To Much tea!? ANXIETY

[anxiousrob]

So ive just had my 1st session of CBT, when I told my councillor I drank on average 6-8 cups of tea a day and 1 bottle (330ml) of cola. He looked at me gone out and said that's half my problem....

Has anybody done something similar and did you notice the benefit when you reduced your caffeine fix?

[Bella100]

When I had CBT in the past they suggested lowering my caffeine intake, it's worth trying, I still have anxiety and panic but I do think there is a difference. Everybody is different but there's no harm in giving it a try and seeing what happens, you can get the decaf tea bags as well so you won't have to give up tea!!

[Corelli41]

So ive just had my 1st session of CBT, when I told my councillor I drank on average 6-8 cups of tea a day and 1 bottle (330ml) of cola. He looked at me gone out and said that's half my problem....

Has anybody done something similar and did you notice the benefit when you reduced your caffeine fix?

First thing my doctor said to me was " you know caffeine is a stimulant, we need to reduce it" :blush::winks:

Loads of good decaf tea and coffee products out there so worry not. I do find giving up helps.

[sial72]

It will deffo help with the anxiety x

[Oosh]

I used to be a total coffee addict. I get into everything pretty deep so I just drank it all day long every day. My skin started to go weird at one point, such was the crazy level I'd taken things to at that particular time.
When I saw my skin had gone weird I crapped myself and stopped coffee dead. Over the coming weeks I noticed how calm I was instead.

After a couple of years I took up tea instead. It was different. It stimulated me but didn't have the same crash an hour after a cup of coffee. I've been a big tea drinker ever since. I take everything too far so I have a huge mug and drink tea pretty much all daytime.

I had a throat issue recently and stopped tea dead. It's been a week now and I literally feel no different. I feel improvement in that from the moment I'd get up and have my first tea with milk in id be on a blood sugar rollercoaster, which I now don't have. But I don't notice the removal of actual tea from my life at all.

[anxiousrob]

Thanks everybody... ill go on the decaf and see how I go

[ricardo]

Every single report I have read and every doctor has said cut out caffeine to reduce anxiety, again like cigarettes many of us think it is calming but it actually does the opposite.

I restrict myself to one coffee first thing and subsitute tea and all other drinks for water, as water is very beneficial for the whole body.

[Rennie1989]

When my anxiety was exceptionally bad I cut out my caffeine dramatically, the only caffeine was from the chocolate I ate. I helped a lot! I have increased my caffeine since but I know when enough is enough.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I cut down at my worst stages but found it didn't affect me as I started to recover. But I only have a few cups of tea a day.

I think the worse the anxiety stage, the more sensitive you are to just about anything so cutting down is good.

[SunnyB]

Caffeine and I really do not get along. I love tea I probably have 1-2 cups a day But I drink more green tea than normal tea.
Since the end of last year I was getting into drinking the odd coffee and my panic attacks became more frequent. Not always the same day or straight after I consumed caffeine. But without a doubt it was the caffiene causing more of them. I've never liked energy drinks like red bull, could never put my finger on why they just make me feel weird. Even a weaker coffee still makes me a bit nuts :wacko: I wont touch the stuff now.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah, green tea is lower in caffeine than black tea plus it's healthier so that's a good way to go.

Some of those energy drinks (and some coffee products) are guarana infused. This makes the caffeine more intense and guarana is mentioned in some SSRI leaflets as a no-no (I think I can remember Citalopram being one of them). The energy drinks tend to have things like Taurine in them to stop the caffeine going too far. The b vitamins they have in them too can be stimulating.

I've taken guarana tablets before my anxiety started and they pep you up.

[lovetoread]

A Dr. told me she would drop dead if she drank as much caffeine as I do. I never really did quit until today. I've only had a half cup when I got out of work. I think it's really affecting my anxiety and right now I would do anything to keep my heart rate down as it's causing more anxiety to feel my heart racing. I think it did help some tonight...

