waverlyizzy Posted May 17, 2017 Share Posted May 17, 2017 I don't know if anyone has experienced this before, but caffeine has a way of bringing me up that's insane to me. Literally last night, I was hopeless and wondering what's the point of continuing to seek an education if I was never going to have the energy and joy I need for it for the rest of my life. This morning, I was still out of energy and my mood was low and I couldn't concentrate on anything, But then I drank a cup of black tea, and I flipped significantly. I was able to pick up a book and read again, and was inspired by it. In class, I was interested in what I was learning and had some ideas of my own. I even jotted down some notes so that I could teach myself something outside of class. I had a sense of humor again. I didn't have to drag myself to get out of a chair or walk somewhere -- I could speedwalk home. This is so insane to me. I don't want to be addicted to coffee or tea or anything, but how the heck is this changing my brain so much?!? Does anyone have any experience with this they could share, or any knowledge? Prozac (20mg): Oct 2016 - Nov 2016 Wellbutrin (200mg): Nov 2016 - May 2017 Abilify (2mg): April 2017 - May 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apathetic Posted May 19, 2017 Share Posted May 19, 2017 i really don't know and didn't have any experience with it, but i found this: Black tea has been proven to lower cortisol or the stress hormone in the body. This is due to black tea’s amino acid called L-Theanine, which induces a calming sensation over the body. Additionally, L-Theanine may also positively impact blood pressure, concentration, the immune system, dopamine levels and GABA formation. Alongside helping in the process of regulating stress levels, black tea also lowers the amount of blood platelet activation in the body which decreases the chance of developing a blood clot or even experiencing a heart attack. so i'm definitely going to try it. i've never used black tea before.i'm so glad that it had a good effect on you. My withdrawal journey (click) "If you're going through hell - keep going". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archonome Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 I read your title and it instantly shocked me because I was perplexed by this myself. I don't know what to make up from this but I think it's really important. How come, when I'm withdrawing, moody and feeling depressed, I'll take a cup of coffee and INSTANTLY a flip switches in my brain. Suddenly, the depression, dark thoughts disappear for an hour or so. I think it says ALOT about our brain's current chemical imbalances. 2006-2010: various ssri. settled on effexor max dosage + addicted 2-4mg xanax + alcohol everyday 2011: Cold turkey EVERYTHING. 2011-2016 Completely sober. No ssri. nothing. no alchol. no weed 2016: Major life event. Began taking celexa for 3 months. 2017-2022december: Effexor max dosage *note 2019-2022 , thc everyday 80-100mg oils *note 2022-2023Feb, 1lbs of MJ flower per month, 1oz per day almost *quit effexor cold turkey(dec 2022) and quit thc cold turkey in feb 2023 -did cardio EVERYDAY 2-3x per day then cardio machine broke... instantly crashed, depression etc....I ran back to THC from may 4 to may 24... -Cold turkeyd weed on May 24th after that 3 week binge. Came to my senses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apathetic Posted May 21, 2017 Share Posted May 21, 2017 i tried it, i drink two cups of it (black tea) daily for i think 2 or 3 days. it helps me for a tiny, tiny bit for cognition. My withdrawal journey (click) "If you're going through hell - keep going". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShakeyJerr Posted May 23, 2017 Share Posted May 23, 2017 I think everyone on SA who has been here for a while would precaution you to be extremely careful with using anything with caffeine in it. That's because high anxiety is a very common symptom for people in AD withdrawal, and caffeine generally makes it worse. So tread very carefully. Now yes, black tea does have theanine in it (and more than green tea does). I use decaf black tea to help calm me. There is about 20mg of theanine in a well-steeped cup of decaf black tea. Also - theanine can turn on you if you are not careful. Search the forum for more on theanine; there are plenty of threads that mention it. I know for me that when I tried the common 200mg capsule of theanine, it made me feel horrible, sort of ramped up, yet like I was powering down both at the same time. So what I do now is take the 200mg capsule and open it and split it into two doses. Sometimes I will add a dose to a cup of decaf black tea or chamomile tea, sometimes just in a cup of water. And I sip it for a while, not drink it down all at once. I do appear to be getting some relief from it. Not loads, but some. Anyway - please do be careful with caffeine. SJ Main thread: