# Caffeine



## AndyLT (Oct 8, 2007)

I quit nicotine recently.
I quit alcohol recently.

But trying to quit caffeine was a bad idea. 
It's amazing how much clarity, stability and joy a cup of coffee a day gives me.


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

Congratulations on quitting nicotine and alcohol!

Quitting caffeine isn't right for me, either. I cut back quite a bit, but I still enjoy a cup of tea or a cup of coffee in the morning.


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## seanybhoy (Mar 2, 2008)

AndyLT said:


> It's amazing how much clarity, stability and joy a cup of coffee a day gives me.


Ditto, congrats on the first two too.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

I hate coffee, so if I need to stay alert I bought a pack of caffeine pills when I was at Walmart earlier today. 90 of them for under $3. Can't imagine why folks pay obscene prices for Red Bull that is mainly just a load of caffeine that could be had for 3 cents for 200 mg.


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## LostPancake (Apr 8, 2009)

UltraShy said:


> Iif I need to stay alert I bought a pack of caffeine pills when I was at Walmart earlier today. 90 of them for under $3.


Whoa, that's a great idea. I'm gonna have to get some of those. I love coffee, but sometimes the one in the morning isn't enough.


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## MakaveliThaDon7 (Mar 11, 2008)

Congrats for quitting smoking and drinking!!

i'm addicted to caffeine pills. I take 3- 200mg tabs a day.. They actually wake my brain up and help my social anxiety quite a bit. I just hate being addicted to them. If I don't take them I feel like pure S*** the whole day..


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## DeeperUnderstanding (May 19, 2007)

If I have caffeine, my anxiety goes through the roof, and lately I've been experiencing tinnitus as well. I've cut it out of my diet.


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## mountain5 (May 22, 2008)

I don't like coffee, but it's been extremely difficult for me to quit drinking Coke and Pepsi. A lot of people say soda is gross but I don't care, that sugar flavor feels like the best thing in the world and there's no other drink that can replace it.

I think the only strategy that will work is force myself to drink lots and lots of water every day, so much so that I don't even want to think about having another beverage. Repeat for 9 months.


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## Thomas Paine (Mar 29, 2008)

I've been off of caffeine for a little while now and I'm finally starting to get my focus back. I used to feel like I was getting focus and clarity from coffee or energy drinks, but I'm starting to remember the difference between a rush and natural energy. It's nice waking up in the morning and enjoying a good breakfast first thing and not needing a caffeine fix. I used to get up and drink coffee first, then I'd put off breakfast for a couple hours or skip it completely since caffeine suppresses your appetite. Turns out breakfast really is the most important meal of the day though. I think they even showed that it helps you maintain a healthy weight if you don't skip breakfast.


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## SomethingTangible (May 8, 2009)

WintersTale said:


> If I have caffeine, my anxiety goes through the roof, and lately I've been experiencing tinnitus as well. I've cut it out of my diet.


I agree, caffeine for me is a gamble. It can either make me more outgoing or make me more flighty and nervous in social situations. I better just stick with the alcohol(lol jk!)


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## Phibes (Mar 8, 2009)

caffiene has never really done anything for me... Seems like a placebo ma'f*ker!


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## darkangel (Apr 19, 2005)

MakaveliThaDon7 said:


> Congrats for quitting smoking and drinking!!
> 
> i'm addicted to caffeine pills. I take 3- 200mg tabs a day.. They actually wake my brain up and help my social anxiety quite a bit. I just hate being addicted to them. If I don't take them I feel like pure S*** the whole day..


Wow, someone else addicted to caffeine pills like me. So far today I've taken 1000mg in pill form. Two before work to jazz myself up, one at lunch for a pick-me-up and I took two more after work before my workout. Been on them for I think almost 2 years now, everyday. Mmm drugs... haha


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## screwjack (Dec 19, 2008)

I don't really like the effects of caffeine anymore and straight caffeine pills are the worst. It's the taste that I enjoy when I drink coffee or tea, yeah I supposed I could switch to decaf but it just seems wrong. Also there are things involved other than the caffeine that affect the "high" you get.


