I am 63 and was having a heavy chest feeling,on edge and pains especially when I went to bed at night..Medical tests found nothing…Subsequently I found it difficult to get to sleep and basicly needed a relaxant…I was not drinking coffee but lots of tea…I then bought a packet of hot chocolate and used this as a hot drink except for a cup of tea at breakfast …I have had no problem since..its uncanny? I would not have believed it … I knew I reacted to a lot of cups of coffee but Tea??? What a different life…

Back in 1975/76, I worked long hours. I usually drank 6-8 cups of coffee before going to work, then another 15-20 cups at work. It was the only way I could keep awake (usually got 3-5 hours sleep a night).

After about a year of this, I got chest pains and a pain down my left arm. Went to emergency. Other than a heartbeat rate of 140, they said nothing was wrong. A month later, the same thing happened.

I was transferred to Toronto and started working a 9-5 job. By this time, I starting drinking tea. During one training session I had a coffee. I stood by a window and became frozen in place. My entire body started to vibration (as if I was operating a jack hammer). That lasted about 10 minutes. Two weeks later, I threw my back out and the doctor told me to take 222’s. I did, and within minutes the vibrations came back. Another trip to the doctor - he said that I appeared to develop an allergy to caffeine. Quit or risk a heart attack, he said.

Drinking Postum was no substitute, and neither was drinking hot water. I starting taking 20 - 30 minute showers to get over wanting a coffee in the morning. The urge to have a coffee lasted a full 3 years.

I have been caffeine free for 30 years now. I firmly believe that my overindulgence led to my caffeine allergy. I also believe I am better off without caffeine.

nojitters

is there tablets for caffiene allergy?

Hi… I have surffered with a sore tongue for nearly 12 years.. I have explored many avenue’s for a reason from household sprays to sugar and have only finally stumbled across the reason… CAFFEINE
I couldn’t believe it because the more I drank it the more I felt I needed to wash the effects away, so I would drink more, It was a never ending circle.
I am just so pleased to be free of it.

Reasons Why Being Caffeine Allergic/Sensitive Is Hard (Without Sounding New Agey):

1. Most of us were avid consumers of caffeine before we realized too long after the fact that our sullen behavior and lack of productivity was due to a nightmare substance that was lurking in some of our favorite food products.

2. Let’s face it: caffeine is delicious. Chocolate, tea, coffee, soda. One or more of these was the vehicle for our joy, and even though we realized that perhaps our favorite drinks and dainties were contributing to our depression or insomnia, we were reluctant to give it up.

3. Another reason that it’s so hard to give up these products is that so many other people drink caffeine. Even if we realize that we can’t handle it, we see a friend or family member sitting across from us happily sipping a cup of coffee or a nephew drinking several sodas; and our automatic reaction is that we are hypochondriacs, that we should be able to rise above the petty chemical imbalances. If they can handle it then why can’t we?

4. Again, let’s face it: caffeine is trendy. Everywhere you go there is some advertisement for gourment coffee or a new cafe that’s opened up around the corner. Everyone you meet is carrying those trendy, colorful coffee cups with the that special heat-retaining carboard sandwiched between two layers of styrofoam. Movie theatres have now placed vending machines stocked solely with energy drinks outside of screens (I ask “WHY? You’re going to be sitting on your arse for two hours! Why do you need an energy drink?”). And there are constant television commercials with real healthy-looking people who seem like they get their full night’s sleep telling you that green tea, chocolate, and coffee are loaded with healthy antioxidants. Of course you long to fit in and be healthy.

5. The Student Trap. Academics and intellectuals are often if not always portrayed clutching a mug of coffee or a soda. The excuses are: caffeine promotes memory and focus. Fellow students talk about meeting up at the internet cafe to throw back a couple of espressos and do some homework. The stereotype is that you can’t be smart unless you do these things. (I fell for it and spent my sophomore and junior years of college being the most mediocre student in existence, which is just as bad as being a poor student. Now I’ve got one year left to make up for all the lost time during which I was depressed and weepy.)

6. Who needs sleep? The true person stays up at all hours consuming loads of coffee or soda. The really smart or productive person doesn’t shower for days on end and is jittery and nervous in the corner. That is the sign of a genius.

