Diet Coke - Question for Other Cold Turkey Quitters

My surgery is a week from tomorrow. I decided to quit drinking Diet Coke before my surgery so that I wouldn't have to deal with withdrawals while also recovering from surgery.

Every doctor I've been to has told me that I needed to stop drinking Diet Coke. It may be bad for your bones, it may cause weight gain and might contribute to depression.

I used to drink two or three 20 ounce bottles daily and quit cold turkey Saturday night. Yesterday was fine except I was completely exhausted without the caffeine. I keep Tylenol on hand in case I feel a headache creeping up.

For anyone else who quit cold-turkey: How long does it take for the withdrawal symptoms (exhaustion and headaches) to go away? I'm hoping I'll be out of the woods by next Tuesday. I know I should have quit sooner and weaned myself off with more time, but I didn't.

I quit drinking my Cherry Coke Zeros the night before surgery. I figured I would enjoy it while I could, and I honestly didn't have any withdrawals that I was aware of. There was so much other stuff going on after surgery, I doubt I would have ever even noticed a caffeine headache! In the past when I have quit drinking soft drinks, it usually would take me a good 3-5 days to get over the withdrawal symptoms. The best thing that helped me was Excedrin. It actually has a little bit of caffeine in it, so when I would get a headache, I would take one and be fine.

It takes about 5 days to get everything out of your system. Once I stopped drinking Diet Pepsi, (after a few days), my sleep was better, and I had plenty of energy. On a side note, I stopped drinking soda the night before surgery.  I thought with the pain meds they were going to give me, it would be much easier to give it up. Especially if you are on pain meds at home for a week or two. Just my opinion.

I had my last diet coke the day before my DS.   I had my first post-op Diet Coke at four months out, and it tasted awful.  I'm now, at seven years out, back to two Diet Cokes a day.   I'm not depressed, I haven't gained weight, and my endocrinologist told me that two a day wasn't going to make a lick of difference in my bone density.   I guess the only thing you can do is take a couple of tylenol and ride it out.   Good luck with your surgery!

I had my last one the night before surgery and didn't suffer any withdrawals from it.  I didn't want it after surgery and I have had half a can since but it tasted awful so I can't see myself going back to it.   For the record, I had 3 or 4 cans of it a day pre-op.

Thanks for the replies, everyone! I've been diet coke-free for nearly 3 days now and it's not so bad. I haven't had to take any Tylenol since yesterday evening. Yes, I miss my little fizzy friend, but it will be water from here on out. (At least, that's the plan.)

1 week to go for my surgery! Wooohoooo!! 

I was only on day 3 of cold turkey when I had my DS and the headache from hell so bad I was begging for anesthesia asap.  I rode the rest of the withdrawals for 4 days on morphine.  It was all better when I was.  The only problem is that I renewed my addiction six months later and I'm back off the wagon ever since.

Thanks to everyone for your replies. Today is Day 7 of being Diet Coke free! I didn't bad headaches like I thought I would. I took Tylenol if I felt even a little headache coming on.

The best part is that I realized how much money I am saving. My Diet Coke habit took me to 7-11 every morning (EVERY morning). I would buy two 20 ounce bottles and a banana nut muffin. That's $6.11. So far, I've already saved $42.77. In one year, I will have saved over $2,200 from being Diet Coke free! Woah.