http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/14472-shakeyjerr-say-hello/ History: Prozac & Lithium from 1999 to 2003. Ended up back on after 4 months because taking a beta-blocker caused immediate depression (just 2 doses - turned out I didn't even need it; I had no other withdrawal symptoms - I might have ended up med and withdrawal-free otherwise ). - Switched to Effexor (75mg 3/day) and Seroquel (50mg 3/day) in 2010. - Did a self-taper during 2016. - Developed Discontinuation Syndrome 02/17. Supplements: Magnesium-Glycinate 400mg split into 4 100mg doses throughout the day. Vitamin C 500mg - once per day. Fish Oil 1360 mg (950 mg Active Omega-3) - twice per day. I'm not a doctor. I use the internet, experience, and trial & error. Seek medical advice if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProzacWasCreatedBySatan1 Posted May 28, 2017 Share Posted May 28, 2017 Caffeine has a good effect on me too. I could never drink it pre withdrawal either which is weird. I also feel much better when I burp. I get major relief, caffeine makes me burp more which makes me feel good. Idk what to think of it either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweet Posted August 14, 2019 Share Posted August 14, 2019 A big ole glass of iced black tea has completely launched me out of depression on several occasions. I save it for my last ditch solution when I am down and suicidal. Dont want to over use it. This is the best of my recollection. 20 mg Prozac 3-4 days per week from 1994 until May 2018. Beginning May 15 I began to drop doses. I dropped 1 dose per week for the next 4 weeks. It was not systematic at all. I don't have which days I took what. so the week of May 13 I took 4 doses, which was pretty normal for me. Then the week of May 20 I took 3 doses 20 mg. The week of May 27 I took 3 doses 20 mg. The 1st week in June l took 2 doses 20 mg. The week of June 10, 2018 was my last dose 20 mg. I had been on Prozac only for over 20 years. No other medications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icequeen Posted August 18, 2019 Share Posted August 18, 2019 People react differently to caffeine but I find that strong black coffee lifts my mood a bit - especially in the morning. I drink about three large cups a day of it and it doesn't make my symptoms worse at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persistente Posted September 12, 2019 Share Posted September 12, 2019 i thought i was the only one who find coffee not harmful but helpful. I gave up coffee for a few weeks on two occasions in an effort to ease my anxiety and to sleep longer. it was in the first year of wd but it did not help at all. i actually felt worse with even less energy, more sleepy but with no more sleep. i tried to get rid of that addiction because i thought that coffee might interfere with my healing but it was not giving the results i was hoping. i take one coffee in the morning and it makes me feel better instantly. interesting is that few days ago i run out of coffee and did not have a proper one in the morning. that afternoon i was getting depressed more than usual. i had a cup and i actually felt better. it could be the coincidence since lately i have been having shorter and milder waves. i am just happy that i can drink it and feel fine. 3/2012 - sertralin 50 mg, no major side effects 1/2014 - ct sertralin 50 mg (tappered 3 weeks as doctor ordered) 7/2014 - back to sertalin 50 mg, no issues 4/2016 - ct sertralin 50 mg (tappered 3 weeks, my decision) 12/2016 - back to sertalin, major side effects from the first pill and the begginning of hell 2/2017 - mirtazepine 15 mg added for insomnia 6/2017 - stopped sertralin (2 months tapper) 9/2017 - stopped mirtazepine (3 weeks taper) waves and windows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbles Posted September 13, 2019 Share Posted September 13, 2019 I feel better with a cuppa too. I'm chronically tired though, so maybe that's why it helps. I usually have two in the morning and sometimes a third (like now, I'm sipping as I type. No more though or it affects my sleep, and only in the morning. If/when I have an anxious phase I can't take it though as it makes me even more anxious. 2005 St John's Wort / 2006-2012 Lexapro 20mg, 2 failed attempts to stop, tapered over 4.5 months in early 2012 January 2013 started Sertraline, over time worked up to 100mg July 2014 Sertraline dropped from 100mg to 75mg, held for six months, slower tapering until 2019 22 Dec 3.2mg 2020 Sertraline 19 Jan 3.1mg, 26 Jan 3.0mg; 1 Mar 2.9, 7 Mar 2.8, May (some drops here) 24 May 2.5, May 29 2.4, June 21 2.3, June 28 2.2mg, July 4 2.1mg, July 24 (or maybe a bit before) 2mg, early Nov switched to home made suspension; 29 Nov 1.8mg; approx 25 Dec 1.6mg) 2021 Some time in about Jan/Feb realised probably on more like 1.8mg and poss mixing error in making suspension; doses after 10 Feb accurate; 10 Feb 1.6mg; 7 Mar 1.4, continued monthly 10% drops until 1mg, then dropped 0.1mg monthly. May 2022,0.1mg, now dropping 0.01mg per week 29 August 2022 - first day of zero! My thread here at SA: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/1775-bubbles/page/21/ Current: Armour Thyroid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tweet Posted September 14, 2019 Share Posted September 14, 2019 Hi, the odd thing for me is that I can get rid of the early morning anxiety at this point by going to a nearby restaurant and doing a devotional with a cup of coffee. ☕ It is a stimulant but nonetheless gets rid of the anxiety. Fighting fire with fire?