7. Recognition of your sensitivity often results in a denial that your are sensitive or allergic. What follows is an overindulgence in many caffeine-containing products in order to prove that you can overcome the petty chemical imbalances. This is what we in the know call an “addiction.”

8. Suffering from caffeine sensitivity/allergies often garners you very little sympathy. When you try to discuss it with someone, possibly even a friend, they often reply with “oh, I don’t have that problem.” This is fairly shaming, because you feel that if you friend doesn’t have a problem, then why do you?

9. Many of us look up to someone famous or influential. Naturally, we desire to emulate these people. Often, these people brag that they drink loads of caffeine but should really give up. (In my case, writers who I admire say they write in cafes and drink a lot of coffee. Again, I fell for it. They might be able to handle it. But apparently I can’t.)

I don’t think of caffeine as a better addiction than, say, a cocaine addiction. You’ll often hear people joke about their caffeine addiction and that they should give up, just as they’re taking great gulps of coffee.

Don’t be ashamed to be allergic to caffeine. Just quit. It’s a simple solution, although not so simple a task. Train yourself to grab another food item that doesn’t have caffeine in it, like a glass of water, fruit, sandwich. They’re better for you anyway, aren’t they?

I wish I would have realized back in middle school all the way up to now, going from one form of caffeine to another, that I could have avoided that my harmful interior fantasy life by just giving up that green tea which I thought was so trendy, and the coffee I had the past two years which I thought would make me so smart.

And for God’s sake, get some sleep!

I have a symptom that no one has said. I to itch but it seams manly in crotch area. Does anybody else have this problem?

Hi everyone, I am so glad I found this site. After reading this I am quite certain that I am allergic to caffeine. Last night I went out to a nice Italian restaurant feeling great. They had really yummy espresso at the end of the meal. About an hour later, my heart was racing, I was shaking uncontrollably, I was extremely dizzy, had extreme nausea, and when I was driving home it looked like it was raining but it wasnt raining (Which made me panic even more) I also felt like I was going to have a panic attack. I slept for 4 hours and I am still wired 10 hours after drinking that damn cup of espresso. Thankfully the nausea is gone. I have been drinking water and trying not to focus on how jittery I still feel. The more I think about it the more panicky I get! I am never having caffeine again!!!!

Oh, and I forgot to add…this all started after I spent several months overdosing on proplus tablets every day..considerably ovverdosing..like a packet a day. And then I stopped totally…and this inability to take caffiene started

I’m not diagnosed with having a caffine allergy but I know I have one. I have been tested from bowel cancer to irritatable bowel and nothing has come of it. I have been getting diarrea for the last 7 years and now i’m vomiting aswell. I’m not a coffee drinker but I drink alot of tea and eat chocolate. Since reducing my chocolate and not drinking tea I’m almost to normal again. When I told my doctor he looked at me as if I was stupid. I cannot do without chocolate but I will have to stop eating this aswell now. I will see about getting a caffine allergy test

I’ve haven’t had caffeine for nine days. I’ts really difficult for me to quit. I can get over the initial withdrawls, but I never seem to get my energy back. I feel completly confused and fatigued. I know I’m very caffeine sensitive but I’ve quit for two months before and I still feel like I a complete space caddett. How long does it take other people to quit?

Over the past year I have been feeling like crap.

It is usually the morning after drinking alcohol and taking recreational drugs - cocaine mainly. Not in any great quantity, but enough. I’m a bit of a party animal.

Anyway recently the next day around 11.00am after drinking a few cups of coffee or tea I have suddenly felt like I’ve been hit by a really unpleasant wave - my left arm feels achey and a bit numb, my chest feels tight, it’s hard to breathe/take a deep breath and my heart pounds. I feel like I’m about to have a heart attack.

I have been to the Doctor, who tested my blood pressure, took a blood sample and did an ECG. All absolutely normal.

She recommdended laying off the Cocaine. No shit Sherlock I thought. I’m not a regular user, but like I said I am a bit of a party animal, as are most of my friends.

Anyway I had one of these attacks on Sunday morning, it was particularly bad. I’d not touched any Cocaine for about 4 days previously. I managed to drive myself to the local hospital A&E where again they took my blood pressure and did an ECG, but again, all normal.

