Caffeine= evil

[JennySteal08]

So today I was hanging out with my friend at the local yarn shop. We knit and that is a fun place to hang out. Anyways the only thing to drink up there was either Coke, Diet Coke, or Mountain Dew. I was thirsty so I drank a Mountain Dew. Now I regret it. As most of you know anxiety + caffeine = not good.

So I just was thinking.... why is caffeine such an evil thing for us anxiety sufferers? I just never really thought about it. Since my brain is dead thinks to said evil I will let someone else tell me why Caffeine is so evil. I think now no matter what I will just be thirsty rather than drink caffeine. I was so stupid. Well I hope I learned my lesson.

[kim robin]

Coffee contains caffeine and caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant so definitely it can trigger your anxiety attack. I guess you already knew that and I guess you have learned your lesson. Anyway, if coffee is part of your daily routine, you may want to find an alternative. You can either switch to a decaffeinated version or perhaps use this as an opportunity to increase your water intake.

[northstar]

hi jenny, kim is quite right, caffeine upsets your central nervous system putting you all on edge and giving you that anxious feeling as if you're waiting for something to happen or go wrong. it stimulates our primal instinct of "fight or flight". here is an extract from a bigger post i wrote on anxiety:


2) Caffeine

Unfortunately caffeine is also a major no-no for people who suffer from anxiety for many reasons. Caffeine is a stimulant! That means it's supposed to get you up and going. If you have anxiety you need to relax, taking a stimulant is not going to help. It puts your whole system on edge, increasing tension and making you feel strung out, it stops your body producing the natural hormones you need to sleep in the evenings and it can cause increased heart rate and palpitations which are often a main worry for people with anxiety. The cycles of withdrawal and exhaustion can leave your body worn out and stressed out, you don't need this on top of an anxiety problem. Did you know there are also several psychological disorders related to caffeine and caffeine addiction??

Caffeine doesn't just mean coffee, it also means tea, chocolate and soft drinks like coke, so you need to be very aware of how these types of foods/drinks are going to make you feel if you choose to drink them. Once again if you google anxiety and coffee you will find TONS of people across the world who have reported major improvements once getting rid of excess caffeine in their diets.

Please be aware that caffeine is very addictive and cutting it out should not be done all of a sudden if you're a regular drinker as the withdrawal symptoms can be difficult. Talk to a doctor about the best way for you to withdraw from it smile

Take a look at this video entitled 'Caffeine is a Mental Illness' for some more information: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... D=24156323 (http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=24156323)


if you'd like to read the full post click here: http://www.anxietyforum.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4087

[louisrapisarda]

Yes, people stay away from coffee I had 2 cups and had huge huge huge panic attack, haven't had one for 1 year until just now

[CindyE]

I have anxiety and hypoglycemia- caffeine is bad for both! but every now and then, i am stupid and do it. I can usually get away with a little bit, if it's not on an empty stomach. The worst time was last year, the morning of my daughter's wedding. We were out of town, and I had a big iced coffee and fast food. It was awful. 2 hours before the wedding, I was bawling and acting crazy. My husband talked me into having a beer at lunch to calm my nerves, and that wasn't so great, either. I will always regret that I didn't enjoy the day more, because of my anxiety and bad choices!