Suggestion For Aiding Recovery---quit All Caffeine

[maryiscontrary]

I am sure a lot of us are heavy coffee drinkers/ caffeine consumers. Because I have so many food allergies, I found out that the 5-7 cup habit was destroying my thyroid...so I had to disengage from yet another attachment. Within 3 weeks, life long thyroid issues disappeared.

Yes, the physical withdrawal is a bitch. It is. Won't lie.

However, after about 6 weeks, anxiety levels are way, way down. I started digging around the medical journals and discovered that caffeine greatly screws up sleep, even if taken in the morning only, and profoundly increases depressive tendencies, as well as anxiety. This has been found across many studies over a number of decade.

Well, I told myself....NO SHIT, SHERLOCK!

I just add this tidbit to you sensitive souls whose anxiety and nervousness are tearing you up. Quitting caffeine of all sorts is more effective than popping Xanax and could really, really help with your recovery.

Luvs,
Auntie Mary

 

[Ellabella44]

thanks have been wondering if this was ramping up my anxiety past few days.

 

[Seagreen]

I'm not surprised about caffeine. Have you seen the spider web experiment? I try to give up caffeine but get really bad headaches when I do. That is alarming on its own lol.

 

[maryiscontrary]

Yes, it is a very strong substance and for a lot of people...it will make sick as hell for a while.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I'm not a heavy caffeine drinker in comparison---2 maybe 3 cups a day. I wont give it up though.

 

[Fadeaway]

I have noticed that sugar plays a huge role in my anxiety as well. Many caffeinated beverages contain a ton of sugar.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I concur!

I can have sugar without caffeine, or I can have caffeine without sugar. Both together simply do me in!

I have given up caffeine. My vice was iced tea and I haven't had any in a long time. The last time I had chocolate was last month for my birthday. I feel so much better without caffeine!

 

[therisa]

As a result of a food allergy, I have been caffeine-free for the past 24 years. Will admit, I do miss the taste of chocolate, the most. If you do go caffeine-free, be careful, as caffeine may not listed, in the ingredients, but still be there.

 

[Friday]

ADHD, here. Without caffeine I'd never sleep, be bouncing off the walls, and never be able to string a thought together from beginning to end. Unless I switched to a much stronger stimulant.

The PTSD stuff tends to supersede the ADHD stuff, unfortunately. Meaning I used to be able to knock back 6 or 8 shots of espresso and bliss out into sleep within an hour (or 4-6 shots to sit still through a long boring meeting)... But caffeine just isn't strong enough to chill out my anxiety stuff. Drats.

 

[Lionheart]

Sounds like some good advise. I am about to stop smoking cigars and switch back to vaporizing an E-cig. Along with the tobacco will go the coffee/caffeine. I expect it will 'bite the big one', but I have to do it...I have disabling PTSD and smoke and drink coffee quite a lot. Both habits need to go!

It is encouraging to read that stopping the caffeine helps with anxiety. I guess I have used it so much because I have CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), but I'll need to find more natural energy boosters from now on.

 

[TonyG]

When I was put on medication I had to stop drinking coffee and alcohol at the same time, I had a headache and the shakes for three weeks, anxiety remained the same level but spikes some days, it's been two months now and I'm on a higher dose of medication with no coffee or alcohol and I still get anxiety and tremors, Anxiety so bad that I need Diazapam to calm me down,

 

[phoenix712]

Agreed! I've had maybe 3 cups of coffee over the past 6 months (which was quite the change from the cup or two I would have a day).
I was having really bad headaches and ended up at the Doctor who mentioned that my heart rate was through the roof and that was probably exacerbating things. I noticed it got worse when I was drinking caffeine - and realized that when my heart rate and anxiety are up, my body sees some of those symptoms as fight-or-flight like, and that anxiety feeling reminds my body of the trauma. Giving up caffeine has definitely helped lower those reactions.

I also started using medical marijuana for similar reasons - when my body isn't reacting badly it gives my head a better chance to cope. I'm not saying marijuana is for everyone - but the combination of vaping with quitting caffeine has been a great help to me.