🤔 Anyway, whatever works, no matter how crazy and illogical it may seem. That's one lesson I have learned from this wild journey! Big windows to all. This is the best of my recollection. 20 mg Prozac 3-4 days per week from 1994 until May 2018. Beginning May 15 I began to drop doses. I dropped 1 dose per week for the next 4 weeks. It was not systematic at all. I don't have which days I took what. so the week of May 13 I took 4 doses, which was pretty normal for me. Then the week of May 20 I took 3 doses 20 mg. The week of May 27 I took 3 doses 20 mg. The 1st week in June l took 2 doses 20 mg. The week of June 10, 2018 was my last dose 20 mg. I had been on Prozac only for over 20 years. No other medications. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmergingFromTheVoid Posted November 20, 2019 Share Posted November 20, 2019 I always drink two big cups of coffee daily (one around noon, and one around supper time) and they help my mind focus -- I feel less fatigue, and I'm more alert after having a cup of coffee. It might not be be right for everyone, but coffee and I are fast friends. 😉 1 Antidepressants: On ADs for approx. 8 years. 30 mg/day of Escitalopram w/ Wellbutrin (unsure of dosage), for several years. 5 years ago I tapered off Wellbutrin. 3 years ago I tapered to 20 mg/day of Escitalopram. I started to taper the Escitalopram again -- cut my dose to 10 mg/day on Oct. 21st, 2019 . Cut to 5 mg/day on Nov. 9th, 2019. Cut to 2.5 mg/day on Nov. 25th, 2019. Cut to 0 mg/day on Dec. 12th, 2019 -- AD Free! 🙂 Daily Supplements: One-A-Day Woman's Multivitamin, Caltrate Plus chewable, Cranberry pill w/ added vitamin C & E, Omega 3 and an Iron supplement. "This too shall pass." 🎵 Fight Song by Rachel Platten🎵 All postings © copyrighted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentor Happy2Heal Posted March 15, 2022 Mentor Share Posted March 15, 2022 does anyone who gets a boost in their mood from caffeine, find that later on, your mood dips much lower ? kind of on the idea of a sugar high followed by a sugar low? pysch med history: 1974 @ age 18 to Oct 2017 (approx 43 yrs total) Drug list: stelazine, haldol, elavil, lithium, zoloft, celexa, lexapro(doses as high as 40mgs), klonopin, ambien, seroquel(high doses), depakote, zyprexa, lamictal- plus brief trials of dozens of other psych meds over the years started lexapro 2002, dose varied from 20mgs to 40mgs. First attempt to get off it was 2007- WD symptoms were mistaken for "relapse". 2013 too fast taper down to 5mg but WD forced me back to 20mgs June of 2105, tapered again too rapidly to 2.5mgs by Dec 2015. Found SA, held at 2.5 mgs til May 2016 when I foolishly "jumped off". felt ok until Sept, then acute WD hit!! reinstated at 0.3mgs in Oct. 2106 Tapered off to zero by Oct. 2017 Doing very well. Nov. 2018 feel 95% healed, age 63 Jan. 2020 feel 100% healed, peaceful and content Dec 2023 Loving life! ❤️ with all it's ups and downs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ariel Posted August 11, 2022 Share Posted August 11, 2022 FYI, for anyone about to eliminate coffee or in the process of doing so: Caffeine Withdrawal: Symptoms, Timeline, What to Expect 1996-2018 - misc. polypharmacy, incl. SSRIs, SNRIs, neuroleptics, lithium, benzos, stimulants, antihistamines, etc. (approx. 30+ drugs) 2012-2018 - 10mg lexapro/escitalopram (20mg?) Jan. 2018 - 10mg -> 5mg, then from 5mg -> 2.5mg, then 0mg --> July 2018 - 0mg 2017(?)-2020 - vyvanse/lisdexamfetamine 60-70mg 2020-2021 - 70mg down to 0mg --> July 2021 - 0mg March-April 2021 - vortioxetine 5-10mg (approx. 7 weeks total; CT) --> April 28th, 2021 - 0mg supplements: magnesium powder (dissolved in water) as needed throughout the day; 1 tsp fish oil w/ morning meal; 2mg melatonin August 1, 2022 - 1 mg melatonin Courage is fear that has said its prayers. - Karle Wilson Baker love and justice are not two. without inner change, there can be no outer change; without collective change, no change matters. - Rev. angel Kyodo williams Holding multiple truths. Knowing that everyone has their own accurate view of the way things are. - text on homemade banner at Afiya house I am not a medical professional; this is not medical advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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