Taken from https://www.caffeinewithdrawal.net/other-withdrawal-stories-and-commen "I have always been an avid caffeine drinker. Coffee, pre-workout and some soda was part of my daily life. After my youngest was born, I would drink a Venti Vanilla Latte with an add shot from Starbucks. I was then introduced to a drink that would be my go to for the next five years, four shots of espresso over ice in a Grande cup. I stopped in 2017 after a caffeine overdose. Here is my timeline with symptoms and when they say it takes 7-14 days to withdraw, it a LIE. 1-5 weeks: I woke up with anxiety that lasted all day long. Insomnia, it literally felt like I had drank 4 shots all day long as I was not tired at all. Heart palpitation every morning when waking up, felt like I was having a heart attack. No appetite, I lost 20 pounds since I did not want to eat at all. Constipation, maybe because I was not eating but I could not go #2 at all. Dizziness when standing up. Headaches were not too severe but they came and went. Depression was mild. Within this time frame I felt like I was dying and that this was going to be the new me for the rest of my life. I developed agoraphobia since I feared having another panic attack. I researched and googled every hour of the day. It was not until my Husband told me that I must be going through withdrawals since I had not drank coffee nor alcohol since that day. Three weeks in I stumbled across caffeine informer and the withdrawal symptoms. . . scrolled to the bottom and was mind blown when I seen all the comments. I WAS NOT ALONE. 6th week is where the insomnia and heart palpitations went away but the anxiety still very present. Brain fog and depersonalization were now present. 7-11 weeks: Anxiety still present every morning and depression became worse. I had low mood and no motivation to do anything. 12-14 weeks: Anxiety had gone away the last 10-11 weeks but then came back with a vengeance which made my depression worse. Everything scared me and I just wanted to die. I am being 100% honest because I want the world to know the effects this had on not only myself but others as well. In consuming caffeine we raise our dopamine levels. Once raised on a daily basis it becomes damaged and when you stop 'using' they drop, which leads to major depression. This is something that is never talked about. In all honesty, about the 8th month is when I felt myself again with no symptoms creeping back up. This by far has been the hardest battle of my life. Caffeine is a DRUG. A legal one.
