Does caffeine actually hinder recovery or just cause symptons to be stronger?

[[...]]

Hi,

I am at the point in my recovery where i can handle 1 or 2 coffees a day without much adverse effects. however anymore then this does cause symptoms.

So i'm just wondering if consuming caffeine will prevent recovery or make it slower or is it safe to drink if it doesn't cause any noticable programs?

[[me...]]

Caffeine (coffee and tea) actually helped me a lot during my withdrawal, as a mild a/d and a real remedy for my severe cog fog.  As with everything else in this process, this is an individual thing and generalizations really do not apply.

 

[Guest [NM...]]

Caffeine (coffee and tea) actually helped me a lot during my withdrawal, as a mild a/d and a real remedy for my severe cog fog.  As with everything else in this process, this is an individual thing and generalizations really do not apply.

 

 

Same here. I went caffeine free for a few months from drinking it all day and night before my taper, to 2-3 cups a day. It doesn’t bother me, and in fact, I enjoy it.

[[su...]]

OMG following this thread and so jealous. I can deal with everything else about w/d but not being able to drink coffee is the worst. I'm almost 4 months off and gave it a try the other day and it  was great while drinking it. I felt like my old self but then anxiety went thru the roof with other w/d symptoms which lasted for several days. You guys give me hope though.

[[53...]]

5 months i could drink it again

[[su...]]

531290dog Good to know. Maybe I will give it a try in a month again. I just read yr story btw. incredible strength you have to come off the benzos after what you've been thru. It's terrible you got put on them in the first place.

[[In...]]

My first go around I drank 2 cups a day and healed fine.

[[Ea...]]

I don’t think that there is any definitive evidence that states caffeine causes any delay to the actual recovery process. When I was 2-3 months out after my CT, a few sips from a cup of coffee would throw me into panic, shaking uncontrollably, mind racing a million miles a min. I’m now in month 8 & can drink 3-4 cups a day if I like & it has the exact same effect on me that it did before benzo’s. I think it just depends on how sensitive ur nervous system is. Everyone is in completely different stages of recovery, & substances effect ea person differently. But just bc I’m able to consume it how I like, doesn’t mean that I do. I still try to remain aware of what substances I’m consuming & the amount of them throughout the day. I may have been able to drink coffee or have sugar on an empty stomach in the morning for the last few month’s, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m completely in clear yet. As we all know, this ugly beast can show itself whenever it likes. I’d still like to keep watch as the month’s go on. All the best in healing

[Guest [Le...]]

I used to drink 4-6 shots of espresso a day, but once I hit tolerance withdrawal I couldn’t drink a drop, nor could I eat sugary stuff, without getting horrible cortisol-y surges. That lasted for about a year.

 

Now I’m back up to 3-4 espresso shots a day, and can even drink an iced coffee in the middle of the night if I wake up, and go right back to sleep. For me, once coffee stopped setting off my nerves, it started soothing me again.

 

Just like the good old days.

 

[Guest [NM...]]

I used to drink 4-6 shots of espresso a day, but once I hit tolerance withdrawal I couldn’t drink a drop, nor could I eat sugary stuff, without getting horrible cortisol-y surges. That lasted for about a year.

 

Now I’m back up to 3-4 espresso shots a day, and can even drink an iced coffee in the middle of the night if I wake up, and go right back to sleep. For me, once coffee stopped setting off my nerves, it started soothing me again.

 

Just like the good old days.

 

I’m a coffee freak lol. I drink decaf all day & into the night. I drank caffeine coffee from the time I got up until I went to bed as late as November of 2017.  I started back drinking a cup or two of regular coffee maybe last spring or summer. I can’t remember. I’ve done just fine. It’s so individual!

[[in...]]

I only drink a half to one cup of coffee a day but during taper I had terrible fatigue and starting drinking Vit B and caffine energy shot, one or two a day. It helped me function. Too much coffee gave me the jitters. Last dose of lorazapam was five weeks ago. Fatigue has greatly improved so now it is just a cup in the morning.  If a fatigue type day or had a bad night's sleep I may have a second cup early afternoon. Never at night.

 

[Guest [NM...]]

I only drink a half to one cup of coffee a day but during taper I had terrible fatigue and starting drinking Vit B and caffine energy shot, one or two a day. It helped me function. Too much coffee gave me the jitters. Last dose of lorazapam was five weeks ago. Fatigue has greatly improved so now it is just a cup in the morning.  If a fatigue type day or had a bad night's sleep I may have a second cup early afternoon. Never at night.

