Gave up caffeine - dehydration!

Penny Tration · 28-08-2014 8:55pm #1

Bit of an odd one to me.

Caffeine is a diuretic and dehydrates you, right?

I was drinking 4 coffees and up to 6 red bulls (sugar free) each day. I have given up caffeine since Sunday, no withdrawals thankfully. I would have also had 2l of water a day along with all of the caffeine.

Since giving up caffeine, I'm really dehydrated and constantly thirsty. I'm drinking 5L of water, and have to actually stop myself drinking more, and my skin/lips are extremely dry. I don't have diabetes, just to confirm.

Is this common when giving up caffeine?!

Cuddlesworth · 28-08-2014 10:00pm

Everybody has different withdrawal symptoms to different things. I'd cut back on the 5 liters though, that's a on the unhealthy side.

Chancer3001 · 28-08-2014 10:59pm

As the cranberries famously sang

ITS IN YOUR HEEEEEEAD, IN YOUR HEEEEEEEYYYYYEEEEEYYAAAYYAED

Yup. The cravings are indeed, in your head.

Penny Tration · 28-08-2014 11:08pm

Chancer3001 wrote: »

As the cranberries famously sang

ITS IN YOUR HEEEEEEAD, IN YOUR HEEEEEEEYYYYYEEEEEYYAAAYYAED

Yup. The cravings are indeed, in your head.

Cravings? I'm not craving caffeine. All I want to drink is water, and lots of it.

It's the chapped lips/skin and dehydration that's annoying me.

Penny Tration · 28-08-2014 11:09pm

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Everybody has different withdrawal symptoms to different things. I'd cut back on the 5 liters though, that's a on the unhealthy side.

I've been cutting back even at 5L, I'm just constantly thirsty. I presume that's some kind of withdrawal so it doesn't worry me, it's the fact that I'm taking in so much water and am dehydrated that's confusing me

Hanley · 29-08-2014 6:17am

Bottled or tap water?

jh79 · 29-08-2014 6:59am

green_screen wrote: »

Bit of an odd one to me.

Caffeine is a diuretic and dehydrates you, right?

I was drinking 4 coffees and up to 6 red bulls (sugar free) each day. I have given up caffeine since Sunday, no withdrawals thankfully. I would have also had 2l of water a day along with all of the caffeine.

Since giving up caffeine, I'm really dehydrated and constantly thirsty. I'm drinking 5L of water, and have to actually stop myself drinking more, and my skin/lips are extremely dry. I don't have diabetes, just to confirm.

Is this common when giving up caffeine?!

In terms of hydration in doesn't matter what the liquid is, so your body wants some liquid to replace the 4 coffees and up to 6 red bull it was used to having every day.

4 coffee s is over a 1L of liquid and 6 red bull about the same.

Your total liquid intake is about the same. 5L is an awful lot though.

chatterbox · 29-08-2014 7:01am

Have you had this thirst pre
drinking coffee and red bull??
... Also I'm not a doctor before reading the my below post ,

My son has a very rare condition called diabetes insipisus (not related to normal diabetes) that would involve a constant thirst and the need for large volumes of fluid. Some diuretics have been known to reduce t the volume required. You basically pee out all you drink and the body doesn't retain any water.

If the need for 5 litres plus continues I would go to a doctor to be on the safe side, as late diagnosis is common. Your sodium levels maybe a little off.

You're symptoms may not be related to this at all, but I said I would point it out to be on the safe side. li is that not be Tejas related at all but I said I would point it out in case the

chatterbox · 29-08-2014 7:05am

Apologies about the last paragraph of my previous post.... It made very little sense.. Very hard to post long messages from the boards android app.

Penny Tration · 29-08-2014 9:39am

Hanley wrote: »

Bottled or tap water?

Bottled.

Blacktie. · 29-08-2014 10:05am

bluewolf wrote: »

afaik if you drink too much water you will dehydrate yourself

This doesn't make any sense to me. If you drink too much water you experience Hyponatremia where your salt level balance is way out and can be fatal. How can drinking too much water dehydrate you?

29-08-2014 10:16am

Blacktie. wrote: »

This doesn't make any sense to me. If you drink too much water you experience Hyponatremia where your salt level balance is way out and can be fatal. How can drinking too much water dehydrate you?