This thing is starting to rule my life and after ages researching my symptoms on the web I can only come to the conclusion I have some sort of caffeine allergy.

Yeah right you say, if you didn’t snort cocaine you would’nt feel like you were going to have a heart attack. But I think it might be what the drug is actually cut with is what is making me feel like shit the next day when it’s leaving my system, very probably Pro-Plus caffeine tablets.

Then on top of that I’d have two or three cups of coffeee or strong tea which must make the matter worse.

If anyone else can offer me advice I’d be grateful but I am determined to lay right off the drugs, coffee, tea and Coca Cola in the hope that will be the end to my problems. And to think how much tea and coffee I have been drinking up until now. Ususally four or five of each per day at work.

PMG. Please people. LEARN WHAT AN ALLERGY IS!!! My symptoms are stuffy nose, cough and sneezing. These are ALLERGY SYMPTOMS. Maybe the sore tongue might be a symptom too. However, the rest of you are describing a ‘normal’ reaction to to the fact that your body just can’t handle COFFEE/caffine. I get the heart palpitations, racing, fluttering, and headaches etcetera, and they are ALL because I am too sensitive to caffine - I also have a huge amount of stress in my life. The combination of the two cause the heart symptoms. Avoid the cause - avoid the effect. Allergies include stuffiness, coughing, sneezing, itching, throat closing, swelling; (usually cold like symptoms)perhaps a few others but NOT heart symptoms, and mental illness (!) and the other stuff you folks are trying to pass off as a “coffee allergy” - You have other problems to deal with. Start by stopping or at least reducing the coffee. And TEA has caffine. PLEASE research WHAT an allergy is before you claim to have one. I’ve lived with severe allergies for 44 years.

I have known for years, that I am allergic to caffeine. I started to get a hive looking lump on my L leg. They would come on, Get red, dispurse, and drop to my L foot. The foot turns black, swells and hurts. I went to an ND. He told me I had an allergy to chocolate. I stopped my chocolate intake. A pot of tea convinced me that the problem was/is caffeine.
Over the years,,,20 years approx. I have been plaqued verry little. The ocasional chocolate chip, or O/C pain relief with a caffeine exciter. Doesn’t take much.
yhe caffeine seems to disapate in two to three days,but that discoloration seems to never go away. It gets better but never goes away.
I started a nature drink with green tea. ,foot blew up. discolored, pain
How do I detox? Can I detox? how can I reverse this condition?
Charlie

I am 42 and have been drinking tea all my life, I still don’t know if I am allergic to it or not, but for the past two months I have developed severe allergies (Itch, chest pain, difficulty breathing), to what I don’t know, after reading this forum, I am also suspecting tea to be the culprit, so I will stop drinking tea for a while to see if that is the case. Once I take Claritin or TelFast allergy tablets - I am ok for a day or so, then it comes back. Just FYI I changed the brand of tea from Tetley to Lipton, Could that have caused the problem…?

Saleem

OMGosh! I am astonished to find out that I am not alone here! I have been suspecting caffeine for several years now, but wasn’t sure. When I drank Coke or other caffeinated drinks I would be very jittery and had headaches. If I went one day without it I would demand to get it. I really liked Starbucks! I am bi-polar and I had daily panic attacks and was constantly having IBS everyday sometimes more than once! Doctors tried to identify to no avail! I had finally got tired of being overweight last year and I decided to cut out caffeinated drinks. I have lost 27.4 lbs since November 07′ by changing my diet and cutting out the sodas. Within about two weeks I started feeling so much better. I don’t have IBS episodes! The panic attacks have decreased dramatically! My only weakness is chocolate but after reading all of these entries here from you all, I am quiting that too! Thanks for letting me know I am not alone!!!!

