BP and coffee

[Thomas]

I saw on another post that BP and coffee don't mix.  I am down to about six cups daily.  I don't drink alcohol but once or twice a year and I smoke only about 4 cigarettes a day.  I can't imagine life without coffee.

Tommy

[AirMarshall]

I haven't seen any pharmacological reason that BP'ers can't or shouldn't drink coffee.

Each persons reaction to and tolerance of caffiene is different, so I think you have to base your consumption on what you observe.

The factors I would consider in would be:

1.  Does it trigger or exacerbate your mania.  (I don't have any experience with this, but I suppose some people could be highly sensitive enough to have this problem)

2.  Does it affect your sleep.  (This is probably the most common side effect, on the most important factor in staying stable.  Good sleep should be extremely high priority. For me, this is the biggest effect.  Remember caffiene hangs around for 8 - 12 hours, so you need to cut off the caffeine around mid-day.)

3.  tremors, attention difficulty, getting a little too speedy, e.g. pressured speech, flight of thoughts (at some point this could crossover into hypomania/mania)

The other places to look out for hidden caffeine/stimulants could be sodas, sports drinks, energy drinks, chocolate.

Can I top off your cup?   

A.M.

[Thomas]

Thanks, AM,

If I lay off it before 4PM it doesn't keep me awake and it never makes me jittery.

Tommy

[BlackCat]

Oh, coffee leads to more Xanax with me. I get really racy and edgy. Also lots of irritability and I get real impatient, esp. on the phone, which I don't like anyway.

I love coffee but have had to cut back drastically. I feel it does trigger at least hypomania with me.

[Rabbit37]

Sounds like you're doing fine with it, Her Tommy. I quit for a while, but that was only because one of the meds made it taste disgusting (zoloft). Now that I'm on a low dose, my taste for coffee has come back. I drink 2-3 cups a morning, usually. My hands shake no matter what, so may as well enjoy it.

[Thomas]

I quit for a while, but that was only because one of the meds made it taste disgusting (zoloft). Now that I'm on a low dose, my taste for coffee has come back. I drink 2-3 cups a morning, usually. My hands shake no matter what, so may as well enjoy it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now I know to avoid zoloft.

[wifezilla]

Hubby was always told to lay off coffee, but after his last hospitalization, the doctor told him that the coffee really didn't seem to be making a difference one way or the other.

I think it would be a good idea to stop it while you figure out how meds are working, etc...

Once you are stable, you can always try a cup or two if the doctor says it's ok...then you should know if coffee is a factor in your symptoms.

[lemonflavor]

I drink 2-3 cups a day, except when I'm especially anxious and it doesn't bother me. If you drink the same amount every day and it's not negatively affecting you, and you've tried reducing and it doesn't help anything, I don't see a big need to change. Not that I'm an expert or anything.

When I'm hypomanic I often fuel it by drinking more coffee, which I'm going to stop doing. But I've tried stopping coffee altogether and even with GAD, it really doesn't make a difference and definitely doesn't matter as far as sleep. (It's always bad no matter what.) As far as depression, it's one of those daily things I do that I enjoy, which you're supposed to do.

wifezilla I can't believe a doctor said coffee doesn't make a difference! First time for everything.

[Thomas]

Well, I used to mix espresso and Irish Whiskey half & Half, kind of a Celtic Speedball, and stay up all night on the internet.  THAT affected me.  Surprised I didn't get diagnosed as BP back then.  More surprised I always made it into work.

Tommy

[wifezilla]

Hey Lemon,

He said specifically that it didn't seem to be making a difference with my hubby's symptoms. Being without it just gave him headaches and made him cranky. Being on it did not make his bp any worse. So doc said go ahead...but when manic, lay off. Since his last episode was total depression, maybe he was hoping the coffee would help get him going again 

[lemonflavor]

Hey Lemon,

He said specifically that it didn't seem to be making a difference with my hubby's symptoms. Being without it just gave him headaches and made him cranky. Being on it did not make his bp any worse. So doc said go ahead...but when manic, lay off. Since his last episode was total depression, maybe he was hoping the coffee would help get him going again 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's nice that he's objective. Seems like all doctors vilify coffee.

There's all that research coming out about the benefits of coffee

http://www.azcentral.com/health/wellness/a...java-ON-CR.html

http://www.physorg.com/news6067.html

but who knows how long that will last.

[Loon-A-TiK]

Hi Tommy-

A crazy friend of mine was even crazier until he stopped his coffee. Suddenly, many of his symptoms went away. His moods lessened and his depression even lifted.

I'm sure everyone has a different reaction to coffee, essentially a drug, and its interactions with other drugs you take. My loon friend wasn't on any meds except Xanax.

-- loon

[InfoNut]

"Coffee is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

                          - Paraphrase of Ben Franklin, except he was misguided and was talking about beer.

Info(coffee)Nut

[Dee]

I have about 3 cups in the morning.  I can't even open my eyes until I have had one.  I can talk after 2.  The third I have as soon as I get to work.  I love coffee.

[SerraGeorge]

I am a coffee drinker and bipolar, and I don't notice any difference in my bipolar symptoms with or without coffee. However, I also deal with episodes of anxiety and ptsd and the coffee definitely has an effect on those! I noticed when I gradiated down to about 75% decaf and 25% regular I was much calmer and steadier. Fortunately, most of my anxiety issues seem to be resolved for now, so bring on the java!

