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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Sanguine on March 4, 2009, at 10:30:22
It may seem counterintuitive, but I've found that drinking regular coffee seems to help with my anxiety or when I'm having a panic attack. However, drinks with caffeine added artificially make it worse (as expected.) Has anyone else noticed this effect?
Posted by SLS on March 4, 2009, at 11:02:51
In reply to Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, posted by Sanguine on March 4, 2009, at 10:30:22
Do you drink diet beverages containing Aspartame?
Coffee contains a whole bunch of substances other than caffeine. Even so, there are two types of caffeine receptors that actually oppose one another. Perhaps there are xanthines in coffee that predominantly bind to the "calming" caffeine receptors.
- Scott
Posted by mav27 on March 4, 2009, at 11:26:19
In reply to Re: Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, posted by SLS on March 4, 2009, at 11:02:51
> Do you drink diet beverages containing Aspartame?
>
is there something bad about Aspartame?
I only drink diet pepsi, as in the only thing i drink ever. Is there some problems from it i should know about ?
cheers.
Posted by Relapse on March 4, 2009, at 11:50:52
In reply to Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, posted by Sanguine on March 4, 2009, at 10:30:22
Sanguine,
I have had a similar experience. I am on a Zoloft/lithium/Seroquel combo for Anxiety/Depression/OC. I was off meds for 6 months (after being on them for 14 years) when I pronounced myself "cured", "mission accomplished". Then crashed about 3 months ago and like a politician, quickly distanced myself from the statement. Anyway, I was a morning coffee drinker and afternoon diet Mt. Dew consumer. On this combo of meds, I still drink my coffee in the morning. Still get that slight "feel good" buzz without it pushing up my anxiety level. However, the diet Dew just makes me feel bad. Not so much anxious, just bad. I open a can, drink about half and toss it. As Scott said I wonder if it has something to do with the aspartame. I'll do some checking.
Posted by desolationrower on March 4, 2009, at 12:17:39
In reply to Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, posted by Sanguine on March 4, 2009, at 10:30:22
i think coffee releases caffiene into system slower than cola does, although i'm more confident thats true for tea.
-d/r
Posted by Phillipa on March 4, 2009, at 12:43:42
In reply to Re: Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, posted by desolationrower on March 4, 2009, at 12:17:39
I drink tea and green tea. Coffee caused my last panic attack will never forget it although years ago terrified of coffed. Aspertame is a not good chemical. Phillipa
Posted by SLS on March 4, 2009, at 12:43:44
In reply to Re: Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder » SLS, posted by mav27 on March 4, 2009, at 11:26:19
From very early on, Aspartame, which is a combination of aspartic acid + phenylalanine, had been blamed for mood and behavioral abberations. You don't hear much about it now. However, aspartic acid is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain. Phenylalanine is a precurser to the catecholamines dopamine, norepinephrine, and phenethylamine (PEA). All of these substances are used by the brain in arousal processes.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=aspartame+mood&btnG=Search
- Scott
Posted by Phillipa on March 4, 2009, at 12:46:57
In reply to Re: Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, posted by SLS on March 4, 2009, at 12:43:44
Scott we posted at the same time was going to google I may and see what a different search finds. And BTW how are you today? I've thought about you since yesterday true. Love Phillipa
Posted by Phillipa on March 4, 2009, at 12:53:41
In reply to Re: Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, posted by SLS on March 4, 2009, at 12:43:44
Different search. Phillipa just for comparisons. No competition as Scott ihttp://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-sweeteners.htmls on top of things.
Posted by Zyprexa on March 4, 2009, at 13:19:40
In reply to Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, posted by Sanguine on March 4, 2009, at 10:30:22
I have the opposite. Coffee makes me anxious and sodas calm.
Posted by sukarno on March 4, 2009, at 13:24:22
In reply to Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder, posted by Sanguine on March 4, 2009, at 10:30:22
I found that I felt better after consuming a small amount of caffeine in the morning - for the first 1 or 2 hours. More confident, focused and calm along with mood elevation. After that point (after 2 hours), I began to feel anxious and more anxiety-ridden.
I have read that caffeine is metabolized into theophylline a few hours after ingestion, and the latter compound produces anxiety moreso than the former.
I could be wrong about that though, but that is what I remember reading.
Posted by sukarno on March 4, 2009, at 13:30:36
In reply to Re: Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder » desolationrower, posted by Phillipa on March 4, 2009, at 12:43:42
> I drink tea and green tea. Coffee caused my last panic attack will never forget it although years ago terrified of coffed. Aspertame is a not good chemical. Phillipa
Hi Phillipa. :-) I hope you are doing well.
Green tea and black tea both come from the same plant, Camellia Sinensis, but contain far less caffeine than coffee.The average cup of filtered, drip coffee (prepared from a coffee maker/machine) contains 145mg of caffeine, whereas the average cup of green or black tea contains approximately 20-50mg of caffeine, depending on how long you let the tea bag sit in it.
I can handle one cup of tea, but coffee..no way.
Coffee has 3x the caffeine for starters and the strong taste of it is stimulating by itself. hehheh.
Posted by Phillipa on March 4, 2009, at 20:58:58
In reply to Re: Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder » Phillipa, posted by sukarno on March 4, 2009, at 13:30:36
Thanks kind of knew tea had less caffeine. Did you know chocolate also contains theophylline and it's an upper kind of used in breathing disorders. Phillipa
Posted by Vincent_QC on March 11, 2009, at 7:45:49
In reply to Re: Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder » sukarno, posted by Phillipa on March 4, 2009, at 20:58:58
> Thanks kind of knew tea had less caffeine. Did you know chocolate also contains theophylline and it's an upper kind of used in breathing disorders. Phillipa
That's strange how people can see the coffee as a major issue in the panic disorder or anxiety problems. I always find the coffee to help me with my social anxiety, I feel more energized and i'm more confident with the others people and I tend to be less shy with some cups of coffee. That's true, after a couple of hours, the coffee seem to do the opposite effect, I often begin to feel more anxious or more tired after maybe 2 or 3 hours I drink my last cup of coffee.
You point out the fact that "chocolate also contains theophylline "...strange cause everytimes I eat a chocolate made with more than 70% of pure cocoa, I feel A WAY more anxious and the effect appear a couple of minutes after I eat the chocolate and last almost severals hours...
Posted by Phillipa on March 11, 2009, at 23:05:08
In reply to Re: Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder » Phillipa, posted by Vincent_QC on March 11, 2009, at 7:45:49
Vincent hi was gone all day to pdocs long drive. But google dark chocolate theophilline in it. It used to give me energy. Love Phillipa
Posted by sukarno on March 13, 2009, at 7:30:53
In reply to Re: Coffee and Anxiety/ Panic Disorder » Phillipa, posted by Vincent_QC on March 11, 2009, at 7:45:49
Chocolate also contains theobromine, which is a methylxanthine (as is caffeine and theophylline). I think it probably packs a punch because when I used to eat semi-sweet chocolate, I'd feel a definite stimulant effect that would last a long time too.
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