Does anybody else have an extreme reaction to caffeine?

[Caffeineno]

I'm not a coffee drinker but drank caffinated tea for years with no problems.

Last year I suddenly became intolerant of it. It took a while to figure out what the cause was but it became clear it was the caffeine as the symptoms would start up if I had more than 1 caffinated tea.

Palpitations. Head spinning. Sense of impending doom and then a full blown panic attack. Pacing. Crying. Convinced I was about to die.

If I had a cold and didn't check the label of cold & flu tablets I would know within an hour they had caffeine in as I'd go haywire.

I switched to decaff tea and managed to avoid these episodes for the most part until yesterday when I grabbed some cold & flu tabs from sainsburys and forgot to check the label properly.

Queue the most horrendous panic attack and physical symptoms lasting for about an hour. At points I considered calling an ambulance as it felt as though I was going to black out. Horrible.

When it finally simmered down I checked the packet. Bingo. Contains caffeine.

Has anybody else experienced this or similar? I never bothered to speak to the GP about it as it was easily sorted by just avoiding caffeine but yesterday was a stark reminder of how bad it actually is when it happens.

Yeah my brother, he's just been diagnosed with high blood pressure you might consider a check up on your health if it is a recent thing. I hope it's nothing though!

Of course people have experienced this .caffeine is known to make you anxious and panicky when you have had too much op . Make sure to check all labels of meds next time. It is the worst when you feel like that

Sensitivity to caffeine varies from person to person. Are you in peri?

This is very common in peri-menopause. Happened to me. I can't touch anything with caffeine.

Yes I'm the same. Came on in my 40s. Can't even drink normal tea. I drink redbush tea, decaf coffee, herbal teas.

I don't have high BP that I'm aware of but am planning to buy a monitor to keep track of it as I do have a brain aneurysm, another reason I have to avoid caffeine (although didn't find out about that diagnosis until a couple of months ago)

Def not peri. I'm 29 with a regular cycle.

Its awful isn't it? I felt as though I'd been spiked with drugs. No exaggeration.

I am a coffee drinker normally but I always drink it half milk, Ive only once had a reaction like you describe about 5/6 years ago, I never normally order coffee when I go out as I like it the way i make it but I was funnily enough meeting someone off Mumsnet and we met at Costa, Jesus wept I was ill the whole day, no idea how I drove home tbh.

Yes, I had a series of panic attacks, bouts of fainting and palpitations/flushes and in my early 20s which immediately stopped when I gave up anything caffeinated at the GP’s suggestion. I’m 37 now and I can even tell if I eat dark chocolate as I get a bit shaky. It’s such an intense feeling for me I’m so surprised people can drink multiple coffees a day! Watch out for cold and flu medication, lucozade, and matcha/ginseng type supplements as well.

Gosh it's not so uncommon then. It's affirming to know I'm not alone. Ofc I knew it would affect others to some degree but I thought it would be pretty rare as coffee / tea are staples for most people.

I'm left with a bit of an anxiety hangover today. Its such a strange thing. My DP drinks a bunch of coffee and energy drinks (night worker) and has never had so much as a niggle.

I used to work in an nhs hyperventilation service and we advised people to avoid caffeine. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant so if you have any issues with your cortisol or adrenaline levels it may spike things further. Worth practising some meditation or mindfulness every day if you can as I imagine the aneurysm has been a bit stressful to deal with and it will help you balance out your adrenal system .

If I drink caffeine I get heart palpitations, tremble and cant string a sentence together and feel very very anxious. Because I cant think my behaviour and communication gets a bit erratic. It's very intense and sounds funny but it's not a very nice feeling. I don't feel drunk but it is similarly debilitating. That wears off after about 12 hours but then I quite literally dont sleep for two days afterwards. And then I crash. I'm quite jealous of people who can drink coffee and get a bit of stimulation from it because sometimes I really need a pick me up like that.

Thank you that's really helpful, I'll definitely bare that in mind. I do feel a bit like I've been living on a knifes edge lately which can't be good for any existing caffeine sensitivity due to the cortisol / adrenaline thing.

Yes, for me it began with taking antidepressants, apparently they interact with caffeine. I would be reduced to tears with anxiety. But after coming off the ADs, the caffeine sensitivity remained. Don’t know if it was a coincidence or cause, but I get so anxious and panicky after caffeine and have to be really careful now.

Gosh I'm sorry, this is very, very relatable!

My behaviour yesterday was incredibly erratic and v embarrassing. I'm thankful I was back home when the caffeine began to take effect.

I tried some breathing exercises to try and slow down the palpitations but it didn't work. I was up and pacing, then sitting down rocking back and forth, went to the bathroom to splash cold water on my face, back to pacing again. I tried breathing in and out with a paper bag. Guzzling water. Clinging on to DP telling him I may need an ambulance and where the life insurance docs are, then i didn't, no wait i think i actually do. Rinse and repeat. I just couldn't bring myself out of it.

Fortunately he and my DM have been around when I've had similar caffeine reactions so knew I'd be OK before long and didn't infact need an ambulance.

Such a bizarre and frightening experience, followed by a terrible night's sleep!

Yes. I’m intolerant to caffeine too. So I avoid it.

Palpitations, buzzing in my ears, can’t sleep for about 20 hours, panicked feeling.

This is interesting as I started on noritryptiline last year. That may or may not have coincided with the start of the sensitivity. It's hard to remember the exact month.

What AD's were yours if I may ask?

I plummet after caffeine, so it puts me to sleep. I get the shaky, nervous feelings/palpitations as I'm drinking it.

Yes, I worked with a man who has similar symptoms with caffeine. He has always been super fit and healthy and basically developed the symptoms overnight

Fluoxetine. They did the job mood-wise though so it was worth it.

Gosh, I thought it was just me!