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

[blondguy]

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

[CMF]

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

[CMF]

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

[pipsy]

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

[Petra]

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😊

[CMF]

Lynda

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

Good point!

cmf

[CMF]

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

[White_Rose]

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

1. Having a 'wired' feeling
2. Withdrawal symptoms from coffee when you stop.
3. Headaches both when drinking coffee and in withdrawal.
4. Withdrawal symptoms from the habit
5. 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

[pipsy]

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

Lynda

[blondguy]

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