Caffeine

[spacebunnyx]

Hi,

I know I'm probably stating the obvious to most people here but:

if you have panic attacks and drink caffeine (even green teas) - don't!!!

I found that they trigger PA's in me very easily.. even a small amount. Without caffeine I can go for months without PA's... with it every hour!!!:ohmy:

xxx

[PanchoGoz]

I don't because it makes me unwell. Coffe makes me faint and wobbly, my hands and knees shake and my eyes go blurry.

[SLjimbo]

Same here! Whenever I get in my panic episodes like now, I try to avoid caffeine as much as possible. I stick to decaf, but once and awhile I do half decaf and half regular coffee.

[24track]

That's interesting!! I switched to decaff at home a year ago. When there I have no anx or PAs... but when I work abroad I can't get decaff at all so just have full strength (albeit in reduced amounts). And guess what? I get very bad symptoms and PAs when at work!

I never even thought that caffeine could be causing this (again).. thank you!!!!!!

[James1983]

i think that drinking too much tea made me have my first attack 2 years ago i used to have about 8 cups at work. i felt a heart palp and that was it full blown panic!

[Margaret99]

Caffeine doesn't cause PAs however anything thats a strong stimulant will exacerbate and possibly trigger an attack. But the right conditions for an attack have to be there in the first place.

[PanchoGoz]

That is true, but it's worth noting it could cause a palpitation, which caused unneccessary misinterpretation and catastrophisation, which in your case James, caused the panic and the disorder. You probably had some underlying worries as well but you I'm guessing you felt the heart palp then thought that you might be having a heart attack or dying, then you feared them, which in turn caused more...You became sensitized to your heart beat so that when you felt it again, panic would arise. Well that's how it usually goes anyway, I'm not really sure why I wrote all that :)

[R.Barratt]

Hiya :)
Thanks for that advice I had no idea xxx

[James1983]

That is true, but it's worth noting it could cause a palpitation, which caused unneccessary misinterpretation and catastrophisation, which in your case James, caused the panic and the disorder. You probably had some underlying worries as well but you I'm guessing you felt the heart palp then thought that you might be having a heart attack or dying, then you feared them, which in turn caused more...You became sensitized to your heart beat so that when you felt it again, panic would arise. Well that's how it usually goes anyway, I'm not really sure why I wrote all that :)


That is it in a nutshell! spot on

[Margaret99]

Yup all stimulants make your heart beat faster........just what I was saying worded differently

[stu81]

I haven't had any Caffeine based drinks since November 2011 due to the fact that i only sleep 2 - 3 hours a night. Giving up caffeine hasn't affected the amount of Panic / anxiety attacks i've had, or the severity. It also didn't change the amount of sleep i get (still only get 2-3 hours a night). Therefore, cutting down / out caffeine will probably only help, if you are overly sensitive to it. =)

[frenchbean]

I notice this too - and drink decaf tea only. However, does decaf tea still contain a small about of caffeine/tannin? Would I be better off completely eliminating decaf tea and coffee? (Also chocolate and coke, not that I drink much of that anyway.)

Thanks x

[Margaret99]

Everyone is affected differently by stimulants dependent on a lot of factors. If you used to drink a lot of caffeine drinks btw never just go cold turkey with quitting or you will get very unpleasant withdrawel symptoms.

Sure theres a small amount in decaff - depends how you feel caffeine affects you overall.

For me I just don't drink caffeine after around 4pm and I only have 2/3 cups a day anyway. After that I'd have decaff.

I'm a very poor sleeper but I do find having caffeine after my 'watershed' will affect me adversely. If I'm feeling v jittery/in pre PA mode I will try and avoid caffeine if possible.

[Angelai]

Caffeine is a complete no for me - decaf tea, occasional decaf coke. 'Normal' tea gives me panic attacks, pg tips is the worst.

Yes, the withdrawal.... I gave up cold turkey about 14 years ago - first day or two, not too bad, then one of the worst headaches ever (and I suffer migraines) for about a week. Can't remember the other symptoms, just felt rotten in general, but that headache I will never forget.

[stu81]

For the record, i drink Decaf Green tea. It doesn't taste any different to the other green tea's i've had and it helps get rid of spots and stuff ! my skin has improved greatly if nothing else !