Uh ... got confused
I think you're right

Caliden · 29-08-2014 10:21am

Try squeezing a lemon into the water you drink. It will help with your electrolyte levels.

Mellor · 29-08-2014 10:23am

Blacktie. wrote: »

This doesn't make any sense to me. If you drink too much water you experience Hyponatremia where your salt level balance is way out and can be fatal. How can drinking too much water dehydrate you?

When your sodium levels are flushed out like that you struggle to retain the water you drink. So it's doesn't rehydrate you too well. That's why rehydration solution is a mix of water, salt and sugar.

Penny Tration · 29-08-2014 10:58am

Mellor wrote: »

When your sodium levels are flushed out like that you struggle to retain the water you drink. So it's doesn't rehydrate you too well. That's why rehydration solution is a mix of water, salt and sugar.

Hmm, that would make sense because I'm peeing 15+ times a say

so, stick some salt and sugar into my water and cut the fcuk down?

Mellor · 29-08-2014 11:30am

green_screen wrote: »

Hmm, that would make sense because I'm peeing 15+ times a say so, stick some salt and sugar into my water and cut the fcuk down?

A spoon of sugar and a pinch of salt in some water. After that cut back on the water a bit, and up your sodium intake for a while. Salt your food a little, no need to go crazy.

Penny Tration · 29-08-2014 11:35am

Mellor wrote: »

A spoon of sugar and a pinch of salt in some water. After that cut back on the water a bit, and up your sodium intake for a while. Salt your food a little, no need to go crazy.

Thanks, much appreciated

Smart bunch on here

Export · 29-08-2014 11:39am

Were you having sugar in your coffees? Maybe have an odd glass of 7up, rather than pure water. A pharmacist once told me that it has the perfect balance of something or others to rehydrate you. Better than water for rehydration. Not the Diet 7up though, obviously.

Penny Tration · 29-08-2014 11:40am

Export wrote: »

Were you having sugar in your coffees? Maybe have an odd glass of 7up, rather than pure coffee. A pharmacist once told me that it has the perfect balance of something or others to rehydrate you. Better than water for rehydration. Not the Diet 7up though, obviously.

No, just black coffee or sometimes with a dash of soy milk.

Thanks, I'll give that a bash, even though I try to avoid sugar :pac:

Export · 29-08-2014 11:43am

Ye, maybe just try it out for a week or so, to see does your body return to normal. If not, I would go to the doctor though, just to be sure.

Penny Tration · 29-08-2014 11:44am

Export wrote: »

Ye, maybe just try it out for a week or so, to see does your body return to normal. If not, I would go to the doctor though, just to be sure.

No harm, I'm due in with the gp in 3 weeks anyway. Thanks

rubadub · 29-08-2014 6:46pm

green_screen wrote: »

Caffeine is a diuretic and dehydrates you, right?

I was drinking 4 coffees and up to 6 red bulls (sugar free) each day.

Caffeine has a diuretic effect, but normal coffee is meant to have a hydrating effect overall. Its not like drinking loads of high% alcohol which can properly dehydrate you. It would be more similar to drinking very low % beer which at some point will hydrate you more than the diuretic effect dehydrates you.

I find I do pee a lot after drinking coffee, but I think its the frequency that increases, can't seem to hold as much.

colman1212 · 01-09-2014 3:39am

5 litres of water is a lot in a day?
I'd drink 6 on a standard day... Is that considered too much?

Mellor · 01-09-2014 3:45am

colman1212 wrote: »

5 litres of water is a lot in a day?
I'd drink 6 on a standard day... Is that considered too much?

Depends on a number of factors. Climate, work, training.
Working on site in summer in Oz and you get through a lot more fluids than an office job in ireland in winter.

Also, people often over estimate their intake. I would have said I drink 4 litres a day - but I recently had to drink an accurate increased amounts over a week and it was a real struggle through get 8 and 6 litres days. So much so that there was no way I was casually doing 4 litres.

Penny Tration · 01-09-2014 7:22am

Mellor wrote: »

Depends on a number of factors. Climate, work, training.
Working on site in summer in Oz and you get through a lot more fluids than an office job in ireland in winter.

Also, people often over estimate their intake. I would have said I drink 4 litres a day - but I recently had to drink an accurate increased amounts over a week and it was a real struggle through get 8 and 6 litres days. So much so that there was no way I was casually doing 4 litres.