Hi everyone, I have really been enlightened by the posts here, thanks so much for being so honest and forthright with all your individual symptoms and conditions!
My story is a weird one, kinda like everyone else’s I guess! But would greatly appreciate any input!!
About a year ago, I began to move towards a healthier lifestyle, i.e. working out regularly (biking, walking)…trying to educate myself on nutrition, how the body works, supplements, etc.
Last fall, after a particularly strenuous workout (NOT weight-lifting), I began having chest pain that persisted for several days. Went to the ER three days after onset, released with referral to followup with a stress test (treadmill one). Within two days, my chest pain was gone. *gulp* Did not follow-up immediately with the stress test… *gulp, again*
Three weeks ago went and had a physical, blood tests, resting EKG, treadmill stress test, etc.
Diagnosis: Healthy! Good blood pressure, good cholesterol, good everything…
So. I am in the process of trying to track my doctor down and get him to return my call…because…
when I initially told him about the chest pain, he had told me I may have a minor gastro-intestinal issue, and to stay away from tomatoes and chocolate.
So I did.
Now, a couple weeks has passed, and although the chest pain comes and goes, it’s not too ’severe.’
Incidentally, I have a little back pain, but nothing excrutiating, but NO OTHER symptoms - NONE! No nausea, no vomiting, no discolorations, no headaches, etc.
I do have exczma (sp??) - but have had that for almost a year. I HAVE heard that exczma CAN be a symptom of a food allergen, though…read on!
Here’s the interesting part…
Three years ago I began drinking coffee (I am mid-thirties) because of my job - it was convenient, smelled great, and tasted even better!
Not to mention, that’s what everyone else was doing too (yes, I am embarrassed to say that).
Anyway. When I first began drinking it, my heart raced, my nerves felt strung out, and I just felt like I was going to collapse. I switched to decaf, and then somehow, “weened” myself back onto regular, by mixing them together, 1/2-n-1/2, then 1/4-n-3/4, until finally, I got to drinking two very large mugs of regular every day. Plus, I was drinking diet soda (which HAS caffeine) - 2 or 3 a day, cut back to 1 a day last fall, and now, with my health being ‘questionable’ the last couple weeks - only one half-can of caffeine free soda a day.
Tuesday I went on a 6.5 mile bikeride - slight chest pain, nothing too serious. Last night, I ATTEMPTED to walk my 2.0 miles - and failed miserably.
From the moment my feet hit the pavement, I had difficulty breathing - I could exhale, but not inhale - when I inhaled I would have severe chest pain, like cutting in my ribs. I struggled to get back home, after only about 1/4 mile, and the pain, though it lessened as time passed, it did persist until later into the night.
I originally had NO CLUE what this could be. I suspected maybe asthma, did some research and talked to a couple people, and pretty much ruled that out - I didnt/dont have any coughing or mucus.
Then I began evaluating what I had eaten/drank the last two days. Come to the realization that I had CHOCOLATE yesterday afternoon (about three hours before exercise) - in the ’simple’ form of a large piece of chocolate chip cookie cake - you know the kind. (It was somebody’s bday at work!)
Then…
This morning … ONE MUG of coffee… drank at about 9am, pain began around 11:30am.
Now, this afternoon, chest pain fading, especially after I ate lunch.
My back is still achy, too.
Thank you in advance everyone for your input!!!
Please tell me, am I losing my mind?
Could I possibly have an allergic reaction to caffeine? I mean, would an “allergic reaction” occur HOURS after consumption like in the above two instances and persist for HOURS after onset of pain?
Or, is the caffeine thing simply ironic?
One final thought - after staying away from TOMATOES like that dr. told me to, once last week I ate veggie soup with tomato base and my stomach was roiling and ‘fluxing’ for HOURS afterwards…CLEAR sign that I should and NEED TO stay away from them.
Thanks…once again!
Ann

@Anne, I’m definitely no doctor but seeing as I review a ton of these products I can say that caffeine is most likely NOT the reason for your symptoms. Stomach aches are a common issue with caffeine and can turn to stomach ulcers if one does not eat food, drink water, etc. with the drinks but I’m thinking that isn’t your problem. Caffeine has actually been proven to help asthma SOURCE:http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab001112.html so that shouldn’t be the problem. Sometimes after very strenuous runs I develop a slight knot in the muscle located under the shoulder blade, this causes a slight pain when I take deep breaths because the knot is sitting on nerves that are connected to your lungs. What I WOULD suggest is that you lay off of the diet soda, completely. Much of what your describing sounds very similar to side effects commonly associated with long term use of excessive aspartame intake…