Do you still consume caffeine???

[lost_myself]

Hi all ...hope everyone had a Merry Christmas an heres to an anxiety free New Year...:}

Anyway for 15 years + I've had caffeine  ..when my anxiety/panic started about 5 months ago I had to quit cold turkey..i was in and out of the hospital for three weeks...now that i'm getting a handle on this the DR says I can reintroduce caffeine in small amounts.

Frankly I'm scared/worried , as my worst symptom was racing heart( over 170 while in the hospital) but would LOVE a coke or cup of tea or coffee.

If you still have caffeine how much and what  are the effects ??? Thanks Guys(..and Gals ) for any info i feel like a zombie without my go-juice!!:}

[shelzmike]

Okay, as much as my DR (and many of you) may cringe, I do have two vices - smoking (which I seriously and trying to quit for many reasons) and Dr. Pepper. I drink so much of it that I think I am THE Dr. Pepper!

Seriously though, I know I should quit, but it is almost harder to quit the Pep than the cigs (caffeine is one of the most addictive substances!). However, it does not seem to affect me that much. I love coffee, but had to give it up bc, as Carl Childers would say, Coffee makes me kindly nervous, mmmhhmm. Even a small cup. I think it may be because I drink it too fast.

But more directly to answer your question, I think that you should introduce it back gradually. Caffeine has the same effect on those of us with anxiety as it does to those without. The difference is how our sensitized minds react to it. We see it as uncomfortable, while others enjoy it. Same with many other drugs.

The whole poinof trying to deal with anxiety and the one goal is to NOT let it win and keep us from doing things that we love. I say go for it, but realize and ACCEPT that it is going to happen and float past it, as Dr. Claire Weekes says. Think about it, if you drink it again and ou are able to enjoy the caffeine experience then you have won two-fold - you get to have what you love, and you have beaten the anxiety that much further.

Mike

[Jennifer375]

I see you've gottan alot of responses, but figured whats one more right?

I have found I can only have about half a cup of coffee in the morning and MABEY one soda but I rarely finish the soda and often only take a few sips of the coffee before throwing it out. (I know what a waste)

But I used to be a complete caffine-holic (just 2 years ago) and loved stimulants in general. Now just a touch to much caffine and Im being irritated with feeling anxiouse and trying to ignore palpatations for the next couple of days.

Honestly I dont miss them at all at this point. I have (because Im not on any pharms at all) been experimenting with the guidance of those who have been there before with some natural plant medicines. Actually,,, Ill start a thread about that for anyone interested. :0)

[lost_myself]

LOL wow ! was i suprised to see this old post......

I am not drinking ANY caffeine as of right now...cuz I'm a GIANT chicken lol

I did actually start chewing skoal again but have to keep it WAY limited. I am doin so much better overall that I'm afraid caffeine would cause a set back and the reward of feeling better outweighs the risk of  feelin like $hit again.

  Thanks for the replies .......Hope eveyone on here continues to do better

[iamfaithful]

I was the same way-loved, and I mean LOVED iced tea.  If I could have just hooked my mouth up to the spout at Chic-fil-a I would have :-)  I am unable to drink caffeine and I used to consume a lot of it, i.e. cokes, tea, and chocolate.  

Now this is just what I read in a health book, that caffeine does or CAN have a bad affect on your heart.  It's really not good for us, but that is just my belief.  I surely don't want to come off like I am "all knowing" or anything like that.  Would I still like to enjoy a coke every once in a while-sure thing, I would love to be sipping sweet tea as I type, but I know that I can't.  

I was at a dinner a couple of weeks ago and the drink they served was a mango tea.  Well the host assured me it had no caffeine in it, so I consumed large amounts, and by the time I got home I had the WORST heart palp I have ever had.  It scared me so badly all I could do was sit on the couch and pray I didn't die.  Well, I am assuming that the host THOUGHT that the tea had no caffeine in it, but I think it did and that's what caused my issue.....although I am not 100%.

It still amazes me what I can and cannot eat.  It has changed my life drastically, but I can say it's for the best.  I had been trying to cut caffeine out of my diet for a long time and it took doggone anxiety and heart palps for me to do it.  The Lord works in mysterious ways-lol!!!!!

[be still my beating heart 13]

I am sooo sorry that it took me so long to respond!  I am still learning how to get the most out of this forum and I haven't checked for any messages in quite some time, obviously ;-P  Yes I do still smoke, regretably :-(  I know without a doubt that the nicotine adds to the palps, if it's not the sole cause.  Quitting is so hard!  I think of it every day, try to quit atleast once a week, and feel like such a failure because I can't manage to do something that I want to do so BADLY!  I hope you are able to enjoy caffine now!  I would love to quit smoking and find out that caffine doesn't affect my heart anymore.  I would never go back to drinking a gallon of sweet iced tea a day, but a nice tall glass of cold tea sounds like heaven!  As it is all I drink is water, no soda, juice, tea, coffee, NOTHING!  I hope you are feeling better and doing well!

Cori

[lost_myself]

thanks for your input ..i appreciate hearing from the "minority" ...:}  I'm gonna give some a try ..probly saturday because i have an appt tomarrow and dont want to miss it if I feel bad.

