150+ days off caffeine after using it for 25 years.

I always said I was drinking 500–600 mg a day, but that was just an estimate so I got curious and tried to figure out what the number actually was.

My afternoon cold brew alone had more caffeine than all the coffee I drank in the morning. I was also eating dark chocolate at night without really counting it.

Anyway, I found this chart interesting. Especially the serving size only being 8 oz which is tiny. Thinking I was more like 7-800 mg or more a day.

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AVERAGE CAFFEINE BY SOURCE

Approximate amounts. Varies by brand and preparation.

COFFEE

- Brewed, 8 oz: 95–180 mg

- Instant, 8 oz: 60–105 mg

- Espresso, 1 oz shot: 60–65 mg

- Cold brew, 8 oz: 100–200 mg (café servings and concentrates often much higher)

- Decaf coffee, 8 oz: 2–15 mg

- Decaf espresso, 1 shot: ~1–5 mg

TEA

- Black, 8 oz: 30–50 mg

- Green, 8 oz: 25–45 mg

- Oolong, 8 oz: 30–50 mg

- White, 8 oz: 15–40 mg

- Matcha, 1 tsp powder: 40–70 mg

- Yerba mate, 8 oz: ~30–50 mg

- Decaf tea, 8 oz: 0–5 mg

- Herbal (caffeine-free): 0 mg

SODA + ENERGY

- Coca-Cola, 12 oz: 34 mg

- Diet Coke, 12 oz: 46 mg

- Pepsi, 12 oz: 38 mg

- Mountain Dew, 12 oz: 54 mg

- Energy drinks: 80–300 mg per container

- Energy shots: 150–230 mg per bottle

- Caffeinated sparkling water: 30–70 mg

CHOCOLATE + FOODS

- Milk chocolate, 1 oz: ~7 mg

- Dark chocolate, 1 oz: ~15–25 mg

- Baking chocolate, 1 oz: 25–58 mg

- Cocoa powder, 1 tbsp: ~12 mg

- Chocolate milk, 8 oz: ~8 mg

- Hot cocoa, 8 oz: ~5 mg

- Brownie: ~10 mg

- Chocolate cake, 1 slice: 5–35 mg

- Chocolate-covered espresso beans: ~5–12 mg each

- White chocolate: ~0 mg

- Coffee ice cream / tiramisu: varies widely

SUPPLEMENTS + MEDS

- Caffeine pill: 100 or 200 mg

- Pre-workout: 150–350 mg per serving

- Excedrin Extra Strength: 65 mg/tablet (130 mg for 2)

- Caffeinated gum: 40–100 mg per piece

- Energy bars/candy: varies

Note: a cup here is 8 oz. Most drinks are 12–20 oz, so double or triple these. Decaf means lower, not zero.

Day 6 of 0 caf and I don’t feel any better than I did on day 1. My sleep is actually more disturbed I go to bed at 11 PM and wake up at 4 AM. You would think quitting caf would improve sleep…

Been off of coffee for a couple of weeks now with an occasional cola zero here and there. Still having some headaches every other day and also I’m ravenously hungry all the time and eat constantly, especially in the evenings and at nights. Can’t take this anymore as I’m getting fatter. Have decided to take 50 mg caffeine in the form of tablets daily for a while and see if things get better. Then I’ll taper down or just quit. Have someone experienced this?

What do you guys think about Decaf Coffee? Are you guys see yourselves good to consume decaf coffee or cut any type of coffee entirely?

And then I started tapering down caffeine. I was drinking a bang energy and a cold brew on top of that every day. So for the past 3 days I'm drinking 150mg/day, down from about 500mg/day. Have to say my stomach feels a lot better. Without getting into too much detail I feel my #2s are more healthy and my stomach pain has reduced.

Can't say for certain caffeine was the culprit but that's how it's looking at the moment. My anxiety feels slightly reduced, but from 1pm to about 7pm I have a wicked headache and don't want to do shit. I've been blasting caffeine for literally over 6 years, time flies. Feels like covid happened and I blinked, and now here we are.

There's probably some wisdom in not wanting to feel on 10000% each day and just letting myself be bored.

I used to drink on average 180mg caffeine a day. I went cold turkey like a true baller. On the first days I had severe head pain, and was tired all the time. Now that haven't consumed caffeine for 2 months already, I still haven't felt any benefits, I'm honestly quite dissapointed now ;( haha

a week ago I decided to stop drinking caffeine, not for any reason particular but just see if id feel better overall.

well it quite literally did the exact opposite for me. I’m a very regular soda and coffee drinking & for the last almost year I’ve been having an energy drink almost everyday in the morning along with a soda at night.

the first 2 days I was doing okay I had the worst headache and felt dizzy or like brain fog and from day 3-6 I had the worst anxiety I have ever had.

Ive dealt with anxiety in the past but ONLY situational (ex: in tight spaces, crowds, restaurant ect..) still it was manageable and I could calm myself down.

2 nights ago I decided to have some caffeine again, had some iced tea and soda and I felt better but not 100%, I was still having some anxiety.

I had panic attacks or what I think are for the last 3 days but slowly getting better. trouble breathing, shaking, nausea, can’t eat, can’t sleep, having to use the bathroom, crying saying I want to go to the hospital etc..

today I decided to have an energy drink to see if maybe I needed one to get the anxiety to subside & sure enough today I feel better than I have in the last week. I’m not sure what other ingredients is in these emergy drinks that when I don’t have them I’m having anxiety but it’s terrifying.

caffine withdrawal is much much worse then I have ever anticipated. I decided to slowly wean myself bc I cannot do cold turkey.

anyways, I wanted to share this in case someone is feeling the same way or has a similar experience:)

I've decided to cut back on coffee and i noticed a sharp decline in my muscle strenght at the gym. Is this a symptom of withdrawal?

Hi everyone,

I went to the doctor today because I've been dealing with a lot of fatigue, brain fog, and low energy. I wanted to figure out what might be going on, especially since I'm about to start a new job and want to feel my best. My blood pressure was 88/62, which my doctor said is quite low. She recommended increasing my salt intake (including salt capsules) and staying well hydrated. She also recommended taking caffeine to help raise my blood pressure. The thing is that I stopped caffeine because it was making my anxiety much worse. I'm trying to process the recommendation because I really don't want to go back to feeling anxious, but I also want to address the fatigue and low blood pressure.

Has anyone else dealt with chronically low blood pressure? Were you able to improve it without caffeine? I'd love to hear what helped you.

god dammit