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

[blondguy]

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:-)

[CMF]

Paul,

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

cmf

[Dwwmills]

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

[CMF]

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

[blondguy]

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

[blondguy]

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

[Petra]

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.

[blondguy]

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

[Petra]

Thank you Paul! Happy, beaming face! 😊

Ditto to you for a fabulous Saturday

Pet.

[blondguy]

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