Anyone else cannot tolerate caffine

[Whatinthemarypoppins]

I've not been able to tolerate caffine for about 15 years, gradually. I am caffine free now because I cannot tolerate even 1 caffeinated coffee.

I am just wondering if it is linked to anything possibly or if anyone else has this.

It gives me a horrible racing heart, the shakes and I will be wired for hours and wouldnt be able to sleep. Sometimes it gives me an upset stomach.

Just wondering if anyone else is the same and if its linked to something else.

I cannot tolerate caffeine either. it leaves me extremely short of breath, so much so I cannot hold a conversation or breath properly for hours. I found a cup of tea worse than coffee. Have been like it for 9 years or so

Yes all of the above, very wary of caffeine now

Yes . Since been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Yes, I avoid it. Can’t drink Coca Cola as it gives me diarrhoea. Coffee and tea make me hideously shaky.

it’s the world’s most misused drug!!

We all tolerate caffeine differently. DH could drink coffee all day and have an espresso at night and just fall asleep! I have 1 coffee in the morning and that's it . If I drink caffeine after midday, I can't sleep at night for hours.

I stopped being able to tolerate caffeine a while ago. It started with coffee and I'd have a racing heart, anxiety, feel wired, couldn't sleep etc. I then found that if I missed my single cup of tea in a morning, I had a raging headache so I stopped drinking caffeine entirely as it clearly wasn't doing me any good.

I do drink decaf earl grey and occasionally have a decaf gingerbread latte.

I had my first coffee at 17 and I was so unwell afterwards I couldn't get out of bed for three days. I've never had caffeine since and I'm now 41.

I'm the same with decongestants!

I had a colleague was allergic to caffeine but I can’t remember exactly what effect it had on him, certainly an upset stomach.

Yes me. It makes brings on hypoglycemia symptoms for me. If I had a coffee with no breakfast I'd be on the floor.
I LOVE some of the coffee substitutes: barley and chicory. Much nicer.

My dad can’t. If he has even one drink he’s constantly in the loo and wired to the moon. I think it’s just an individual thing. I’m caffeinated to the eyeballs most of the time and don’t have any bad side effects.

I am bouncy bouncing of the walls and running to the toilet.

Me too. I used to love a coffee or two. But gradually, I had to only drink them in the morning, because anything after lunchtime would keep me awake. And now, I can't have coffee at all. Even an 8am coffee will mean a sleepless night. Also gives me an increased heart rate, and more than one coffee will give me borderline palpitations.

I’ve found my people. I’ve always have a bad reaction to caffeine and don’t know anyone else who does too. When I have caffeine, even just in Coke, it’s like I’m really drunk. My speech becomes slurred, I get the shakes and can get so dizzy that I’ve thrown up in the past. I had a boss who didn’t believe I could possibly have such a reaction to caffeine. She got me a coffee and swore blind it was decaffeinated. It wasn’t. And she saw exactly how I react to caffeine. Why would someone do that?!

I can’t use these either! Quite literally made one of my eyeballs swell out of my head and I ended up in a&e. My body is very sensitive apparently

I don't cut caffeine out completely, but I am aware of how easy it is to overdose, no full fat coke for me, but I do like #10 from the nespresso machine, it's very easy to do 4 or 5 during a morning wfh, another reason to go to the office. I always keep decaff pods, instant coffee and teabags at home and never have caffeine after 1700, unless I'm driving late at night. My sleep pattern is still shit though.

Coffee makes me so wired I'm shaking!! Then I'm ao tired after!! Can drink tea but only in the afternoon....it makes me tired if I have any caffeine before lunch....how weird am I 😂

I've never been able to tolerate caffeine. Never been able to drink coffee. I once accidentally took two tablets that I thought were regular paracetamol but they had caffeine in and I felt like I was dying! My face went bright red, I was shaking and felt hot and sweaty all over and I had to dramatically lie on floor in the office.

The moment I hit 50, I stopped tolerating caffeine. Gives me horrific palpitations, makes my cheeks flush and makes me feel really unwell. I could cry because I love coffee and spent £500 on a Nespresso machine that I can only have decaff pods in. I will have the odd caffeine free diet coke as a rare treat but too many of those gives me an upset tummy. Even dark chocolate is a no no too. Sigh.

I’m the same. I can’t take any caffeine at all. I just drink herbal teas.

Caffeine did nothing to me until January 2026. All of a sudden I can't drink tea after 2pm. I'm 40

Two days ago I had a Costa coffee at 9am and I held my chest from a racing heart and I didn't calm until 2pm ish. I felt very panicky

I love tea and coffee. Decaf tea tastes weird to me (like biscuity)

Thankfully it doesn't upset my stomach. Any recommendations for good decaf tea and coffee would be great though!

Tea gives me palpitations.

Even decaf coffee makes me “go” if I’m doing anything that might cause me any sort of anxiety/public embarrassment. I save it for days I'm home doing nothing (and accept that on such days it still makes my mind race).

DH can't drink it past lunchtime or he can't sleep, I can drink it all day and just had one just now and it doesn't make any difference.

Yes it's a stimulant

It affects people differently

Some can handle a lot, others none at all

I had to switch to decaf coffee to avoid palpitations

Wow I had no idea others were the same. I remember years ago I had a Costa coffee I couldn't finish it, my heart was racing so much all I wanted to do was be sick and had to go to bed it was so awful to be lying down sweating and heart racing like that for hours. I was curious if its related to any other conditon as I've got a few things going on with me.