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## wxolue (Nov 26, 2008)

Caffeine and sugar dont really effect me, except in high doses (2 red bulls will do it, and once i had a huge meal with three cokes and i felt AMAZING with no anxiety, but thats another story). Anyway, all last year I used to drink a cup of coffee in the morning. Theres something really satisfying about a cup of coffee and any sort of cake or pastry. The thing was, sometimes i would skip a weekend and not have any coffee, but i wouldnt feel any withdraw symptoms even after having a cup a day for weeks before. I noticed that i seemed a little bit more nervous when i had caffeine (or maybe i just convinced myself of this) so i stopped drinking it. Just stopped. I dont see how i didnt develop and addiction, but thats just what i did.


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## AbstractAnxiety (Mar 17, 2004)

Love me a cup o' joe! Only the good stuff though, you can 86 the Foldgers!


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## SoloSage (Feb 26, 2009)

Yup, Caffeine definitely causes my anxiety to go up. After a few minutes of drinking a mug, I get about 5 minutes of clarity and 'warmness' in my body. After that though, my breathing gets shallow and I feel on edge for a couple of hours (I think it is called free floating anxiety). I still take a mug a day though — I cant seem to kick the habit.


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## jonnyam87 (May 13, 2009)

Is caffeine something you should quit? I think not! I love caffeine, its essential for my current job (4am merchandiser for Costco) and will be essential once I graduate from college (I'm on my road to becoming a doctor). But check this out too.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7326839.stm


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## back2life (Feb 27, 2009)

caffeine pills had me in a psych ward a long time ago, when i had one of my first panic attacks, but the energy drinks and coffee never did that, funny that.

im still not sure if caffeine is right for me, it makes me talk more, but doesnt increase or decrease my painful anxiety or mood.


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## alex999 (Oct 21, 2008)

I am really immune to caffeine, always have been. It never works. I usually just drink water and make sure I have plenty of protein and excersize. That way I will have sustained energy and not crash.


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## Seth26 (Apr 5, 2009)

I got me some headache tablets and I'm gonna go cold turkey on caffeine this week and see what happens. I'm not drinking alcohol so I've been smashing the Cokes like all hell, it is very bad and when I drink Coke Zero I still crave the real thing not that fake sweetness. So I think cold turkey is the only way, since I don't drink coffee. I don't know if it affects my anxiety, guess I'll find out.


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## CircularThinking (May 9, 2009)

Coke Zero has the same amount of caffeine as regular coke 

I had to limit my intake because my anxiety combined with massive amounts of caffeine lead me to serious sleep deprivation problems. On days I didn't consume any I would get splitting migraines. Caffeine Withdrawal I guess?

I found it hard to eat meals without a carbonated drink so I drink sprite zero now. Not nearly as good as coke but it does the job.


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## beaches09 (Feb 1, 2009)

Coke actually contains less caffeine than most sodas. I believe it's in the 35-45mg range per serving. Pepsi is about 10mg higher, Dr Pepper and Mountain Dew are even higher. 

And energy drinks put soda to shame. 

I was psychologically addicted to Rockstar Blue's twice a day. Each can has 240mg caffiene. Not including the Guarana which is I believe about 3 times more potent than caffeine. And the other mental effects of the gingseng, ginkgo, etc.

Be happy you're not even a coffee drinker bc when you drink coffee it's incredibly easy to consume as much as a whole Gram of caffeine per day which is way over the intoxicating dose. Soda pop shouldn't even be a concern man that is cakewalk in the park. If you want to stop drinking soda then just stop cold and in a few days to a week TOPS you'll be perfectly fine.


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## Panic Prone (Mar 5, 2006)

I can get mild alertness.. then straight to anxiety. I don't know that any stimulant is good for someone with anxiety as it will contribute to more later but people with ADHD or ADD benifet from it.


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## Lydia (Oct 18, 2008)

Caffeine just makes me feel awful, I am not even sure if it wakes me up, but I am totally addicted to it. I want to quit, but Dr. Pepper, Diet Coke, and coffee are like staples in my diet. I will try to scale back, at least. I tend to drink more soda on the weekends, but after long weekdays my cravings go down. I still like my large iced coffee in the morning.


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## noRby (May 28, 2009)

I don't think I'd be able to get out of bed in the morning without caffeine. I've become completely dependent on it and have no idea how to stop consuming so much without totally crashing.


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## Thomas Paine (Mar 29, 2008)

noRby said:


> I don't think I'd be able to get out of bed in the morning without caffeine. I've become completely dependent on it and have no idea how to stop consuming so much without totally crashing.