 

👍🏻 I’m still really protective of my sleep so I don’t drink caffeine later in the day. Sometimes caffeine helps an odd headache so I might have some around 3-4 pm at the latest.

[[Ma...]]

caffeine inhibits the absorption of Gaba to the receptors, which explains the stimulating effect. I don't know if it slows healing, but it's definitely in there.

 

[[Be...]]

I think I read some where that caffeine is a gaba receptor upregulator, I'm not sure!

 

But if that is the case, then caffeine will actually induce recovery from benzos.

[[Sa...]]

I think I read some where that caffeine is a gaba receptor upregulator, I'm not sure!

 

But if that is the case, then caffeine will actually induce recovery from benzos.

 

This would be fabulous!

 

Caffeine in moderation doesn’t bother me.

 

SaraSue 

[[la...]]

Thought I would delve into this a bit further as I miss my cup o' Joe ohhh so much. 

 

Found this study:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3437321/

 

"The density of GABAA receptors, as assessed by binding of the GABAA modulator diazepam, is increased markedly in NIH strain mice (Table 1). There also appears to be a small but significant decrease in the affinity of diazepam; the nature of this decrease requires further investigation. Such an increase suggests an up-regulation of GABAA channels as a result of a decrease in GABAergic function during chronic caffeine treatment. An up regulation of benzodiazepine sites after chronic caffeine has been previously reported for rats (Wu and Coffin, (1984; Wu and Phillis, 1986). Chronic caffeine at a low dose of 10 mg/kg/day has little effect on diazepam-elicited changes in glucose utilization in brains of rat (Nehlig et al., 1987). Chronic theophylline does decrease the convulsant activity of various agents in rats (Szot et al., 1987), but whether this is due to up-regulation of adenosine receptors or an up regulation of GABAA receptors or is unknown."

[Guest [NM...]]

Thought I would delve into this a bit further as I miss my cup o' Joe ohhh so much. 

 

Found this study:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3437321/

 

"The density of GABAA receptors, as assessed by binding of the GABAA modulator diazepam, is increased markedly in NIH strain mice (Table 1). There also appears to be a small but significant decrease in the affinity of diazepam; the nature of this decrease requires further investigation. Such an increase suggests an up-regulation of GABAA channels as a result of a decrease in GABAergic function during chronic caffeine treatment. An up regulation of benzodiazepine sites after chronic caffeine has been previously reported for rats (Wu and Coffin, (1984; Wu and Phillis, 1986). Chronic caffeine at a low dose of 10 mg/kg/day has little effect on diazepam-elicited changes in glucose utilization in brains of rat (Nehlig et al., 1987). Chronic theophylline does decrease the convulsant activity of various agents in rats (Szot et al., 1987), but whether this is due to up-regulation of adenosine receptors or an up regulation of GABAA receptors or is unknown."

👍🏻

[[pu...]]

Thought I would delve into this a bit further as I miss my cup o' Joe ohhh so much. 

 

Found this study:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3437321/

 

"The density of GABAA receptors, as assessed by binding of the GABAA modulator diazepam, is increased markedly in NIH strain mice (Table 1). There also appears to be a small but significant decrease in the affinity of diazepam; the nature of this decrease requires further investigation. Such an increase suggests an up-regulation of GABAA channels as a result of a decrease in GABAergic function during chronic caffeine treatment. An up regulation of benzodiazepine sites after chronic caffeine has been previously reported for rats (Wu and Coffin, (1984; Wu and Phillis, 1986). Chronic caffeine at a low dose of 10 mg/kg/day has little effect on diazepam-elicited changes in glucose utilization in brains of rat (Nehlig et al., 1987). Chronic theophylline does decrease the convulsant activity of various agents in rats (Szot et al., 1987), but whether this is due to up-regulation of adenosine receptors or an up regulation of GABAA receptors or is unknown."

 

I am so afraid to try caffeine again.  If you give it a go, will you keep us posted?

[[or...]]

I started drinking coffee about a year after my taper ended. At first decaf, then half caf, now full caf. Everything was/is fine. Ahhhh, coffee again.

 

This, for me, was one of life's pleasure that I truly resented having to give up.

 

I realize not everyone will have the same good results. Just adding my two cents' worth.

 

Katz

 

 

[[pu...]]

I started drinking coffee about a year after my taper ended. At first decaf, then half caf, now full caf. Everything was/is fine. Ahhhh, coffee again.

