Caffeine?

[NewUserx]

Since having anxiety I try to avoid caffeine but I really fancy a cappuccino

Is it true that caffeine makes anxiety worse?

[Agora1]

Yes! x

[NewUserx in reply to Agora1]

Thank you x

[xo_haili]

YES but you can always order decaf which still has caffeine just not nearly as much

[NewUserx in reply to xo_haili]

Thank you

[Jeff1943]

I think you have to drink an awful lot of coffee for it to affect you, I drink one or two mugs of strong Columbian cafetera coffee a day and it has no affect on my anxiety

[Beevee in reply to Jeff1943]

I drink more coffee than ever. Is it the coffee you fear or the symptoms of anxiety?

People who become agoraphobic are tricked into withdrawing from public life. If they have a psnic attack somewhere, they don’t go back, fearing that they will have another attack. It’s not the place they fear, it is the feelings of fear that they fear the most. Fear based disorders such as agoraphobia grow stronger with avoidance. Anxiety will only learn to switch off when you face and accept those fears whilst they are at their most intense and stop avoiding. The brain will eventually see that there is no threat and send “calming” messages to the rest of the body and stop pumping adrenalin which is behind all the symptoms you fear the most.

Recovery is about making your life bigger than anxiety and taking it with you. If want my advice, start off by having that cappuccino, make it a large one and don’t give a damn if it makes you feel anxious. ☕️☕️☕️

[kevoreally in reply to Beevee]

Good speech lol

[NewUserx in reply to Beevee]

Thank you so much for your advice!

I’m scared of the symptoms and if I’m honest it is ruining my life. I had my first panic attack after a plane journey and its scared me so much that I can’t even go out on my own incase I get horrible symptoms when I am alone.

That’s so true it’s just the symptoms can be so overwhelming that it’s scary.

I really appreciate the advice. Thank you again.

[NewUserx in reply to Jeff1943]

Thank you for the reply

[Mariapalmer]

I drink lucozade that has caffeine. Doesn’t make a difference weather I drink it or not

[NewUserx in reply to Mariapalmer]

Thank you I think I just worry about the symptoms now so I try to avoid caffeine.

[kevoreally]

I will tell you this I drank one large dunkin ice coffee a day with caramel syrup and i was on CONSTANT EDGE during the first week of trying to have coffee in my life guess what if you can get through the jitters and the on edge feeling youll be fine just know if you do get anxious its because of the coffee and you have nothing to worry about

I just couldnt stad constantly having to move if i didnt get the coffee out of my system by moving and working hard i would feel it later on when i would be sitting down

This could just be my ADHD interacting with a stimulant though so you may not experience this at all i say give it a go and see what happens day one if you are okay then keep at it if not cut it out right away

Get a small cup like the smallest cup if you goto starbucks its called SHORT cappuccino

Now they get shots of espresso which will INTENSIFY the coffee stimulation so id request that they do not use shots of espresso but rather they use regular coffee as the “shots”

I was a barista/shift supervisor for 5 years at starbucks lol i know all the tricks and crap

I also never drank coffee till i started my new job swear it

[NewUserx in reply to kevoreally]

Wow don’t really want to feel like that but I think I need to push myself a bit instead of avoiding stuff because of being scared of the anxiety symptoms.

Yeah I might just try a small one and see if it makes my symptoms worse.

Thank you so much for the advice!

[Heruga]

Yes yes yes caffeine is the main enemy of anxiety. Everytime I drink coffee I get anxiety attacks and breathlessness and dizziness. Since then I never bothered to touch that chemical again. Not even coke.

[Agora1 in reply to Heruga]

I agree Heruga. It's not about going into a major anxiety attack. It's about the caffeine tightening the muscles (at least for me) down the esophagus, throat, making my heart beat faster and then all those symptoms can produce an anxiety attack.

So yes, yes, yes, caffeine is an enemy of anxiety.

[NewUserx in reply to Agora1]

Ohhh my heart beats fast anyway especially if I’ve just walked upstairs it didn’t used to do it but now it does so probably won’t be a great idea to have caffeine

Thanks again!

[NewUserx in reply to Heruga]

I get that nearly everyday anyway it sucks yeah I have cut coke out my diet and try to drink juice or 7 up.

[Jeff1943]

It's 00.30am and I've just made a cafetera of Columbian ground coffee, really strong. No anxiety feelings yet but my anxiety levels aren't high any way at the moment. I'll report back later.

[Jeff1943]

01.40a.m. and no sign of anxiety rising, maybe it affects some people in this way but not others. Will report back in the morning how I feel but not too early, I don't rise until 10a.m. one of the perks of retirement you have to look forward to😁

[NewUserx in reply to Jeff1943]

Haha! Thank you. Glad the caffeine doesn’t affect you.

[Slammysammy]

I drink coffee from the time i wake up till i go to bed. I go and get a mocha in the am and then i drink reg coffee when my mochas gone. It does give me anxiety..i get the on edge feeling and the dizzy feeling to...but i just deal with it because coffee is my motivation for the day.

