I had drank coffee for 15 years or more and I was making it stronger and stronger. At the end I was having the equivalent of 5 expressos in one shot in the morning. Little did I know how deadly that was. I was always tired, got sick too often and my mind was always racing; obsessive-compulsice thought kept jamming my mind. The strange thing about it was I knew that his was not normal. When I got up in the morning, I felt awful and just could not imagine facing another day, so stronger the coffee… I thought I was depressed so I went to see the GP. All the bloods came back normal so he told me to take it easy and rest more. I tried that but felt like I was running on empty no matter how well I was eating, sleeping and even meditating.

It was only after with the help of a naturopath did I realize the havoc caffeine had on my body. I stopped coffee and started on a herbal, vitamin/mineral treatment to build back my liver, kidneys and adrenal glands. It is amazing how I feel now. I feel centred, calm and rested. I really thought I was going mad. I hope this helps someone who thinks that there is no help out there.

I feel as though we are still grasping for answers. My son who is 13 has suffered with anxiety and sleeping issues for years. He has been seeing a therapist to help deal with his night-time anxiety. I have always thought is was strange that he is a perfectly normal kid during the day. At night his heart races, he sweats and panics.I have watched him very close through out the years and I believe he has these issues at night only when he has consumed some type of caffeinated beverage. He has wild dreams, bizzare images and cannot relax enough to keep his eyes closed. We are grasping. I think he is so active in the day that if he has a caffeine reaction it appears to be his high level of energy. Does any one have any thoughts? We have sought non conventional methods to help. Acupuncture, health foods… decaf sleepy time teas, lavender baths, soft music etc…

I have been dealing with what I thought was ADD since my early teens. Now in my early thirties, after being treated for depression, anxiety, ADD, taking numerous medications, and trying every natural remedy from exercise to changes in diet to herbal supplements, nothing had worked until recently, I stopped all consumption of caffiene. I was barely getting by at my job becasue I could not concentrate or remember most of what I had to do, I had to find ways to try to organize around it and just pretend to know what I was doing. The stress was getting worse, so my caffiene consumption became more and then my symptoms got worse. Within two weeks of removing caffiene from my diet, I am no longer stressed, my memory and concentration are better than ever. I realized that though my caffiene intake has been up and down, I always consumed some amount, and the few times I had the idea that my problems were linked to caffiene and I stopped, I would have a cup of coffee one day to wake myself up and the addiction would start again and before I knew it, I was caught up in it again and my mind was so disfuctional that I actually forgot what I went through before or that caffeine was potentially causing my problems. So yes, when I havent consumed any caffiene for a while a cup of coffee will wake me up, but after a while it causes me to be sleepy all the time, feel irratable, consume more alcohol to releive the stress, and eat more and all of the other problems I listed above.

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!!!!