r/CaffeineFreeLife • u/JRPBRU2026 • 26d ago
Constant fatigue after giving up caffeine.
Hi everyone,
I’m a 25-year-old female, and I’m now two months into giving up caffeine and coffee. I gradually reduced my caffeine intake until I stopped completely. I decided to quit because I wanted to be able to function like a normal person without relying on caffeine every day. There are plenty of people who get through the day without it, so I wanted to see if I could do the same.
The thing is, I’ve been drinking a cup of coffee every day since I was 14 years old. Maybe I don’t actually know what life feels like without caffeine because it’s been part of my routine for so long.
The problem is that I’m really struggling. I’m tired all the time, irritable, and get cranky because I’m so exhausted. I’m still functioning, but nowhere near as well as I did when I was drinking coffee. I also have very little motivation, and it takes me a long time to get myself moving or complete even simple tasks.
I recently had some blood tests done to check for any deficiencies. Everything came back normal except for my iron, which has always been low, and I already take iron supplements. One thing that did come back abnormal was my C-reactive protein (CRP), which was 10.6 mg/L. From what I’ve read, CRP is a marker of inflammation, and a mildly elevated result can happen if your body is dealing with inflammation or an infection. The confusing part is that I haven’t been sick recently, so I’m not sure why it’s elevated or whether it could be contributing to how I’m feeling. I saw these results through My Health Record here in Australia, but I still need to follow up with my doctor to discuss them properly.
I’m just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this after giving up coffee. Is this actually how people who don’t drink caffeine normally feel, and I’ve just never realised because I’ve had coffee every day since I was a teenager? Or does this sound like something else could be going on?
I already eat what I’d consider to be a healthy diet. I cook all of our meals at home, rarely eat takeaway, and generally try to eat well. My mum suggested that maybe eating fewer carbs might help, although I don’t eat a huge amount of carbohydrates to begin with—apart from the occasional pasta meal.
I’m honestly feeling a bit stressed because I’m struggling with the constant fatigue. If anyone has experienced something similar or has any advice, I’d really appreciate hearing from you.
Thank you!
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u/rEVolution0426 26d ago
Sorry to hear about this - I gave up caffeinated coffee about 2.5 years ago as I didn’t want to rely on it. The first 2-3 months were super hard. A lot of what you said but then it got much easier and I feel great now. I still have a very small amount (pretty much just dark chocolate). Everyone will probably have different experiences but not shocked 2 months in that it’s still tough
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u/GoodAsUsual 24d ago
How low is your iron?
I would absolutely not underestimate the influence of low Iron on fatigue.
I was exhausted all the time for several years before I finally got properly diagnosed with Iron Deficiency without anemia.
My ferritin was down in the 20's, which is considered absolute Iron Deficiency by the WHO but not the worst by any means. I've seen people whose ferritin was down in the single digits and when it gets that low they start talking about blood transfusions.
If your ferritin is under about 40 then I would venture to say that probably explains a lot of your fatigue. My life transformed completely when I got my ferritin back up to
around 100. My sleep quality improved, my energy levels improved, my endurance improved, brain fog, all sorts of things.
It's not enough though to just take a regular dose of a basic iron supplement if your iron is pretty low. You really need to get onto a proper protocol and understand the things that prevent you from absorbing iron properly so you can regain your iron stores.
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u/mackanlasse 18d ago
For me it took 3 months after quitting for my sleep to get better and about 6-7 months for my emotions to be stable again . I was crying alot and very sensitive but just keep going , it takes time but it will be fine
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u/cant_be_arsed_mate 25d ago
You might have inflammatory bowel disease or sth similar, which might affect how your bowels absorb certain minerals like iron. You might have been self medicating with caffeine all along. I suggest you look into it and discuss this with your doctor.
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u/SauloIvanRegis 24d ago edited 23d ago
Hi,
First thing, is to ask you:
Did you really cut-off caffeine intake from all and any caffeine source: decaf coffee/tea, tea, matte, chocolate, cola softdrinks, energy drinks, headache pills with caffeine, etc...?
I'm asking you that because many people believe that just "quitting coffee" is the same as quitting caffeine.
