# Effects of caffeine/nicotine on meds



## John The Revelator (Jun 16, 2007)

Anyone have any experiences or opinions about this? I've been taking Paxil for two and a half weeks. I had my very first panic attack on the way to work a couple days ago after smoking a couple of cigarettes. I'm starting to question whether it was the fact that I was going to work that triggered my attack, or was it the nicotine. Also, I seem to be a lot more anxious after drinking caffeine. Makes sense right? Well, I'm just starting to piece this together. Do caffeine and nicotine make SSRI's less effective?


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## pdcarpen (Mar 4, 2007)

ive experienced the same thing with caffeine....I think there is some truth to this. As a result, i have cut down on it. BTW, i used to drink a lot of caffeine to get energy and cuz i thought id be more talkative and social. This has been the case sometimes, but after i come down from it i feel really anxious and like shti in general. 

I have noticed a diff. after cutting down on it. A little calmer, less shaky, etc. So to answer ur ?, i dont know if it makes meds less effective, but it hinders the progress of what the meds are supposed to be helping, so same diff i think


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## foxtrot (Feb 17, 2007)

i know smoking cigarettes slaughters the levels of vitamins and minerals in your body, not sure about caffeine. and certainly not sure about how they may affect ADs etc, id be interested to know..


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## Jimiam (Jan 8, 2007)

The only one I know of that has an interaction with caffeine is Luvox(fluvoxamine) . fluvoxamine potentiates the effect of caffeine. So it will take much less caffeine to affect you. This is because fluvoxamine inhibits the live enzyme P450 1A2 (CYP1A2). This liver enzyme processes cafeine.

cheers.


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## Speak Easy (Jun 27, 2006)

*Re: re: Effects of caffeine/nicotine on meds*



Jimiam said:


> The only one I know of that has an interaction with caffeine is Luvox(fluvoxamine) . fluvoxamine potentiates the effect of caffeine. So it will take much less caffeine to affect you. This is because fluvoxamine inhibits the live enzyme P450 1A2 (CYP1A2). This liver enzyme processes cafeine.
> 
> cheers.


Maybe you should add a source to that one Jimiam? Maybe you could call it Wikipedia? :b

Anyway, to answer the question of the effects of caffeine/nicotine on meds, I don't think there's a definite answer or correlation for all SSRIs. Caffeine is a stimulant and so is an SSRI, so taking them in combination should most likely just make you extra stimulated, which may or may not result in anxiety. Nicotine is another stimulant. 
Obviously, nicotine and caffeine make you anxious, which is possible, but this is not solely due to the meds, but to the fact that they are, indeed, both stimulants (a side-effect of stimulants is anxiety, which is why the are usually contraindicated in anxiety patients). My advice is to simply avoid the caffeine and stay off the cigarettes. Don't blame your meds, though, since I do believe that Paxil (along with Luvox) are the most sedating SSRIs available, meaning that taking a stimulant shouldn't actually mess you up psychologically (it's a physiological interaction with Luvox, which then results in the psychological feelings, which is what the user would notice).


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## Jimiam (Jan 8, 2007)

No source needed cuz I put it in my own words.

Jimiam


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## John The Revelator (Jun 16, 2007)

Thanks for your responses. Fortunately, I don't get strong cravings for cigarettes (I'm kind of an "off-and-on" smoker). So I've already stopped. But, caffeine is part of my life. And it seemed to elevate my mood until I started the Paxil. Now, it just makes me restless and anxious. I thought maybe the caffeine and Paxil were interacting badly... I guess it really doesn't matter. It's obvious I need to cut coffee from my morning routine. Thanks again.


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