coffee a trigger?

[PurpleShugar]

I’ve noticed that coffee acts as a trigger for me. The internet says coffee is good for asthma. Who else gets triggered by coffee?

or could it be something else? I’ve tried with different coffee beans and it’s the same way for me.

[Patk1]

Just a thought - depending on how milky u have it,could it b the milks irritating u?

[PurpleShugar in reply to Patk1]

I have my coffee black. Thank you very much for your response.

[Homely2 Administrator]

The aroma of anything can trigger asthma, if your system does not like it.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Coffee is meant to be good for asthma as the caffeine is a mild bronchodilator (it's related to a drug sometimes used to treat asthma). However, I've definitely seen before that something which sets my lungs off is supposed to be good for asthma!

Do you drink anything else with caffeine in it eg Coke? Does that have the same effect or is it ok? If that's ok it may not be the caffeine in your coffee causing you problems.

Wondering if it's something in how the coffee is roasted/made or whatever - I don't know anything much about coffee but wondering if there's something that gets added that you're reacting to? Doesn't have to be a chemical, so could be an issue even if you drink really nice organic fairtrade coffee - plenty of natural things can trigger asthma!

That probably doesn't help much if you like coffee but hope it helps to maybe work out the issue.

[PurpleShugar in reply to Lysistrata]

I do drink coke but I’ve never paid attention to how I feel afterwards. Thank you so much for replying.

[Mandevilla in reply to Lysistrata]

Absolutely fascinated to discover that coffee can be beneficial for asthma. I had undiagnosed asthma for decades which was only triggered by a couple of specific things (only got diagnosed when Covid turned asthma into a daily occurrence instead of 2-3 times a year), and I found out by accident that really strong coffee helped ease the symptoms. I've mentioned it to a couple of nurses, doctors etc and been told that it was just psychological - I associated a hot drink with comfort and it made me feel calmer - so it's interesting to hear there might be a physical reason it made me feel better too!

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Mandevilla]

Really interesting to hear you stumbled on it!

I do wish healthcare professionals were taught more often that it's ok to say 'I don't know' or 'I haven't heard that before, wonder why' even if they don't have the interest or knowledge to actually look into it. I am so fed up with the instant go-to so often being 'if I don't know why or haven't heard of it it must be psychological' or 'no one else has that so it must be in your head'.

[Mandevilla in reply to Lysistrata]

The weird thing is that I'd instinctively crave coffee when I had an asthma attack decades before I knew that this was what I was experiencing (and I'm normally a tea person!) I can only assume that my body had registered the effect that coffee had on my lungs in the past and was prompting me to reach for something that would help. I think our bodies often tell us what we need, but we've got used to dismissing cravings as 'bad', so we often ignore them. (And yes, cravings do need to be dealt with sensibly - I'm not suggesting stuffing ourselves with chocolate or burgers every time we feel like it! - but we do need to listen to what our bodies are telling us and try to work out what we need)

[PaulRosedene]

I am just wondering if you have tried decaffeinated coffee ? Does this have the same effect ?

[PurpleShugar in reply to PaulRosedene]

No I haven’t tried decaf.. Thank you.

[eachy]

I have a salicylates intolerance, fills me up with phlegm very quickly and eventually makes me wheeze. Coffee beans have salicylates in them and are a definite trigger for me. Decaf coffee when it is water washed, not chemically or sugar cane decaffeinated is salicylate free, who knew!! In the process of Swiss water washing coffee beans to decaffeinate them the salicylates are also washed out and I can drink it without being triggered. Now finding a good decaf coffee has been a challenge but I have found a few now. Just thought I’d put it out there might be worth giving it a try?

[Hikingfan in reply to eachy]

That's v interesting, I didn't know about salicylate intolerance, going to look it up.

[Hikingfan]

Coffee is a trigger for me because my asthma is largely brought on by acid reflux and the caffeine in coffee is well known as a trigger for GERD. I only ever drink decaffinated coffee and when I can prefer to drink chamomile tea which seems to be very calming.

[Hikingfan in reply to Hikingfan]

...adding to my comment, I have found Coca Cola also a problem but not quite as much but they now do a decaff Coke drink. However I tend to avoid Coca Cola altogether now.

[Elspe]

Cola is trouble for me - I used to drink a lot of it. Found out it has a spice in it that I independently discovered was a major trigger for me. I used to get that refreshing sparkle and then a mouthful of mucous. Coffee is fine unless it's the "seasonal" kind with hazelnuts in - which does not carry a nut warning.

[utkmybrthawy]

So glad you posted this. I was JUST at a coffee place for open mic, and had to leave because I started choking with the usual athsma. What the heck? I usually don't drink coffee... anyway, if thought maybe it was something in the air. I never thought "coffee", but maybe. Do you suppose we get dehydrated from these caffinated drinks, and that's the actual trigger? You know coffee and tea dehydrate.

[Potatocrisp in reply to utkmybrthawy]

Apparently caffeinated drinks do dehydrate people . I get a lot of sinus trouble and it's reccomended don't drink caffeinated drinks for this reason as they dry the sinuses which is not good . Advice is stay hydrated . .. it will help wash allergens , germs away .

[Gwalltarian]

A number of years ago I found myself getting breathless every morning after breakfast. I realised it was the coffee I drank that caused it so stopped drinking it altogether for a long my time. Eventually i started drinking decaf, normally limited to two cups in the morning. Occasionally I’ll have a 50 caf/ 50 decaf mixture and rarely a fully caffeine coffee, That way it doesn’t bother me.

My daughter who is not asthmatic told me of her experience working in an office where coffee was available all day long and there was a strong smell of it in the air - she found it made her feel breathless.