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Comment by TACIXAT | Hacker News Reader

I gave up caffeine and sugar. Being outside of the craze it is pretty amazing how people talk about caffeine. People seem to believe that humans were completely unproductive blobs until caffeine came along. You hear things like "you don't want to talk to me before I get my coffee in the morning" and "developers are machines that turn caffeine into code".

I was the same way. I cut it out and for about a month it was the least productive I had ever been. Since then it has been great though, no more slump when I don't drink it, no more withdrawal headaches, no more cravings for it. I would go so far to say it is liberating to not rely on these foods.

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Agreed. Due to a health issue, I stopped my intake of caffeine at the beginning of the year. I was actually recuperating in the hospital or bed for most of the "giving it up" period so I didn't have a chance to experience the productivity issue, but now that I'm back to work, I don't find I'm any less productive than before even when tired.

The few times I've inadvertently had caffeine since then it's astounding how potent it is. I didn't realize this when I was still ingesting large quantities daily in the past. Now it makes my heart race, my blood pressure go up and actually makes me feel dizzy and frankly, not good. But, the "high" is still there and it definitely makes me antsy and hyper.

If I may ask, and you don't have to answer, what medical condition calls for stopping caffeine? I've read a few people (a lot here) who wrote the same thing.

I have an auto immune disorder (my brother is diagnosed celiac, so it is probably celiac). I had sinus headaches my whole life. Like I remember waking up one day in high school with a clear nose and it was remarkable. (I had digestive issues too but to be honest I didn't mind too much compared to the headaches.)

Girlfriend told me there was something wrong with me and to do an elimination diet. It was the best I ever felt. I stopped eating gluten and felt a lot better but I would still get headaches sometimes. It took about 5 years of narrowing down foods to get the complete list. I don't eat gluten, caffeine, sugar, sodium nitrites (deli meats, celery), and msg (flavored chips). Sugar was the hardest to give up but it's worth feeling good.

There is this woman online, Mikhaila Peterson, who had horrible arthritis and found that eating only meat fixed it. [1] It's a little extreme IMO but it is cool to hear a relatable story. Auto immune issues are wild.

1. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7fncJdVjy5U#

Thanks! Very interesting.

Sorry, I didn't see this until just today, so you may miss this, but in my case I had a stroke due to an up to then unknown hole between the atria of my heart. I needed to keep my heart rate and blood pressure down prior to a repair procedure, so I had to give up caffeine (among many other things, like walking up hills!)

If you replace the word “coffee” with “drink”, “cigarette”, or “heroin” it’s pretty easy to understand where they’re coming from. Addicts are pretty miserable until they get their first fix of the day, and although I’m not comparing the severity of caffeine addiction’s effects on an addiction to heroin, alcohol, or cigarettes, the basic point remains.

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