Letter: Withdrawal from caffeine: a diary of symptoms

Sir: Having read your letters on caffeine withdrawal (24 July), I felt that I really must write as I have just spent a miserable three days.

I made the decision to stop drinking tea and coffee in my quest for a healthier lifestyle and drank my last cup of tea last Thursday morning. By evening I had a mild headache. On Friday morning I had a fierce headache and felt dizzy and sick. I could not go to work. Friday evening I was physically sick and the headache was worse, with shooting pains in my neck and shoulders. Saturday I still had a bad headache, but I wasn't feeling sick and pain relief was possible.

Today, Sunday, I have a mild headache but I still feel very drowsy. I hope I shall continue to feel better tomorrow.

I was expecting some reaction, but it was much worse than I had expected. What must caffeine be doing to the body if withdrawal is so painful? It has certainly given me food for thought.

Yours faithfully,

VALERIE MADDISON

Semington, Wiltshire