topic Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!! in Staying well

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

blondguy — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 18:14:12 GMT

Hello Everybody and especially new members are more than welcome to post:-)

I have had acute anxiety since 1983 and depression since 1997. Preceding my first mega anxiety attack in 1983, I had 3 cups of straight black coffee in a meeting and felt fine until later in the afternoon in traffic when I had my first huge anxiety attack.I was very ill after this first anxiety attack and was lost, scared...and off work. I kept drinking coffee every day and could never understand why I was so super anxious.

My anxiety wasnt caused by my coffee intake on that day. I love coffee! What I didnt understand was the coffee was another 'trigger' for my anxiety. It took a few health professionals to 'wake me up' and for me to realise that my love of coffee was also making my anxiety worse.

This is only my experience though, I would really appreciate your thoughts/ opinions if you can/cannot mix coffee with depression/anxiety no matter how severe or mild your symptoms are:-)

Thankyou for taking the time to read my post

Paul

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

CMF — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 22:40:49 GMT

Hi Paul,

I love how you start these threads that make us think about everyday things that may affect how we feel. I used to be a big coffee drinker years ago. I'm sure I used to have 6,7 or 8 cups a day ranging from perculated to instant to lattes and cappuccinos. it was a bit of a social thing too. id go out and have one during the day, even on my own, but i was out. it was a bit of a comfort thing. I was back then a very nervous person and to some extent I still am. I no longer drink coffee, I have substitutes but I do drink chai tea and have started back on green tea. they still have some caffeine but I don't have 7 or 8 cups.

I'm not sure about depression but I do think coffee can increase anxiety as the caffeine makes us alert and I don't mean alert as in not asleep but alert as in ready to go. this I think may add to the fight/flight response we have with anxiety.

I'd be too sacred to have a coffee now after not dinking it for so many years. I'm scared it may make my heart race and make me more highly strung. I'm pretty good at that on my own. Perhaps in moderation its ok I guess you need to think about whether it interferes with your sleep at night. when I was a big coffee drinker it didnt stop me sleeping.

I'd opt for cutting down on the caffeine, sometime just knowing that I'm doing something through my diet to help with anxiety makes me feel better. Mind over matter maybe???

cmf

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

CMF — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 23:54:01 GMT

Actually, ive been drinking green tea first thing in the morning this past week. meant to be good for my gums. I have observed that even though I don't feel anxious as much, my heart us racing and I do feel a little highly strung.

cmf

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

pipsy — Sat, 18 Jun 2016 00:20:38 GMT

Hey Paul. I too was a heavy coffee drinker. About 40 years ago, (showing my age here, better be careful. lol). I started finding I was getting severe headaches. I didn't attach too much importance, but I did change my brand. Fast forward a few years, getting headaches again, migraines this time. Decided to start drinking tea. Unbelievable withdrawals, I never believed you could get withdrawals from coffee. I guess the caffeine really does affect some people. In the last 20 or so years, since switching to tea, I have noticed a change. The headaches have ceased, my thinking is clearer etc. I'm not saying the coffee was to blame, but it makes you think. I do suspect coffee does upset your nervous system, the caffeine content is fairly high and this can have an adverse reaction. I suppose though, it's like everything in this life, moderation is the key factor to remember. I have heard coffee can be addictive, I suppose tea is too, although to a lesser degree. Perhaps when you have your coffee, take note of how you feel an hour or so later. If you're feeling 'high strung, overly nervous' etc, reality check.

Lynda

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

Petra — Sat, 18 Jun 2016 00:27:45 GMT

Hi Paul

You kindly suggested to me just recently that coffee may not be helping my anxiety and I agree with you but does that cheap powdery stuff supplied in a tin really count as coffee i.e. I.R.? 😬 If this is so, I'll have to stop kidding myself and ditch this too! Not too long ago, meds and stimulating beverages didn't pass my lips. How times have changed! It's doable though. I'll just have to source a substitute my 'morning-kick-starter' for something user-friendly!

One more thing if I may, my new friend Paul, just a heads up....if you start a thread including the word 'chocolate' my close friend and ally ....I'm going to ignore it! Hee, hee!

Pet😊

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

CMF — Sat, 18 Jun 2016 04:22:23 GMT

Lynda

You bring up a good point. I had terrible headaches for a few weeks when withdrawing from coffee.

Good point!

cmf

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

CMF — Sat, 18 Jun 2016 04:23:44 GMT

Forgot to add, I think we also have withdrawls from the HABIT of having the coffee.

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

White_Rose — Sat, 18 Jun 2016 05:56:43 GMT

Paul, you have opened a can of worms here. Look at all the symptoms everyone has identified about coffee.

Having a 'wired' feeling
Withdrawal symptoms from coffee when you stop.
Headaches both when drinking coffee and in withdrawal.
Withdrawal symptoms from the habit
Coffee is a diuretic.

Coffee is a diuretic which means you need to go to the toilet more often. This can leave you a little dehydrated and I suspect this may be where the headaches come in. And I would think this is also where the withdrawal effect headaches come in. The kidneys and are so used to filtering the coffee they set up their own protest.

We are often told by the medical profession that eating and drinking this or that food and drink will cause all sorts of cancer. I have no idea if this is true or not as the medicos keep changing their mind on all of these so-called cancer agents. However I was told that brewed coffee, percolated, plunger etc are the ones to avoid. Instant coffee is OK. Whether or not this is true I have no idea but it does reconcile me to drinking instant coffee, not IR, as brewed coffee gives me stomach cramps. So another item for the list.

