, I wake up and feel like shit until I have my coffee" you will then turn into "I wake up and feel just fine" when your body no longer relies on the caffeine.

It’s different for me. First day without it is garbage ... just generally tired, grouchy and minor headache. Second day onward is perfectly fine and by the third day if I have caffeine it’s back to feeling like the fairly strong stimulant that it is.

Of course the only time I ever stop drinking it and reset is when I’m sick with a stomach or food bug so maybe the perception is skewed. I’m at two or three cups now for a standard workday, sometimes four, and 1-3 on weekends depending on what I’m doing. I don’t feel the need to stop and reset. When I started drinking it at 20 or 21 I really didn’t want to be addicted to it but now I just don’t really care.

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

It’s different for me. First day without it is garbage ... just generally tired, grouchy and minor headache. Second day onward is perfectly fine and by the third day if I have caffeine it’s back to feeling like the fairly strong stimulant that it is.

Of course the only time I ever stop drinking it and reset is when I’m sick with a stomach or food bug so maybe the perception is skewed. I’m at two or three cups now for a standard workday, sometimes four, and 1-3 on weekends depending on what I’m doing. I don’t feel the need to stop and reset. When I started drinking it at 20 or 21 I really didn’t want to be addicted to it but now I just don’t really care.

For me the first day is just "Okay, I'm used to coffee - maybe you're just busy this morning and forgot".... then I'll inevitably get a bit tired earlier and probably start crashing around 2-3PM. Can still usually make it through the day though.

Where the full on hammer smashes my head is on that 2nd day because it's where my brain finally confirms "Ohhh, you fucker, you really are avoiding it aren't you?"

I have to deliberately ensure I don't have any - because even if I don't have coffee there is still some in coke, diet coke, energy drinks, chocolate, etc...

 

[BoomerD]

Why? Just have more/stronger...

I ised to ask my doctor to prescribe a liquid caffeine IV drip...

 

[s0me0nesmind1]

Why? Just have more/stronger...

I ised to ask my doctor to prescribe a liquid caffeine IV drip...

I honestly... don't... LOVE coffee. It's not bad, but it's not amazing either.

I also don't like having to piss every 20 minutes that I definitely get when chugging coffee and such.

 

[pete6032]

I went about a year without it after drinking 5-6 cups per day. I didn't find it that challenging but I don't really get that much of a caffeine jolt anyhow. Not even after stopping for a year and then going back to 1 per day.

 

[Captante]

Only difference for me is I'll get that pounding headache the evening of day #1 ... and Ibuprofen won't touch it.

 

[Stiff Clamp]

Don't know about tolerance and resetting.

But . . . if your brain feels like it's short-circuiting as a short-term caffeine stimulus subsides . . . melatonin or trazodone (prescription) will aid muchly in restoring neurotransmitters to normal levels (IME).

 

[otho11]

I used decaf to replace the ritual of having a cup and had a mild headache on day 2. It's day 11 now and just had an energy drink, which is having a noticable effect, but not quite what I expected.

I'll aim for two weeks next time around. I want the hunger suppression effects more than energy as nothing short of adderall will work for focus.

 

[Captante]

I'll aim for two weeks next time around. I want the hunger suppression effects more than energy as nothing short of adderall will work for focus.

The AM "laxative" effect also comes in handy!

 

[shortylickens]

I am quite numb to it during the day.

The only time caffeine works on me is about 2 minutes after I crawl into bed.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Overall I find it's lost it's effect on me as well. I just drink it as a routine thing more than anything. I'm trying to figure out the cause of my teeth clenching at night which is causing me lot of hardship and pain, so one of the things I've been doing is cutting back on coffee. I think the trick is to just wean off. I'm down to no more than 1-2 cups per day while before I was drinking at least half a pot a day. I want to try to get to a point where I can just stop for a few weeks. At that point I should be able to know if coffee is the cause of the clenching. If I find it not to be the cause, then I'll get back on it. I actually do go the odd day without any, such as days where I get up later and need to be somewhere right away, so by the time I'm back home it's late enough in the day that I just opt not to have any. I find I will get a very mild headache but nothing crazy. Coffee makes me pee a lot so I do avoid it if I'm going out.

 

[DigDog]

i hate to sound like that guy who take a question way too seriously, but the tolerance will go back to normal levels fairly quickly. If you want to go back to the level where you're like a guy who occasionally has a small coffee, we're talking years.
Otherwise, feel free to wait 2 weeks, but you'll be back to 6 cups within a few days.

FYI, the reason why coffee doesn't do anything anymore isn't because you drink 6 cups - it's because the effect doesn't leave your body overnight. Drinking water and running should get you back to where you want to be.

 

[shortylickens]

Not me.
I get withdrawal. I get the shakes. Then I freak out.

 

[pcgeek11]

I have been drinking Coffee at a rate of 6 or more mugs a day for 45 years. I don't need a reset.

 

[snoopy7548]

For me, it's really tough. My tolerance is high so I need to keep it that way. It's gotten to the point where I need to snort lines of Turkish grind throughout the day, or else I'll get brain zaps and chills.

 

[Tweak155]

Overall I find it's lost it's effect on me as well. I just drink it as a routine thing more than anything. I'm trying to figure out the cause of my teeth clenching at night which is causing me lot of hardship and pain, so one of the things I've been doing is cutting back on coffee. I think the trick is to just wean off. I'm down to no more than 1-2 cups per day while before I was drinking at least half a pot a day. I want to try to get to a point where I can just stop for a few weeks. At that point I should be able to know if coffee is the cause of the clenching. If I find it not to be the cause, then I'll get back on it. I actually do go the odd day without any, such as days where I get up later and need to be somewhere right away, so by the time I'm back home it's late enough in the day that I just opt not to have any. I find I will get a very mild headache but nothing crazy. Coffee makes me pee a lot so I do avoid it if I'm going out.

Do you use any sleeping aids? Likely not if it's EVERY night, but I noticed when I had sleeping troubles and took melatonin to help sleep ~1yr ago consistently, it caused me to clench my teeth. Hasn't happened since I quit taking anything for sleep.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Do you use any sleeping aids? Likely not if it's EVERY night, but I noticed when I had sleeping troubles and took melatonin to help sleep ~1yr ago consistently, it caused me to clench my teeth. Hasn't happened since I quit taking anything for sleep.

I rarely do but good to know, since I was going to try some to see if it makes it stop, but guess it would just make it worse. I do take melatonin now and then if I have trouble falling asleep but it's been a while since I've had to. The muscle relaxants and naproxem combined make me super sleepy.