 

This, for me, was one of life's pleasure that I truly resented having to give up.

 

I realize not everyone will have the same good results. Just adding my two cents' worth.

 

 

 

Katz

 

 

 

 

Same here.  I am pretty miffed about the coffee.  I hope I can resume it one day.  I am only in my 18th week out, though, and I have had some setbacks lately, so it might be quite a while before I can.

 

Off topic, but -- I wasn´t ever much of a drinker, but with summer coming, I also resent not being able to have a beer at a cookout or at a show in the future.  I guess a beer or glass of wine once in a great while might be something that I can never ever do again, right?

[[or...]]

I guess a beer or glass of wine once in a great while might be something that I can never ever do again, right?

 

I got aggravated about that, too, purple. And you might be able to have alcohol occasionally.

 

I was brought up in France, lived in the Napa Valley of CA (wine country), live in wine country here in OR. A glass of wine now and then has been part of my life since I was a teenager. I never was a boozer. So I was simmering about the fact that I might not ever be able to drink a glass of wine occasionally.

 

So, about the same time as my coffee experiment, I experimented with wine. An ounce of a wine that I particularly loved. Hurray! No bad s/x. Then 2 oz now and then. Ditto. Now I drink 3 oz of wine with dinner whenever I want to. With no side effects. I'm thrilled.

 

I know some people will jump on this and scream "liquid gaba" but scream away. This is my life and this is how I want to live it. Drinking wine and coffee is what I looked forward to getting back to.

 

Again, everyone has to make up their own mind. Alcohol, even occasionally, may not agree with some. I get it.

 

So . . . just my experience.

 

Katz

[[la...]]

Thought I would delve into this a bit further as I miss my cup o' Joe ohhh so much. 

 

Found this study:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3437321/

 

"The density of GABAA receptors, as assessed by binding of the GABAA modulator diazepam, is increased markedly in NIH strain mice (Table 1). There also appears to be a small but significant decrease in the affinity of diazepam; the nature of this decrease requires further investigation. Such an increase suggests an up-regulation of GABAA channels as a result of a decrease in GABAergic function during chronic caffeine treatment. An up regulation of benzodiazepine sites after chronic caffeine has been previously reported for rats (Wu and Coffin, (1984; Wu and Phillis, 1986). Chronic caffeine at a low dose of 10 mg/kg/day has little effect on diazepam-elicited changes in glucose utilization in brains of rat (Nehlig et al., 1987). Chronic theophylline does decrease the convulsant activity of various agents in rats (Szot et al., 1987), but whether this is due to up-regulation of adenosine receptors or an up regulation of GABAA receptors or is unknown."

 

I am so afraid to try caffeine again.  If you give it a go, will you keep us posted?

 

I'm on my 3rd day of half decaf/half caf. I feel completely fine. But keep in mind I'm not experiencing any anxiety with my taper.

 

[[la...]]

I know some people will jump on this and scream "liquid gaba" but scream away. This is my life and this is how I want to live it. Drinking wine and coffee is what I looked forward to getting back to.

 

Again, everyone has to make up their own mind. Alcohol, even occasionally, may not agree with some. I get it.

 

So . . . just my experience.

 

Katz

 

I love this.😁

[[pu...]]

I guess a beer or glass of wine once in a great while might be something that I can never ever do again, right?

 

I got aggravated about that, too, purple. And you might be able to have alcohol occasionally.

 

I was brought up in France, lived in the Napa Valley of CA (wine country), live in wine country here in OR. A glass of wine now and then has been part of my life since I was a teenager. I never was a boozer. So I was simmering about the fact that I might not ever be able to drink a glass of wine occasionally.

 

So, about the same time as my coffee experiment, I experimented with wine. An ounce of a wine that I particularly loved. Hurray! No bad s/x. Then 2 oz now and then. Ditto. Now I drink 3 oz of wine with dinner whenever I want to. With no side effects. I'm thrilled.

 

I know some people will jump on this and scream "liquid gaba" but scream away. This is my life and this is how I want to live it. Drinking wine and coffee is what I looked forward to getting back to.

 

Again, everyone has to make up their own mind. Alcohol, even occasionally, may not agree with some. I get it.

 

So . . . just my experience.

 

Katz

 

Katz, thanks.  I would have replied sooner, but I didn´t get a notification for this.

 

Were you a year out when you tried wine?

[[or...]]

purple, yes. A year out for coffee and wine both. I felt fine, so I figured, why not give them a try?

 

Katz