Thanks for the discussion Paul

Mary

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

pipsy — Sat, 18 Jun 2016 07:49:19 GMT

Hi cmf. Withdrawals from coffee. Amen. Never was a truer word spoken. Anything addictive has withdrawal symptoms.

Lynda

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

blondguy — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 05:26:22 GMT

Hey CMF, thankyou for the kind compliment about my threads:-)

CMF said: "I think may add to the fight/flight response we have with anxiety." Exactly...Nice1 cmf, Paulx

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

blondguy — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 05:39:56 GMT

Hey Lynda, Thanks for your reply:-) Interesting point..Next time you are in Woolworths/Coles check out some people who have 6 big bottles of Coke in their trolley....same thing...triggers the pleasure center of the brain and results in addiction. Paulx

Petra, Hey! Thanks for responding Pet:-) Great to have you on the forums...You brought up a good point about instant coffee....same thing...caffeine..just for me...it causes even heart palpitations sometimes through activating my adrenaline gland...sometimes hand tremors. I Love Chocolate too...Hee Hee!..Yummm Your new friend.. Paulx

Been away for 2 days...sorry about the late responses to everyone...Paul:-)

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

CMF — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 06:35:48 GMT

Paul,

I notice you are thanking everyone for their compliments, well done!

cmf

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

Dwwmills — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 07:15:43 GMT

Hi Paul.

Great topic! I’m sitting here drinking a cup of tea but wishing it was Coffee.

I was advised to stay off coffee and other stimulants when I was diagnosed with GAD until I had things under control. It’s hard to know whether it’s confirmation bias or whether it really does have an effect. As Mary says there are lots of contradictory information out there.

I heard that the original studies that were done that showed coffee increased performance were done on coffee drinkers. When the same studies were done on non-coffee drinkers they had no effect. The coffee drinkers were just underperforming when they were deprived coffee and performing at normal levels when the coffee was returned. Who knows?

I read in the paper last week that recent cancer and coffee studies showed that it was the temperature of the coffee rather than the coffee that correlated with throat cancer. The hotter the drink the higher the correlation.

I do find my anxiety levels are better when I am off coffee, not that I drink much.

I found for me that sugar has a bigger effect. I eat way way too much sugar! I have stopped eating it several times. I’m always amazed at how much I crave it for two or three weeks after I stop.

Then there is CHOCOLATE!! I’m not even going to start on that one.

Cheers

Dean

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

CMF — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 07:33:24 GMT

Dean,

I have cut out coffee, I don't use sugar but use stevia and I've cut back on chocolate. I was eating dark chocoloate, 80% cacoa but ive even stopped that now. I drink Ecco or Caro or peppermint tea. I do still go out for a chai every day. I was drinking green tea but after my last bout of anxiety ive found my heart is still racing so I'm going to stop that and see how I go.

Interesting about the studies showing the coffee drinkers performance improved with coffee. Definitley withdrawl issues id say.

cmf

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

blondguy — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 11:09:46 GMT

Hey Dean...thanks for your reply...very much so! My mum is 86 and drinks about 8 cups of coffee per day and smokes approx 50 Benson & Hedges a day. Her health is perfect. Her lung function test was perfect last month. I think that coffee is a brilliant antioxidant that has mega health benefits.....except where the nervous system is concerned. It has taken me years to get back on to coffee and to enjoy 2 -3 cups a week...yummm. Good1 Dean

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

blondguy — Mon, 20 Jun 2016 11:55:24 GMT

Hi Mary, and thankyou for your wisdom/reply:-)

You are more fortunate than I as you have the ability to tolerate instant coffee. I have just got back on the coffee and am using Nestle 'Barista' Instant at $18-00 per 200 grams, expensive but only buy it on special of course. Nearly $100/kilo is too expensive for instant coffee.

Just for me...any instant coffee can press my adrenaline button within 20 minutes...so I just have it on the weekends when I dont work.But thats just me.

Just a note on coffee being a diuretic...Absolutely Mary....When Tom Hanks starred in 'Castaway' he was interviewed/asked how he lost so much weight after filming the early scenes in Russia when he was his normal weight before the shot the deserted island scene in Fiji.....He replied with...."Oh my...I had to drink so much coffee every day to lose the weight so I could portray a starved castaway on a desert island...

Opening a can of worms....you are spot on Mary and thankyou again. Paul

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

Petra — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 22:19:50 GMT

Hi Dean

Pleased to see you didn't 'start' on the CHOCOLATE and rightly so you capitalised the word! Are you a fan of the stuff too or biting your tongue on the subject?

Chocolate goes sooooo well with with coffee but we're not going there.....Paul! 😊 I've dropped in here to share my discovery that choc goes very nicely in deed with my new drink, peppermint tea! Just dont overhoodle on the choc folks, sugar and caffeine and all that! Sigh! 😕

Pet.

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

blondguy — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 23:33:04 GMT

Good Morning Petra my friend. I love the way you write....its a breath of fresh air 🙂 No Petra chocolate is way too tempting a subject to stray this thread to! Happy Saturday to you. Paulx

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

Petra — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 23:38:49 GMT

Thank you Paul! Happy, beaming face! 😊

Ditto to you for a fabulous Saturday

Pet.

Coffee + Depression/Anxiety Do They Mix? New Posters Welcome!!

blondguy — Sat, 25 Jun 2016 07:17:39 GMT

Hey Petra, Great to have you on the forums (and the coffee thread)....you really do let the sunshine in:-) Paul