I would probably start by keeping a diary for a few days of how much I drink, then start gradually cutting back and keeping track of my progress and how I'm feeling. Then you can adjusted how fast you cut back depending on how bad the withdrawal is.

Also setting goals and congratulating yourself at 1/4 of the way off of caffeine, 1/2 of the way off, 3/4 of the way off would be good if you think it's going to take a while. Maybe buy yourself something you like with all the money you save, when you reach your goals.

I can tell you that you won't see your natural energy come back until you've been off of it for a couple weeks though and your body starts adjusting. At first it will feel like you are exhausted, but it's really just withdrawal, not how you'll be once it's out of your system.


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## nothing to fear (Mar 23, 2005)

i've been really addicted to caffeine for a while. i'd have a few strong coffees a day, at least 1-3 energy drink (and i'd get the kind with 188-220mg of caffeine), and then one or two caffeine pills. i really needed that much to function.

i got a ECG done and it turned how that i had mild arrhythmia and my doctor urge me to cut down to one or two coffees. the first week i did that i felt like absolute CRAP. i'd be in bed for 16 hours a day. constantly sleepy, constantly tired. my mind felt like slush, i couldn't think clearly enough to get the smallest amount of work, or to do class discussions. 

i have started feeling much better since i started adderall. my body relies so much on stimulants, its really excessive. but i'm much better on them than off, i don't care if it messes with my heart a little. i need them to function just somewhat normally.


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## beaches09 (Feb 1, 2009)

noRby said:


> I don't think I'd be able to get out of bed in the morning without caffeine. I've become completely dependent on it and have no idea how to stop consuming so much without totally crashing.


Low dose Selegiline completely took away my need for caffeine. I am a person that also needs caffeine to wake and get me though my day. When I took low dose Selegiline after a couple weeks I actually got to the point where I didn't only not need caffeine but I didn't want it. I found myself going to the fridge to get my fix just because it's a habit and then I would be like wait a minute I don't need this crap I feel awake as hell and freakin alert and great. And I'd walk away without a hitch.

I highly recommend low dose Selegiline for anyone that finds they "absolutely need" caffeine to get through their day. Because so much caffeine is not healthy at all. Too much caffeine over time leads to numerous short term neurological disorders and interuptions of regular brain/body functioning. Selegiline inhibits the enzyme that breaks down dopamine. When you take caffeine you are inhibiting Adenosine in your body which then causes a release of more of the feel good neurotransmitters (dopamine being one of them) which is why there are so many caffeine addicts in this world. When you take Selegiline you block the breakdown of 80% of your dopamine around the clock. Dopamine enhances the alertness, wakefulness and feel-goodness you all feel when you drink your caffeine. Taking Selegiline you no longer need caffeine because you have more Dopamine available to your mind/body all the time when it needs it and there is no crash like there is with caffeine and everything is smooth.


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## Conquistador (Sep 28, 2006)

I can't drink caffeine, it makes me jittery and anxious. But for some reason i can drink green tea, which is actually my favorite drink next to water.


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## Thomas Paine (Mar 29, 2008)

Conquistador said:


> I can't drink caffeine, it makes me jittery and anxious. But for some reason i can drink green tea, which is actually my favorite drink next to water.


There's only a small amount of caffeine in tea, so that might also make it a good alternative for anybody trying to cut back on their caffeine.


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## UltraShy (Nov 8, 2003)

I personally had never noticed any effect from caffeine and thought it did zip until I tried it in pill form and discovered it was a dosage issue. Most colas contain about 40 mg per can, while a caffeine pill is 200 mg. At 200 mg I can actually feel an effect.


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## beaches09 (Feb 1, 2009)

Conquistador said:


> I can't drink caffeine, it makes me jittery and anxious. But for some reason i can drink green tea, which is actually my favorite drink next to water.





Thomas Paine said:


> There's only a small amount of caffeine in tea, so that might also make it a good alternative for anybody trying to cut back on their caffeine.


I get the same jittery thing from drinking brewed hot coffee. But not cold iced coffee. I never understood why.

Green teas depending on what kind you have I have seen as much as 95mg for a single tea bag (usually the imported asian stuff), but on average it's in the 35mg-55mg range for a single serving. The amino acid L-theanine found in green tea probably contributes to the calming effect when you drink it, vs having regular coffee.


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## liarsclub (Aug 23, 2008)

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