[Thomas]

Thanks so much for all the great replies.  I think for now I will just cut back and see if that makes a difference.  Then again, I just moved up to 75 mg. effexor today and any improvement might be from that rather than lessening the coffee consumption.

Tommy

[Dee]

Coffee and Effexor is a great start to the morning, isn't it?. 

I don't touch coffee after 11 AM.  If I do I have afternoon anxiety and sleep problems (even with meds).  3 cups is my magic number.

[Dweii]

Coffee makes me hypomanic. Or something that resembles hypomania.

Then I crash and want to die.

Basically like amphetamine to me. (Or wait, I take methylphenidate and that doesn't fuck me up... Weird world.)

[unipolarbear]

OMG that's seems like so much coffee, but each person has his or her limits.  I love the taste but can only have a half a cup per day, otherwise I get all jittery and cracked-out.  Then again, I can have a bottle of wine and only get slightly tipsy.  And YMMV, of course.  Drink up!

[revlow]

Don't know if this relates. I used to drinks several cups of coffee a day, mostly to try to deal with my fatigue. I knew this was not sensible (up then down, again and again), but it was all I could do to stay awake.

Since I started Lamictal, I stopped drinking coffee. Nothing conscious, just happened. I drink a cup or two a day of Earl Grey tea, but that's it. A couple times I've been out at a restaurant, I've ordered coffee and enjoyed it. But I no longer have that daily got-to-have-it craving I used to when it comes to coffee.

Another weird SE of Lamictal? Only think I can think of that's changed.

[wifezilla]

Just as a funny aside on the coffee issue...

My brother-in-law, Cleopatra....uh..I mean D, was hospitalized and initially diagnosed as bipolar. He then convinced the doctor that he wasn't having a manic episode, he wasn't bipolar, and that his psychosis was caused by too much COFFEE!!! LOL

So, now that his hospital records have been sanitzed, he keeps trying to convince everyone that he can't possibly have bipolar. So, since he is now off coffee, I guess the wild spending sprees, inability to sleep, cheating on his wife, etc... are now being caused by his breakfast cereal.

[revlow]

LOL, wifezilla!

Complete aside:

I was hospitalized several times in the 1980s. First couple times at a hospital that would not allow any coffee or tea; it was a Seventh Day Adventist hospital, so no caffeine anywhere, not just limited to the psych ward. Trust me, I managed to sneak coffee in right and left, with a bit of doing.

Second hospital, no problem. Patients could drink coffee or tea whenever they wanted. For me, much less craving in this environment, probably less consumption too.

Bottom line, from my perspective: Caffeine is probably not a great thing for us BPs. But for me, just as others have self-medicated with alcohol or other drugs, I medicated myself with caffeine just to function. My theory -- for whatever it's worth -- is that now I'm more stable, I don't need it.

Hoping it stays that way. Being hopped up on coffee, and down in the dumps when not, was not a lot of fun.

[Artchick]

I drink way too much coffee. I loooooooooove it. I am trying to cut back to about 3 cups a day, however, because I'm having stomach issues. I get terrible headaches if I go without it so it is going to have to be a gradual process. I am a coffee addict. Say no to drugs, people.

I do shake a bit, which I think is caused by a mix of my medication and coffee. Besides that, it doesn't seem to affect me much.

Mmmmm.... I haven't had my morning coffee yet so I'm off to brew some!

[Thomas]

A couple times a year, coffee seems to bother my stomach.  On those occassions I switch to tea for a week and all is well.  If I stop caffeine cold turkey, I get headaches.

Tommy

[revlow]

In the past, I'd stop cold turkey and would have about a week's worth of headaches.

As I said above, for some unknown reason, after going on Lamictal I just stopped drinking coffee. Nothing willful, just happened. Go figure.

For anyone wanting to stop drinking coffee and who wants to avoid the headaches, my suggestion would be to start grandually adding in decaf to your blend. You know, something like 80% real coffee/ 20% decaf for awhile. Then 60/40, then 50/50, then 40/60, and 20/80. Or even more gradual steps.

Just an idea. Never tried it myself, but it makes sense. Or as Artchick said, just start cutting back on the number of cups.

Good luck, all my fellow java junkies! Or I guess I'm a "recovering" java junkie, since I now longer drink it. I do, however, know the heartbreak of that dark, mysterious temptress.

[Lisa_K]

I am a 'coffee-holic' and a nicotine addict...from hell. The last time I tried to quit was last year. I had just been put on Topamax, and I knew that one of the side effects was the urge to quit smoking (for some people)...this happenned to me...briefly. I think it was more my sense of taste though. It also effected my coffee intake. Topamax hadnt been adjusted yet, and I hadnt gotten used to it...so I quit smoking and went on the patch, and I quit drinking coffee...

to make a long story short...I went a little haywire. Im not sure why. It definately effected my epilepsy...but it effected my moods...and yes, I got the dreaded headaches from caffeine withdrawl. After a while, I slowly re-introduced coffee back into my world, and unfortunately, with the pressures of what was going on at the time, I began to smoke again. I do occasionally have to slow down on the coffee, but I drink around 3 a day...and it doesnt effect my moods.