[moonflower13]

I might be in the minority, or perhaps in a not very talked about larger group, but caffeine doesn't affect me, anxiety-wise, at all. It's neither positive nor negative -nothing. Sometimes I might feel some teeeeeny bit of a tingle, but it won't surprise you hearing that I chalk it up to self-suggestion. I love the taste of coffee and my usual intake is: one large cup of decaf for breakfast; an espresso during the morning OR the evening, very rarely both; and I might add a glass of decaf at night. I might add that I've had times when my intake was higher, and I still didn't feel any different.

[lost_myself]

helps very much thank you sir

[JSGeare]

It has been long enough since I've had panic that I can't really remember how long -6-8 years, maybe. I really don't remember when I started back on real coffee, but probably within a few weeks after therapy ended. That said, let me clarify a few points. My therapy continued for perhaps a year BEYOND the last panic situation, because we had uncovered important psychological material which was interferring with my over-all sense of well-being. I stayed away from caffeine simply because I had adapted to not having any. I also was staying away from booze, except maybe a glass of wine if served at dinner or some such. When at last I did take some coffee -and felt the rush (but no panic) then I decided I would enjoy it again. But to this day I'm not the coffee drinker I once was. 2 cups in the morning, and I'm done. I hope this helps.

[lost_myself]

Thanks for your comment . I have a question ...How long since your panic ended and you've been back on the caffeine.. The reason for the question is that the DR said at first to expect to be sensitive and get some bad feelings ( ie racing heart or palps )  but that they should be minimal and go away as my body re-adjusts to a little caffeine. The day of my first attack, it happened very early and i had no caffeine yet so i'm hoping it won't contribute too much negative .I have just lost so much drive,focus, and ability to concentrate . I can't imagine at least some of that can't  be due to the fact a stimulant my body grew accustom to for 15+ years is now absent..thanks again

[JSGeare]

You may find this hard to believe, but -

During my panic years, I was OFF caffeine totally, simply because the action on my heart could lead to you-know-what. Now that I'm off panic, I take in the coffee expecting a reaction to my heart and actually enjoying that little roller-coaster thrill. There's one now! (6 AM east coast USA). It is fascinating to me that my "reaction to my reaction" traces such a thin line between a sense of thrill and excitement and enthusiasm -and abject terror. I'm not sure the actual heart action is very different either way -but the brain action sure is!

[Raine9]

Caffeine is known to cause or make anxiety worse for some people.  However, if your doctor says that it's okay, then why not take his/her advice and reintroduce caffeine in small amounts?  If it doesn't agree with you, you'll know and you can stop and try something else.  Don't let anxiety run your life.  You have to fight it.  That's one of the keys to overcoming anxiety.      

[lost_myself]

Thanks for the input..........i have tried the caff free coke..........3 so far say they get bad effects...just need a pick me up i feel like a zombie all the time....guess I may have to find a new energy source...

[swan6893]

I am an avid tea drinker and i had to switch to decaff and you can't tell the difference between the 2. I also enjoy pepsi every now and then and i drink caffeine free pepsi and i can't tell the diiference in that either. You should try the caffeine free stuff and see if that bothers you. I have a hard time drinking anything with caffeine.

[lost_myself]

Thanks for takin the time ,,i ,too love iced tea.....used to drink a FULL gallon a day....even 1 glass would be awesome!!!

[cdaniels]

I know caffeine can potentially be bad for me, so I've been trying to stop. I don't like sodas, but my favorite thing in the world is iced tea. I love it and I can drink it all day.

I've gotten down to one cup a week, which is great considering I used to drink it three or four times a day. Soon I won't be touching it at all and sticking to flavored non-carbonated water. Like "be still my beating heart 13" said, it's rough, but I rather be off caffeine than deal with the side effects.

[lost_myself]

thanks a bunch....i love the pic on your profile ...wish i was there now...;}

[Raine9]

I think it would be okay to reintroduce caffeine in small amounts.  That's what I did.  It did bother me initially but doesn't anymore.  I had 2 large cups this morning and didn't feel the least bit anxious or jittery.  I know the coffee was caffeinated because I made it.  I don't know if my body just got used to the caffeine, I just refuse to let it bother me or I just don't suffer from anxiety anymore.  I don't know but I've been wondering why nothing seems to bother me anymore.  Maybe I'm overthinking this...

Anyway, hope you feel better.  

[lost_myself]

Thanks very much .....I actually had 3 full days that were VERY good  yesterday soso  today sucked LOL..but tomarrows a new day........did i see in another post you smoke ?  the nicotine is no bother?  I ask beacuse along with caffeine i lost my nicotine...chewing tobacco.... cold turkey same day..I'm only taking a very low dose of beta blocker to control my heart rate ..but I feel like a friggin zombie ...i went from running 2 companies working 80 - 100 hour weeks to barely able to stay awake for 10 hours ..ZERO motivation or focus ...don't get me wrong I'm  HAPPY as hell to be 95% rid of the anxiety/panic krap but I don't feel i can function now....thanks for your comment ...Feel great God Bless

[be still my beating heart 13]

I can't do caffine in any form, no soda, tea, coffee, chocolate, NOTHING.  I also limit my sugar intake.  I often tell my family that all of pleausres have been taken from me, but I would much rather not indulge in caffine and sugar than to experience the heart palps they will bring on.  But remember each person is different and what is bad for me may not affect you at all.  Try a little over the weekend when you will be able to stay home if you begin to feel badly after consuming it.  Afterall you will never know unless you try.  I hope you felt well today!

Cori