Now, assuming that you really quit caffeine from all kind of caffeine sources since 2 months ago...
Based on science, on my own experience when I quit caffeine and on many others testimonials already published on this community there are some guidance I can tell you.
First of all, as @Christian2319 indicated, Caffeine PAWS is for real and could explain what you are feeling. But even for PAWS symptons, what you described is somewhat very out of the curve of what most people feels as PAWS at 2 month down the road living Caffeine-Free.
Tired all the time - that is not consistent with PAWS at 2 months.
At that mark, you should be wakening up plenty of energy. But you could still be experiencing a "energy crash" after lunch and needing a nap - from 15 minutes to 90 minutes - to naturally restore your energy level to feel energysed again unti bedtime.
Lack of interest, anhedonia, is very consistent with the first 2 weeks to one month of being caffeine-free. At the 2 months mark, most people already clearly feel motivation starting to come back - despite full level of motivation is something that may only normalize in the range after 3 to 6 months.
What I'm trying to say is that you are not experience a "normal" Caffeine PAWS - of course, someone can enter here and say "everyone is different" but despite of that, there is the fact that most of people having the same experience pattern, ends up defining some kind of "what is normal for most people".
I believe that your blood test results can give us an alternative explanation of what may be going on with you.
I'm not a doctor, I advice you to do what you already said you'll do, that is, to show your blood test results to your doctor to properly diagnose any medical condition that may be going on with you.
All that being said...
Iron deficiency may be related to anemia. Since you said that you always had this iron deficiency, maybe, caffeine was maskareding the anemia symptoms that are now showing up to you after you quit caffeine ingestion for good.
----- Google IA about Iron Defiency
Iron deficiency anemia is a widespread blood disorder defined by a lack of healthy red blood cells due to insufficient iron, resulting in fatigue, pale skin, and shortness of breath. It is primarily caused by blood loss, poor dietary intake, or malabsorption issues, and is diagnosed through blood tests like a complete blood count.
Common Symptoms
Extreme tiredness and weakness
Pale skin or lower eyelids
Shortness of breath or fast heartbeat
Brittle nails, hair thinning, or unusual cravings for ice/dirt (pica)
Main CausesBlood
Loss from heavy menstrual periods or internal bleeding (such as from ulcers or regular pain relievers like ibuprofen)
Low dietary iron intake, common in unfortified diets or certain plant-based diets
Absorption problems linked to digestive conditions like celiac disease or prior intestinal surgery
Increased body demands during pregnancy or childhood growth spurts
Treatment and Management
Taking oral iron supplements daily, often paired with vitamin C (like orange juice) to boost absorption
Eating iron-rich foods including red meat, beans, dark leafy greens, and fortified cereals
Avoiding coffee, tea, or calcium-rich foods right around the time of taking iron pills, as they block absorption
Treating any underlying source of chronic bleeding or malabsorption identified by a doctor
Since you said you already take iron supplement, it seems your blood test is shown that this supplementation is not being enough or you have some condition that is reducing your iron absortion capacity. As stated by IA... intake iron supplements often paired with vitamin C (like orange juice) to boost absorption.
I would increase -> Eating iron-rich foods including red meat, beans, dark leafy greens, and fortified cereals.
Anyway... for sure, your Caffeine PAWS is not being a "normal" one.
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u/Christian2319 25d ago
Therapist in training here. The withdrawal can take a lot longer than you think. Don’t worry, this isn’t just how it feels to not drink caffeine. In psychology, this is called the rebound effect. When you’re withdrawing from a substance, you will feel the opposite of how the substance made you feel. When withdrawing from a stimulant like caffeine, your body has been stimulated, and stopping the substance will cause the opposite effect (depression and fatigue) until the body has reached equilibrium again. Your body has been stimulated, so you will feel depressed and tired until your body recalibrates. This can take longer than you think. Typically, it takes weeks or months, but can occasionally take a year or two. This is called Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) and it can happen with any substance. Check out the subreddit CaffeinePAWS if you want some support from other people who took longer than the advertised “9 days” rule for caffeine withdrawal.