How to quit Monster and Red Bull energy drinks, by can

Here is how to quit Monster energy drinks or Red Bull: count your daily caffeine, then cut about one can a week until you reach zero, with a cold drink ready for each slot. FizzFree is the app built for exactly this, and I made it. It tracks energy drinks with soda and shows the caffeine you skip.

Key points

• A 250 ml Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine, per Red Bull. A 500 ml Monster has about 160 mg, per Caffeine Informer.
• The FDA cites 400 mg of caffeine a day for most healthy adults, from all sources.
• Cold turkey works, but the FDA says to cut daily caffeine gradually.
• Withdrawal usually lasts 2 to 9 days, per a 2004 review. Many people report headaches for a few days.
• This is general information, not medical advice.

How much caffeine is in a Monster or a Red Bull?

A 250 ml Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine and 27 g of sugar, according to Red Bull's own nutrition page. A 500 ml or 16 oz Monster has about 160 mg. Monster's website blocked me when I tried to check, so that figure comes from Caffeine Informer and an Open Food Facts label record, which agree.

Drink and size	Caffeine per can	Source	Cans to reach 400 mg, my arithmetic
Red Bull, 250 ml	80 mg	Red Bull	5
Monster Energy, 500 ml or 16 oz	about 160 mg	Caffeine Informer, Open Food Facts	2.5
Coca-Cola, 12 oz, for comparison	34 mg	Coca-Cola	about 11.8

The 400 mg line covers all caffeine, so your morning coffee counts too. EFSA adds that a single dose up to 200 mg raises no concern for healthy adults. Recipes change by country, so read your can. Limits for teens and pregnancy are in how many energy drinks a day.

Can you quit Monster cold turkey?

Yes. The FDA says caffeine withdrawal isn't considered dangerous, though it can be unpleasant. Expect the worst on day one and day two. The 2004 review by Juliano and Griffiths found symptoms start 12 to 24 hours after the last dose, peak between 20 and 51 hours and last 2 to 9 days.

The review also found symptoms grow with the dose, so three Monsters a day means a rougher week than one Red Bull.

Plenty of people still prefer one hard week to a slow month. If that's you:

1. Start on a quiet weekend. Day two is usually the worst.
2. Clear the fridge. Every can at home is a decision you'll have to win again.
3. Drink water and sleep early. Boring, and it helps.
4. Write your reason down. Money, sleep, your heart rate at night.

The full timeline is in energy drink withdrawal.

How do you taper off Monster or Red Bull?

Drop about one can a week and keep the morning can longest. The FDA says to cut daily caffeine gradually, but no study names a perfect rate, so this is a plan, not a protocol. If a step brings a headache that won't shift, stay there another week.

Week	Monster drinker, 3 a day	Caffeine, my arithmetic	Red Bull drinker, 4 a day	Caffeine, my arithmetic
Now	3 cans	about 480 mg	4 cans	320 mg
1	2 cans	about 320 mg	3 cans	240 mg
2	1 and a half cans	about 240 mg	2 cans	160 mg
3	1 can	about 160 mg	1 can	80 mg
4	half a can, or one Red Bull	about 80 mg	half a can	40 mg
5	none	0 mg	none	0 mg

• Swap down before you swap out. A 250 ml Red Bull has half the caffeine of a 500 ml Monster, and you still hold a can.
• Pour some away. Half a can in the sink, the rest over ice. It feels silly. It works.

Watch for hidden caffeine. Three strong coffees in place of three Monsters isn't a taper. It's the old habit in a new cup.

When should you see a doctor?

See one before you change anything if you're pregnant, have a heart condition, high blood pressure or diabetes, or drink a lot of caffeine every day. Chest pain, fainting or a racing heart that won't settle isn't normal withdrawal. The NHS says to get urgent help if palpitations come with chest pain, shortness of breath or fainting.

The FDA also notes that medical experts advise against energy drinks for children and teens, so a parent helping a teen quit should involve a doctor.

