No Coffee, No Anxiety

Hi Linda,

 

Thanks for sharing this insight.  It's worth a try for any of us who drink coffee regularly.  I know I have to limit my intake or I get jittery. 

 

It's wonderful that you found this simple cure to your problem!

 

Lynne

i can definitely relate. i found that my anxiety from coffee would sometimes be quite delayed, up to nearly a day after. i ahve the same experience. since i stay away from coffee i have no anxiety. 

This really gives me hope! The "feeling of dread" you are escribing COMPLETELY resonates with me. I have been trying to put my finger on what has been wrong in my head for the last two years. I have a wonderful boyfriend whom I love very much, and yet I am constantly anxious/having feelings of dread about our relationship. I also become really anxious and am constantly worrying about other things that I have no reason to worry about.  I feel paralyzed by this and it doesn't help that I'm constantly worrying about what is wrong with me. The worrying and overthinking has made it difficult for me to really see what was wrong. For awhile I thought it was depression, but I am not a depressed person, I have always been a very happy lover of life and the idea that I was depressed never seemed right to me. Only recently did I realize that what I have been feeling the last few years is probably anxiety. I am going to try quitting coffee before I try anything else, and am hoping that this will be enough!

I work early morning hours at a local hospital, and rely heavily on extremely strong coffee (and lots of it) to wake up and function that early. I'd get an intensely paranoia about my relationship (with a great guy and completely unfounded), and a general sense of anxiety and panic. It only occurs after having drank coffee. I switched to a stronger green tea/pomegranate drink (a few cups each morning) and have eliminated that awful feeling of dread/paranoia/panic. Wierd. Coffee wakes me up much quicker (having drank it regulary for years------and it was only very recently--within the last year or so-- that this panicky feeling occurred), but the benefits of tea much outweigh the "quick fix" coffee gives. That, and being able to sleep at night helps. With coffee I would only drink it in the morning, and when it was time to sleep at night (10 or 11pmish), my body was tired and ready, but my mind was not, and it took me hours to actually fall asleep. Not the case with tea, which is great. Not really sure that I've posted anything useful, but finding this site and seeing that other people have similar reactions, reinforces my assumption and its nice to know that i'm not going crazy.

I stoped drinking coffee a week ago, and I already feel great. I'm less streesed out and intense, and can easily deal with stressful situation at work with ease.

The reason why I stoped drinking coffee is my panic attacks during the day, and sleep apnea during the night. And, I'm not overweigh like some people with sleap apnia, but I had it. I haven't had neither panic attack nor sleep apnia after I stoped drinking coffee, but may be too early to tell. It lokks like the anxiety wants to come back when I'm drinking coke or a tea, so I plan to eliminate all that. First four days after I stoped fdrinking coffee I had strong headackes, but not anymore. For my surprise I don't get the regular migranes that I used to get. If I knew that stoping drinking coffee could make feel so much better, I would've stoped earlier then this.

Usually, I never drink coffee, I am 21 and during my whole life, I rarely drank any coffee.

 

Today I woke up early, and sleepy, so I decided to drink a cup.

 

This was a bad idea. I started feeling minor anxiety and feelings of hollowness, and just general weird feeling.

 

I suggest anyone having any problems with anxiety or any other symptoms after drinking coffee, to try to quit and see how much better you feel.

 

I am never drinking coffee again! :P

 

I wonder if tea causes this too? 

A month ago, I stopped drinking coffee because of extreme anxiety/ panic attacks related to relationship problems. I started drinking tea and found I could deal with the stress more easily without the physical effects. Today I had coffee with a friend this morning and found that anxious thoughts I was having before came quickly back. No more coffee!

It's only been about 6 hours since my last cup of coffee and I'm drinking it everyday all day usually. Though after I read up on this article I figured I'd give it a try.

My anxiety (which I still have no clue on how it started or why) has been ruining my life the past few years. I'm just wondering how long it took you as a regular coffee drinker to feel and notice a difference with your anxiety, and how long after did it diminish?

I have had the exact same experience Linda.  When i was drinking coffee regularly, i was getting panic attacks.  I recall one time that i did not want to go the local carnival, because i was in no state of mind for it. My girlfriend thought i was going a bit funny but also understood there was something wrong.  As soon as i switched to tea the panic and anxiety dissappeared.  If i have instant coffee or coke-a-cole a sometimes get mild anxiety.  I had a extra strong coffee this morning as i was in a situation were i felt obliged too (approx 5 hours ago), and ever since i have had major anxiety, stress, the gitters, the works. There is no doubt in my mind that some how caffeine is causing these undesireable effects for me.

I am so relieved to read this!  I gave up caffeine a week ago because I have been on such an emotional roller coaster for the past months.  I have been experiencing such highs and lows that they seemed unreal - so I thought that my caffeine use might be manufacturing some of my feelings.

 

I thought perhaps I was imagining feeling better and calmer already.  Things are still happening, but I don't seem to react so intensely

I agree that coffee makes a person more prone to panic and anxiety attacks. I've been drinking 5 cups of starbucks coffee a day (which has twice the caffeine of other brands) and after doing this for many months, I've found that any little thing can touch off an anxiety attack. I've been off coffee now for three weeks. Since then, life has thrown some curve balls that have been very stressful but I've had no anxiety attacks. It's nice to be able to fight life's battles without being crippled with anxiety attacks.

I've experienced the withdrawal symptoms of quitting coffee many times in my life and have always experienced intense headaches. This last time that I'd quit, there was no headache and I think it was because I was taking Ibuprofen (I was treating an inflamed tendon at the time). This doesn't constitute a scientific study, but it does make sense because Ibuprofen can be used to treat headaches. Anyway, taking some headache medication while you're quitting coffee ought to make the transition easier.

I'm 36 now, and have drunk coffee all my life. I have also suffered varying degrees of anxiety too. I live in Italy now, and switch to the espressos a few months back, mainly coz that's how it's drunk here. About 3 weeks ago I had a panic attack. It felt like something unimaginably terrible was about to happen. This is the third time in my life this has happened.

 

So a week ago I gave up coffee, because I thought that was making the anxiety worse. It wasn't, it was actually the sole cause. All these years of panic were caused by coffee, and now it's gone, replaced with tea instead. Of all the things I tried over the years, this was one I never even suspected. How could it have been so simple? How could I not have realised?

yeah, i had panic attacks for about six months whilst at uni. i brought so many self help books and stuff like anyone probably would if they went through it. After leaving uni i like you had the scars of that dark hour in my life where i would simmer with anxiety but would no longer come to boil. Its only now a few years later that i believe coffee to be the cause. I was drinking 6-7 cups a day and when hitting the clubs i had vodka and red bulls. After leaving uni my panic attacks subsided (they started half way through my last year) but as i said simmered. I think this is because i was still drinking coffee but less of it. I now dont drink it at all and have no symptoms. I even have a lot of stress in my life with i now eat for breakfast! Yum Yum!

I agree with your thoughts.  I work at a jail where coffee is drank alot, because of the shift work...  I was having problems with anxiety and panic attacks myself,   I have noticed that when I drink coffee, I feel like I am in a fog and feel panicy.  I don't drink it anymore and the feeling have went away.  Now I find I can't even stand the smell of coffee.  Maybe we are crazy, but I think we may have a point