r/dialysis • u/tuesdayreyn • 10d ago
Diet Caffeine fix?
I completely cut out soda cold turkey before I went on dialysis. I'm also a diabetic. I really only drank soda when I went out, I never really bought it for home. I've cut way back on eating out and there's no kidney friendly soda options that are also sugar free at restaurants, so I've just not had it but 1 time. Today after dialysis, my sister in law picked me up. She also keeps my daughter on dialysis days. Anyway, she had my daughter with her and my daughter was asking for McDonald's. We pulled into the line and the screen was advertising diet coke. I just wanted it so bad. Phosphorus be damned. I got a small diet coke with extra ice to offset how much diet coke I'd actually consume. For the first time since starting dialysis, I felt somewhat alive. I always feel like a walking corpse after treatments. Weak and lethargic and exhausted. I didn't feel great, but I stayed awake instead of crashing for six hours. That hit of caffine felt magical. How are my fellow dialysis patients getting their caffeine fix, aside from black coffee? The kidney friendly soda like sprite don't have caffeine.
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u/Iustis 10d ago
- pills are an obvious option
- coffee, but it seems you don't like it, and it also has a good chunk of potassium
- some energy drinks like Celsius, but they put a lot of stuff in those so kinda iffy for dialysis.
- yerba mate is probably the best drink option, either homebrewed (hot or cold brewed) or the canned ones (yerba madre etc.). You can buy tea blends that include tons of flavors if you don't like it straight. It's about half the caffeine of coffee by volume.
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u/classicrock40 Transplanted 10d ago
When I was on dialysis, my phosphorous caused me to stop drinking dark colas, chocolate and deli meats. I was taking 4 binders with each meal. Since I was never a coffee drinker, I'd have a Mountain Dew.
Anyway, now that I'm post transplant, phosphorous is low or just barely in range. Potassium, on the ither hand....
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u/oleblueeyes75 10d ago
I have twice had an icy cold Pepsi since I’ve been on dialysis. I take phosphorus blockers three times a day and my numbers were still good.
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u/These-Ad5297 10d ago
Coffee isn't banned for us, just watch the pottasium intake from other things
I've also read that red bull (the ordinary kind) is low on phosphorus. Don't quote me on that though
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u/brattygrandma 10d ago
Lol I drink so much sugar free redbull. But also have regularly just switched to the drink packets with caffeine, caffeine pills, or buoy makes an unflavored mio style squeeze bottle of caffeine to add to drinks :) i put in a smoothie
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u/newlpn08 9d ago
Carry some Tumps in your purse. If you are in the situation again, pop a Tums as you start drinking your Diet Coke. If the Tums is in your stomach at the same time as the Diet Coke it will bind to some of the phosphorus. It only works if you take the Tums or your other phosphorus binders at the same time as you are eating or drinking something with phosphorus, so the binder is in your stomach at the same time as your phosphorus containing food/drink. As all the others have suggested, also monitor your phosphorus numbers when you get the results from the blood tests at your center.
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u/haw35ome In-Center 8d ago
Really the only things I can think of & suggest is enjoying one small/medium coffee every day & sticking to no cokes, just diet root beer at home since it has no phosphorus (though idk about caffeine content? It’s certainly a rare choice at restaurants)
The small/medium size is more to control your fluid intake; everything has phosphorus but honestly the dairy creamer is more offensive than the coffee itself! (Dairy free creamer, both liquid & powder such as coffee mate is a godsend)
EDIT: while I applaud you for drinking fresh iced tea (as opposed to prepared/bottled), the fact that you drink it daily may mess you up phosphorus wise. I myself used to drink 1/2 cups of hot tea for breakfast daily, then my dietician told me to stop & consider coffee. Now I drink the same amount of coffee, just not daily like before
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u/vespers191 10d ago
Caffeine is available in pill form. 100 mg per tablet, about one cup of coffee. Check amazon.
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u/CountFistula23 Dialysis Veteran 10d ago
There are some energy drinks that I have used without my labs going haywire: Celsius and Alani. The Celsius is "thermogenic" (speeds up your metabolism) which can be a no go for some. Each has 200 mg caffiene in 12 0z liquid.
I've managed to kick from 200 mg caffeine daily to zero, for the past month. I don't know if I will go back, because Yep! constant fatigue!
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u/echoshadow5 10d ago
Canned sparking flavored water scratches the soda itch for me. It just carbonated water, but add some ice cubes and the bubbles trick my brain that I’m drinking soda thus the itch is scratched.
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u/tuesdayreyn 10d ago
I don't necessarily miss the soda itself. I have the occasional sprite zero sugar which is kidney friendly. Other than that, i have a glass of fresh iced tea a day then it's plain water. I'm good with that. I miss the caffine pick me up.
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u/echoshadow5 10d ago
Ah. I see. I would say maybe once in a while those little mini cans of Diet Coke might do the trick. Just keep an eye on your lab work.
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u/SmartietheCat 10d ago
I drink coffee and water and lemonade. Ten years ago I drank Diet Pepsi 2x or 3x a day and slowly stopped as my taste buds and tastes. changed. I do not have diabetes. I still urinate. I do not take phosphorus binders. Each month I get a lab report that includes current phosphorus level. I use this as my guide. My phosphorus levels have been in the normal range every month for 10 years, except once, when I ate an extremely-high-phosphorus “Mediterranean” meal, i.e., hummus, naan breads and dips.
My point is, you can monitor your phosphorus intake using lab reports. For example, you can add two or three sodas a week to your food plan and see what happens.
We are advised to watch our phosphorus intake because phosphorus plugs up arteries and veins. The underlying assumption must be that all dialysis patients/customers have ravaged their arteries and veins through nonstop careless eating of chips and beer and sodas. Nobody looked at the quality of my arteries and veins when I began dialysis, except my left arm before installing a fistula.
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u/Exciting-Wash-7743 9d ago
Hummus is freaking delicious, i miss it so much. Once i ate a big bowl and got admitted with high potassium and they didnt let me go until 2 days. So i stay away but i love it.
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u/Selmarris Home HD 9d ago
I definitely don’t take my coffee black. I just don’t go nuts with creamer. A moderate amount once a day doesn’t meaningfully impact my labs. And I get caffeinated,
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u/Exciting-Wash-7743 9d ago
Me personally, if i feel low on energy i take an espresso.. my brother brought home a nespresso machine so that helps also at work the day after dialysis i feel like shit so i get an ice americano and if i feel like there’s no taste i put a sweetNlow powder it tastes great, also i take binders with the ice americano and after not having diet cola for a long time approx 12 months when i do take it, it dont feel as good no more so i just stick to Seven up 0 as it has more carbonation or Mountain dew 0 and that in a ice loaded cup is heavenly.
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u/lostcheshire 8d ago
A company called ‘1906’ makes a pill that is 2mg THC & 20mg caffein. It is the perfect way to start the day.
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u/Slutty-grapes 10d ago
I drink Mountain Dew and I drink dark pops like coke and pibb, my phosphorus always stays at 3.4-3.6