‘Hypersensitivity’ to Caffeine? Anyone had this?
‘Hypersensitivity’ to Caffeine? Anyone had this?
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Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
quotequote all
Is anyone really sensitive to caffeine or become sensitive to caffeine?

It’s a problem that seems to have happened to me over the last 5 years or so but seems to be getting worse.

I’ve always enjoyed 2 or 3 cups of tea per day (working in offices) but I found myself feeling ‘a bit odd’ and struggling to fall asleep some nights and was advised to cut down on caffeine.

So I’ve cut back on it a lot over the last few years. I avoid any soft drinks that have caffeine in them such as Coke, and I drink mostly decaf tea and coffee.

But things seem to reached a point where I can’t even drink one coffee without feeling a bit ill and being unable to sleep.

As an example, I was at a car dealership at the weekend as my wife was buying a car, and we got offered ‘a coffee’ as you do, and we got given a cup of fairly large strong cup of Cappuccino out of a fancy coffee machine. This was at about 12 noon, and I spent the rest of the day feeling uneasy, nervous, jittery and then of course couldn’t sleep. Wide awake until about 3-4pm with a horrible wired/buzzy feeling.

It’s really starting to annoy me now as it seems I can’t even enjoy one coffee anymore without the adverse affects.

I don’t know if I’ve made it worse by drinking less caffeine, if that makes sense? Maybe I have no intolerance for it now?

Anyone else have this problem?

Captain Benzo

442 posts

167 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
quotequote all
Same for me,

I cant drink coffee at all, after 2 cups of tea i'm talking utter bks. caffeinated drinks make me jittery and hyperactive. on a night out, even when i'm not drinking but sticking to soft drinks, it is sometimes hard to tell.

At work i drink dilute and maybe a de-caf tea in the afternoon.

I've had a sugar / caffeine problem since childhood, never grown out of it.

Halb

53,012 posts

212 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
quotequote all
I 'reset' my tolerance to caffeine about once a year, for gym benefits mostly, and other.
I don't consume pop and hate colas, so I only take caffeine in, in the form of hot beverages and tablets.
Cut it out 100%, no coffee/tea of any sort, get past the headache/cold turkey phase and see what effect a cup of coffee has on you.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
quotequote all
Captain Benzo said:
Same for me,

I cant drink coffee at all, after 2 cups of tea i'm talking utter bks. caffeinated drinks make me jittery and hyperactive. on a night out, even when i'm not drinking but sticking to soft drinks, it is sometimes hard to tell.

At work i drink dilute and maybe a de-caf tea in the afternoon.

I've had a sugar / caffeine problem since childhood, never grown out of it.
I now just drink flavoured water type drinks at work and like you I sometimes have a decaf tea, but I’m not even convinced some decaf is 100% decaffeinated.

After one cup of tea or coffee my mouth is dry, I need a piss constantly, I feel jittery and nervous.

The worst part about it all is that I really enjoy tea and coffee, and most decaf tea and coffee tastes st.

If it helps anyone, the very best decaf tea I have ever tastes is Birchalls Decaf English Breakfast. You can order it on the internet. I order it regularly.

Halb

53,012 posts

212 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
quotequote all
Lord Marylebone said:
I now just drink flavoured water type drinks at work and like you I sometimes have a decaf tea, but I’m not even convinced some decaf is 100% decaffeinated.
.
It's not. When I go caffeine free, I go for hot water, cinnamon 'tea'.

Gary29

5,207 posts

128 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
quotequote all
I overdosed on caffeine once, I was using it as a pre-workout stimulant (caf tablets) back in my hardcore gym days, and I'd had a month off, went back and necked a whole tab, can't remember if they were 500mg, or maybe even 1g? Either way, I regretted it not long after, exactly the symptoms you've described, I thought I was going to have a heart attack, I had to leave without doing any workout and went and sat in the car for half an hour feeling horrendous.

Moron.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
quotequote all
Gary29 said:
I overdosed on caffeine once, I was using it as a pre-workout stimulant (caf tablets) back in my hardcore gym days, and I'd had a month off, went back and necked a whole tab, can't remember if they were 500mg, or maybe even 1g? Either way, I regretted it not long after, exactly the symptoms you've described, I thought I was going to have a heart attack, I had to leave without doing any workout and went and sat in the car for half an hour feeling horrendous.

Moron.
I shouldn’t laugh, but rofl

My issue is that I used to be fine with caffeine. At Uni and in my early 20’s I would happily drink tea, coffee, cans of Rockstar/Red Bull. We even used to take those ‘Pro Plus’ caffeine tablets.

But now, 15 years later, no chance.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

83 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
quotequote all
Halb said:
Lord Marylebone said:
I now just drink flavoured water type drinks at work and like you I sometimes have a decaf tea, but I’m not even convinced some decaf is 100% decaffeinated.
.
It's not. When I go caffeine free, I go for hot water, cinnamon 'tea'.
Well that explains a lot.

I kept feeling a bit jittery, nervous and dry-mouthed even after only consuming 2-3 cups of decaf tea during the day.

Peanut Gallery

2,718 posts

139 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
quotequote all
We have a fancy coffee machine at work - beans in the top, buttons on the front, coffee comes out. If I have 2 cups in a day, 3 or 4 am the next morning I am wide awake, only to fall asleep 5 min before my alarm.

One coffee, then de-caf tea for me.

Baby Shark doo doo doo doo

15,078 posts

198 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
quotequote all
Gary29 said:
I overdosed on caffeine once, I was using it as a pre-workout stimulant (caf tablets) back in my hardcore gym days, and I'd had a month off, went back and necked a whole tab, can't remember if they were 500mg, or maybe even 1g? Either way, I regretted it not long after, exactly the symptoms you've described, I thought I was going to have a heart attack, I had to leave without doing any workout and went and sat in the car for half an hour feeling horrendous.

Moron.
I did similar last year...

Use caffeine tablets for the same reason and ZMA for evening. I hadn’t trained for a few months so I’d left the bottle in my gym bag. Little did I know that my wife had emptied it and ‘helpfully’ put the bottle next to that of my ZMA. Unfortunately both bottles are the same colour so...yep... I had an overdose of caffeine just before bed frown

I was like this to 5am




bloomen

10,075 posts

188 months

Tuesday 7th January 2020
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The only effect I get from caffeine is the guaranteed and near instant evacuation of my bowels. It's a great last resort. That's the only time I go anywhere near it.

From talking to others it's striking how much effect it has on them. A relative was told to stop completely after a racing heart incident and was still bemoaning the cold turkey a month later.