[GingerFish]

My panic attacks started when I was at college a few years ago and because I was a science student and lots of reports to do, I was hooked on energy drink. I would drink it at home to do reports and then in class to keep myself awake after an all nighter. I noticed they definitely had a part to play in my panic attacks. I have now cut out caffeine all together and noticed it helped a lot with my overall anxiety.

[xvolatileheart]

It has such a massive effect. I was having a really nice day, had 2 cups of tea before lunchtime. Then went to the shopping centre and got an iced coffee and now I feel AWFUL. I'm not mentally panicking but my body is in full adrenaline mode and I hate it so much.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I think I've become super human the sheet amount I have, its like my life blood

Should I start calling you Captain Caffeine from now on? :D (Teaboy doesn't sound right mate :winks:)

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah, Teaboy is more like Batman's Robin and thats a tricky one as you could end up acting in dodgy adult films down the line :winks:

I prefer tea myself. I've never liked the taste of coffee. I'm thinking of switching over to green tea though for the health benefits.

[blue moon]

I just got myself a new coffee machine mmm making a nice extra strong ßkinny cappuccino,I can make you one if you all want xx

[MyNameIsTerry]

I just got myself a new coffee machine mmm making a nice extra strong ßkinny cappuccino,I can make you one if you all want xx

Tease :winks::D

[blue moon]

Gee this Lavazzo coffee is nice,you are all welcome to visit and have coffee and share my hookah in my yurt in the back yard:hugs:

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hooker? :ohmy: just kidding. You will have to tell me what a hookah is as I'm just an uncultured midlander :D

[queenb]

Green Tea also contains theanine which is supposed to help with anxiety. I drink some tea, but try to cut down. Sometimes I'll be feeling better and then up my caffeine and get worse again.

[nicola1980]

I'm a caffeine junkie :blush: i absolutely love my coffee but do try to my limit myself to 6 cupsa day altho most days it's more like 8 :ohmy: it doesn't effect my anxiety tho, infact if I'm feeling particularly stressed and anxious I'll have a cup of coffee and a fag!! My mums the same tho, she suffered anxiety in the past yet coffee never affected her and drinks numerous cups throughout the day XX

[Ditapage]

I had the same psychologist advice to cut out tea. Come to think of it I started drinking more and more tea when I was anxious because it was a comforting thing. Hard to believe it was doing more harm than good. I laugh when I think anxiety was telling me it wanted tea--- so it could stay alive! Ha! I'm anxious, get a cuppa.

My psychologist actually told me "no tea after 3pm."

I cut coffee out but tea? I was happy to see this thread, to know its true!

[MyNameIsTerry]

I know our brain will crave fat when we are depressed but doesn't an anxious brain make us crave carbs? So, maybe sugar?

I know that caffeine is actually a good thing for the brain anyway for certain functions and it is also good for asthma sufferers from some brief study stuff I've scan read (but can't properly remember :doh:) so it has it's uses.

I guess it's like anything else with anxiety, some people can & some people can't, if you are recovering you can find you are ok with it again, etc.

And Nicola, I know what you mean because I find that with tea. I went through all that hell with Duloxetine but I didn't cut out tea and it didn't make me feel worse. It seems the opposite of what you would expect.

Fags are depressants so I get that one.

I wonder if there are any studies or useful articles about caffeine and brain function that show how it can be used in sensible quantities that are helpful to us. A spot of Googling for me there then :D

[blue moon]

Fags.....Terry please let me have my hookah,I only smoke it when we have our Iranian friends visit....lol:D

[pulisa]

I only drink loose leaf tea-green and earl grey- and would feel seriously anxious if anyone told me to cut out my daily fix:D

[MyNameIsTerry]

Fags.....Terry please let me have my hookah,I only smoke it when we have our Iranian friends visit....lol:D

I always believe in preserving cultural traditions, as I was saying to my Jamaican friend only last week or was it last night, my memory :winks::D

[blue moon]

Was your friends name Bob:D

[MyNameIsTerry]

Yeah, he certainly "light up the dark". :D