A 19-year-old spent over $2,650 drinking up to 4 matchas a day, and says the headaches got so bad she had to sit in a dark room

Isabella Wilson, a 19-year-old from Bolton, recently shared her experience after spending over $2,650 on a matcha habit that led to severe health issues. She spent her money consuming up to four drinks a day and reaching a staggering 400mg of caffeine intake. This level of consumption is reportedly equivalent to drinking five Red Bulls, and it took a major toll on her body.

As reported by LADbible, the habit began in the summer of 2024 when she tried a friend’s drink and decided it was not that bad. She quickly moved from having a few drinks a week to consuming multiple matchas daily. Her obsession grew so intense that she even took a job at a coffee shop to secure a steady supply of free drinks, only to continue drinking more once she arrived home. 

She went to great lengths to maintain her supply, even purchasing matcha powder from questionable sellers on Vinted. She noted that she would purchase the items before the platform could remove the listings, admitting that it did not click to her how weird it was at the time.

She says she could feel her brain

The consequences of this daily intake were significant. Isabella claims she experienced daily migraines, weight gain, acne, and frequent vomiting. She described the physical toll by saying, “My headaches lasted a full day. I’d go to sleep with one and still have it when I woke up. I had medication and I wore glasses to try and get rid of them.” 

She also explained the intensity of the pain, noting, “When I would walk or move my head, it was like I could feel my brain, sort of, moving? I had tunnel vision, dizziness and foggy eyes too. I had always naturally had an hourglass figure, but I looked at myself one day and realised I was square. It was very upsetting.”

At the peak of her addiction, the symptoms were so debilitating that she was forced to sit in a dark room to cope with the pain. She struggled to focus on anything other than her next drink, stating, “It got to the point it was quite scary – it occupied my thoughts completely. I’d be thinking about having my next matcha while I already had one in my hand.”

The realization that her symptoms were linked to her matcha intake finally arrived in January after she viewed a video about someone being hospitalized from the drink. She reportedly began cutting back on her consumption, and by March, she had successfully reduced her intake to just two drinks per week. The results were immediate, as her acne cleared, the brain fog vanished, and she began losing weight.