Coffee and anxiety

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2003
Coffee and anxiety
11
Wed, 08-02-2006 - 5:11am
Anyone ever noticed if coffee increased the level of anxiety?
I have and inspite of it I can't stop taking it. Totally adicted to coffee.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Wed, 08-02-2006 - 10:44am
Although the latest research reports many health benefits for coffee, it isn't good for many folks with anxiety. I'm not allowed to have any, but find that once a day, I can tolerate a cup of half(50%) decaffeinated. It does make my heart beat faster, an occasional palpitation & gives me an edgy feeling. When I drank a couple of cups in the past, it was certain to cause anxiety & sometimes triggered a panic attack. Thanks for starting this discussion, Zel. I hope others will post their thoughts. (((hugs))) jan




 

 


 



iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2003
Thu, 08-03-2006 - 12:53am
Oh yes, it is so awful not to be able to drink coffee. Few times I tried to quit and then the headaches and sleepiness was awful. Last time I tried to quit I spent entire weekend in the bed without absolutely any energy for living at all!
And I can't just gradually quit, it has to be either completely or not at all.
Awful! I hate adictions of any kind!
Hehe, just now taking my first morning cup :))
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2006
Thu, 08-03-2006 - 11:12am

hi sunny,

Coffee is a terrible addiction. I was there too for a VERY long time. I had to get all the way off a month ago when i had a VERY BAD panic attack. I just want you to know , YOU CAN cut back and taper it off. I know you feel like you cant, but CAN'T means you've given it power over you. The withdrawls are NOT fun, and it is hard, but it will benefit you to cut it down. it does add to anxiety ALOT. you dont have to quit entirely. make a smaller goal for yourself, such as going half and half, and take your fav headache med at the same time. dont tell yourself its half decaf. just drink it and enjoy the flavor. do that for a week, or two. eventually, you can cut it completely to decaf. you'll notice the headaches stop after 3 or 4 days and your energy will come back up at the same time. the tylenol or ib really help if you take them at the same time as getting the coffee in. :) give your body natural energy by drinking a good smoothie with blueberries in it. (any berry is good for that.)and keep the water intake at 8 glasses a day! if your dehydrated, your going to be sleepy and lethargic! most coffee drinkers are dehydrated, because caffeine dehydrates your body.

Good luck. :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Thu, 08-03-2006 - 9:27pm

Oh, yes!

Sheri Ann

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-25-2004
Thu, 08-03-2006 - 9:34pm

Caffeine is awful for anxiety. Stimulants in general are not the greatest idea for those of us who are prone to rev on a high frequency to start. lol I gave up caffeine about a year and a half ago. I was having a relapse with the anxiety and decided to make the commitment to quit the coffee. Up to that point I had been drink 6 or 7 cups of the stuff a day. That was fine when I was taking medication, but when I went off of the meds I couldn't tolerate the caffeine anymore. So I quit it cold turkey. Started taking b vitamins and vitamin c. My grandmother told me once that they use vitamin C in detox, cuz' it helps to flush the system. I have no idea whether or not that is true, but I though, what the heck. lol I felt like crap for about two weeks, but I figured, I was already feeling crappy from the anxiety, so why not kill two birds with one stone and just let myself really feel like crap for a couple of weeks. lol I got through it and didn't end up back on meds. I used a lot of the same coping skills to talk myself down from my caffeine cravings that I would use to talk myself down from panic and anxiety.

These days I can barely tolerate caffeine at all. If I have too much chocolate in a day I feel edgy. But I can live with that.

I think we forget sometimes that the tools we've learned to cope with the anxiety can really serve us well in all aspects of our lives.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2003
Fri, 08-04-2006 - 12:53am

Thanx for the positive encouragement :)

Yes, I've been there twice myself, cut on the caffee with terrible headaches, but since anxiety and panic didn't stop I told myself well, why to cut on caffeine if I still have those problems.
But the problem is having anxiety for no reason at all when drinking coffe. At least when I didn't take it I was anxious for one reason or the other.

Anyway, will definitely cut on it. Today drinking only half a cup and in few days stopping completely.

Zel

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2003
Fri, 08-04-2006 - 12:56am

Thanks Sheri.
Like I said definitely will cut it off completely. But since can't do it immediately will do it gradually :)

Zel

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2003
Fri, 08-04-2006 - 6:09am

Ok Jess, give me some more clue, you seem like experienced in these stuff.

Except coffeine based products and chocolate what else is there to avoid to ease anxiety and panic? And what foods and drinks are positive for anxiety and ease the anxiety?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Fri, 08-04-2006 - 8:08am

Take a look @ the anti-anxiety diet here on iVillage, Zel. There's some excellent info, especially keeping hydrated. HTH (((hugs))) jan


http://health.ivillage.com/mentalhealth/mhanxiety/0,,hld9,00.html





 

 


 



iVillage Member
Registered: 12-25-2004
Fri, 08-04-2006 - 8:27am

Well, I'm not sure how much my "experience" will help, but there are other things that can contribute to feeling anxious. Or just really don't help when you're anxious. One thing in particular is big fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. I happen to be prone to having sugar issues, so I stay away from processed sugars, like the ones found in all kinds of sweets. High carb diets can also cause big blood sugar fluctuations. So I try to limit my carbs and eat protein with every meal. Not Atikins style, but I usually only have breads and the like with two of my meals during the day. Also, eating more regularly through the day helps as well. I eat 4 or 5 small meals throughout the day, as opposed to three big meals or worse only 1 or 2 meals, which is what I was doing before. I try to eat only whole unprocessed foods, so a dinner for me would consist of a meat of some kind with some steamed fresh veggies and a salad with lots of nuts and veggies. The body naturally feels better when you're eating correctly, and when the body feels better, you will feel better. That's not to say that I never deviate, cuz' let's face it, I love me some potato chips and molasses cookies now and then, but generally, I stick to a well balanced diet.

I also try to avoid chemical additives, such as artificial sweeteners and msg. I just find that I feel sluggish and headachy when I use them, which doesn't help when I'm already having anxiety.

I also try to take vitamin supplements every day. I say try because I don't always remember. lol

Dehydration is also a big problem. I've read that it can contribute to feeling anxious, because your body can't process various toxins that naturally occur in the body when it doesn't have enough water. So, I try to drink enough water and other fluids to keep myself hydrated.

I am by no means an expert, but these are things that have helped me. When I do have anxiety it seems like it's much easier to get back under control than it used to be. And when I get off track and quit doing these things I have noticed my general anxiety level is higher. And a big bonus is that eating correctly and maintaining a consistent blood sugar level helps to increase your motabolism, which has always been an issue for me.

My next disclaimer is to say that, while it may sound like I'm a super motivated person, the truth is I'm not really. I made all these changes over the course of about 2 years. First the sugar went, then the caffeine, then I started with the water (moving to arizona for six months helped greatly with that. lol It was sooo dry there), then the mini meals and finally the vitamin supplements. I've just recently added regular exercise to my routine. This is why I say that anyone can make changes in their lifestyle to promote better health. It just takes baby steps.

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