The only reason I know how much I'm drinking is because it's all from bottles :pac:

Penny Tration · 01-09-2014 8:59am

Oh, meant to add - I couldn't bring myself to drink 7up (hate the stuff), but I've cut down on the water and have been drinking one isotonic drink each day, and my skin and lips are no longer dried out and I'm not dehydrated anymore

constantly thirsty, but I can manage that

Cuddlesworth · 01-09-2014 9:01am

green_screen wrote: »

Oh, meant to add - I couldn't bring myself to drink 7up (hate the stuff), but I've cut down on the water and have been drinking one isotonic drink each day, and my skin and lips are no longer dried out and I'm not dehydrated anymore constantly thirsty, but I can manage that

I'd grab a pack of dioralyte in the chemist then. You will replace your salt and minerals level really quickly.

Penny Tration · 01-09-2014 9:03am

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

I'd grab a pack of dioralyte in the chemist then. You will replace your salt and minerals level really quickly.

I'll grab one on my break in work, can't do any harm

antodeco · 01-09-2014 9:21am

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

I'd grab a pack of dioralyte in the chemist then. You will replace your salt and minerals level really quickly.

This! I was literally just about to post this. Make sure you use the correct volumes with it, otherwise you will throw your electrolyte levels all over the place.

Another recommendation is perhaps try warm water instead. Your body will retain it a lot better. If the taste isint to your standard, as mentioned already, throw in a dash of lemon juice.

Alf Veedersane · 01-09-2014 9:23am

green_screen wrote: »

I'll grab one on my break in work, can't do any harm

Get the citrus flavour. Most bearable.

Caliden · 01-09-2014 10:15am

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Get the citrus flavour. Most bearable.

And definitely don't get the blackcurrant flavour

karma_coma · 01-09-2014 10:29am

Definitely need to give up caffeine..

Mellor · 01-09-2014 10:53am

antodeco wrote: »

Make sure you use the correct volumes with it, otherwise you will throw your electrolyte levels all over the place.

No you won't.

Adding a bit more water won't affect the electrolyte content.
It's no different to drinking it as normal, followed by some water.

ErinGoBrath · 01-09-2014 5:13pm

I'd recommend the Zero electrolyte tablets on Wiggle.ie

I use them around training but sounds like it could be what you need.

Taste a lot better than the dreaded Dioralytes

Penny Tration · 01-09-2014 6:22pm

Had dioralyte on my break (the blackcurrant one, it was all the chemist had) and it wasn't all that bad. I managed to drink it, so that's something :pac:

rubadub · 01-09-2014 6:30pm

Lo-lo salt contains sodium chloride (table salt) and potassium chloride, both which are usually found in overpriced commercial electrolyte mixtures.

You can make up a strong solution and drink a shot of it, and wash it down immediately afterwards with some dilutable orange or diluted fruit juice, sort of like a tequila shot. Or just mix it in with the drink. As this is in solution it should go to work a bit faster than if you took a capsule.

I do this with bread soda the morning after drinking, the sodium bicarbonate neutralises acid in the stomach and then turns to sodium chloride, which then makes you rehydrate better. Bread soda tastes horrible so do the washing down afterwards trick if trying it.

Mellor · 02-09-2014 3:22am

rubadub wrote: »

Lo-lo salt contains sodium chloride (table salt) and potassium chloride, both which are usually found in overpriced commercial electrolyte mixtures.

You can make up a strong solution and drink a shot of it, and wash it down immediately afterwards with some dilutable orange or diluted fruit juice, sort of like a tequila shot.

You are right in that Lo-Lo contains two of the salts commonly found in rehydration solutions (the third being sodium citrate), but the ratios are way off, its too low in sodium. If you had some Lo-Lo handy, combining it with table salt in a 1:2 ratio (LoLo:Salt) would get pretty close to guidline amounts. But Salt alone is fine though - and preferable to Lo-Lo on its own imo.

Don't forget the sugar too.

This is the mix I used recently for rehydrating a missing 5kg recently. Comes from WHO recommendation for homemade ORS.
6 teaspoon sugar : 0.5 teaspoons salt : 1 litre water

Gave up caffeine - dehydration!

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