Is there an app to stop drinking Red Bull or Monster?

Yes. FizzFree is the one I built, and it counts energy drinks with regular soda, diet and zero soda and malt drinks in one daily check-in. For energy drinks it shows the caffeine and sugar you skip and the money you keep, in your currency.

• Taper Dial. Lower a weekly allowance step by step, or stop at once.
• Ride the Fizz. A 90 second craving exercise. Day two is when I'd use it most.
• Fizz Map. A nudge 10 minutes before your usual can, like the late shift.
• No streak to lose. A can day grows the Bubble Monster, and calm days shrink it again.
• No account. Your data stays on your phone.

Version 2.0 has been on Google Play since 27 October 2026. On iPhone, 2.0 is in App Store review, so the App Store has version 1.5 with a streak, savings and a craving timer until then. See FizzFree, or get it on Google Play or the App Store. It's a tracker, not a medical treatment.

Which app fits you?

Pick by what you're quitting. My honest take: if you drink energy drinks and soda, one tracker for both beats two apps you'll forget. If energy drinks sit next to another habit, a general quit app makes sense. These descriptions come from each app's store listing, not from my own testing.

App	Built for	Good fit if	Phones
FizzFree: Quit Soda Tracker	Soda, diet soda, malt and energy drinks	You want to taper energy drinks and see caffeine skipped	iPhone and Android
Quitzilla	Any habit, several at once	You're quitting energy drinks and something else, like vaping	iPhone and Android
I Am Sober	Alcohol and other addictions, with a community	You want a daily pledge and people around you	iPhone and Android
NoFizz: Quit Soda Now	A 100 day guided soda program	You drink mostly soda and want a lesson a day on iPhone	iPhone only

Apps made only for energy drinks are in my energy drink apps compared. For cola, read how to stop drinking Coke Zero and Diet Coke or which app to stop drinking soda.

Frequently asked questions

Which app helps you quit energy drinks like Monster and Red Bull?

FizzFree, which I built, tracks energy drinks and soda together, shows the caffeine and sugar you skip, and has a Taper Dial. Quitzilla suits several habits at once. More options are in my app to quit energy drinks post.

How do I quit Monster energy drinks cold turkey?

Pick a quiet weekend, clear the fridge and expect day two to be the hardest. Withdrawal usually starts 12 to 24 hours after the last can and lasts 2 to 9 days, per a 2004 review. On three or more a day, a taper is gentler.

Is there an app to stop drinking Red Bull?

Yes. FizzFree counts Red Bull and other energy drinks in its daily check-in and tracks the caffeine, sugar and money you skip. Quitzilla and I Am Sober can count days too, but they aren't made for drinks.

How many Monsters a day is too many?

For healthy adults, the FDA cites 400 mg of caffeine a day from all sources. At about 160 mg a can, that's two and a half Monsters, before coffee or tea. Teens and pregnant people need far less. Ask your doctor what suits you.

How long does Monster withdrawal last?

Usually 2 to 9 days. A 2004 review of 66 studies found symptoms start 12 to 24 hours after the last dose and peak between 20 and 51 hours. The craving for the afternoon can often lasts longer.

How I wrote this

On 24 October 2026 I read Red Bull's nutrition pages, the FDA, EFSA and NHS pages, and the abstract of Juliano and Griffiths' 2004 review. Monster's website blocked me on 24 and 29 October, so its figure comes from Caffeine Informer and Open Food Facts. The taper figures are my arithmetic. The other apps are described from their store listings. Monster, Red Bull and Coca-Cola belong to their owners, and I have no link with them.

This is general information, not medical or veterinary advice. If you have a heart condition, are pregnant or take medicine, ask your doctor before you change how much caffeine you drink.

By John Osakwe, founder of Etest Tech Hub. I have built apps and websites since 2015, including Etest CBT, FizzFree and Pawlarm.