[NewUserx in reply to Slammysammy]

Ohh fair enough probably won’t be a good idea for me then I feel dizzy everyday anyway

[howard327]

If you have panic/anxiety symptoms regular coffee makes it worse. I shifted to decaf that works fine for me.

[NewUserx in reply to howard327]

Thank you I’ll try a small cup of decaf and see how I feel.

[Ashley1489]

I have anxiety and panic disorder and I'm a caffiene junkie... I mean I'd I don't have my coffee In the morning I feel worse then I would if I didn't have it.... Different things may effect you and it not the next person... You have to try it out on your own Hun. Hugs xoxo

[NewUserx in reply to Ashley1489]

Thank you for your reply. Yeah I suppose the only way for me to find out would be to try a small glass. Xxx

[Hidden]

It don't bother me. If you think you'll get anxious from something you will, it's that simple. Like I say it doesn't make me any worse, though alot of sugar can set me off.

[NewUserx in reply to Hidden]

Yeah I suppose that’s true.

Thank you for the reply.

[Jeff1943]

Its 12.09 and after having a late night coffee I woke feeling very strange, everything looked and felt different. Never experienced this before, but I have been a bit worried about a routine hospital appointment next week. I took half a 5mg diazepam ie 2.5mg and feel a bit better, won't be drinking coffee late at night again, its o.k. if I drink it in the morning and afternoon. Very strange and unwelcome experience.

[NewUserx in reply to Jeff1943]

Ohhh sorry that it made you feel like that

Think I’ll just try and avoid caffeine then my anxiety is a nightmare as it is without me having something that might make it feel worse.

I hope your appointment goes well.

[Hidden in reply to Jeff1943]

Are you sure it's the coffee. Caffeine has a dopamine effect in the brain , kinda like nicotine but it also depletes serotonin over time. You get a quick high and it kinda tells the body and brain not to be tired, that's about it.

[Jeff1943 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Joey, you can never be sure, a few people have been asking about coffee, I usually drink one cup from ground beans a day and have never had a problem. Then yesterday I decided to have one late in the evening and like a smartarse said I'd report back. After drinking it last night I was o.k. but could feel my heartbeat a bit though not irregular or racing. Then I awoke this morning anf had a strange feeling I've never had before like everything looked normal but it had a different feel to it, maybe it was a bit of derealisation. I have been worried because I've still got a lot of Christmas stuff to do and don't feel like it and have a routine eye hospital appointment, not concerned about the results it's just a struggle doing the tests and having to take contact lenses out and in etc. I hate it in an exaggerated anxiety sort of a way. The strange feeling has passed now so I shall leave it a while and then no coffee after 1p.m.

In 1974 when my anxiety first started I was a coffee connoiseur, there was a shop near to where I worked that sold 100 different types of coffee bean in different roasting strengths, for over a year I went through their entire range and always thought the coffee was complicit in developing anxiety disorder in the first place.

Maybe it was coincidence last night, maybe the coffee late at night or might have happened any way.

[Agora1 in reply to Jeff1943]

Or just maybe Jeff1943, we preprogrammed your mind with negative stories about caffeine

[Hidden in reply to Agora1]

Exactly, we are what we think.

[Hidden in reply to Jeff1943]

You should go back to enjoying it once more. Love a cup of coffee and it has benefits to our health, just like antioxidants in Tea. It's a stimulant, but not one that will hurt you, but it could be misinterpreted as an anxiety symptom.

[Jeff1943 in reply to Hidden]

I think you're right, because I was reporting back I was half expecting something. I won't be giving up the coffee.

[Aspergirl47]

Hey, I drink 2 cappuccinos a day and I definitely find I shake and my heart speeds up which then in turn I feel frightened because I then think its my anxiety..but my problem seems to be I'm addicted to the caffeine....its the one thing I don't seem to be able to stop..

[NewUserx in reply to Aspergirl47]

Ohhh thank you for the reply.

Think after reading most of these replies that I’m better off just avoiding caffeine.

[NewUserx]

Yeah since having my first attack 6 month ago I’ve not had caffeine. I think I’ll just have to try a small glass and see if it affects me

Ohhh thank you.

I’ll have to look for some sachets😊

[Agora1]

NewUserx, Since we all respond differently to drugs and caffeine is a drug, we each need to work around our own issues with coffee or drinks that are a caffeine stimulant. I buy a good quality Decaf coffee, top if off with a flavored cream and enjoy it with no ill effects. I eat milk chocolate bars but stir clear of dark chocolate because that seems to bother me more. So why give up the so few things in life that we do enjoy, just go around it and find a different approach to pleasure.

[Beevee]

Anyone for Tea?

[Ashley1489 in reply to Beevee]

I love hot green tea and chamomile

[Mpa5524]

I used to drink 3 cups a day, now only have two decaf a day, about 4/5 bottles of water and chamomile tea at night. I do miss my caffeine though