Caffeine intolerance?

mscoutable
mscoutable Posts: 30 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Here recently, I have had a hard time drinking coffee without getting super jittery and a heart racing sensation. I had one cup today and could not sit still. I used to drink coffee nearly every day, but am having to avoid it now because of these side effects. Has anyone else noticed this before? I have not had a ton of changes recently aside from losing some weight (about 40 pounds now, but slowly). I have also been a mostly pescatarian diet most of the time, but am not sure if that would have anything to do with this change.

Replies

  • candylilacs
    candylilacs Posts: 614 Member
    I have a caffeine intolerance. Back in college, I had before, a final, an iced coffee and threw up. I have those super jittery and heart racing sensation.

    Now I've chai tea with breakfast and I have a cherry coke zero with lunch or dinner.

    (I know you know you need a doctor visit. It's hard on your heart.)



  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,027 Member
    I've had it before, for a stretch of time if I had too much caffeine I'd get shaky and heart palpitations. Seems to have subsided now, no idea why. It was a time my anxiety was really bad and my doctor said he wanted me to limit or stop having caffeine. It is a stimulant, after all.
  • strongwouldbenice
    strongwouldbenice Posts: 153 Member
    Happened to me a few months ago, after losing about 15lbs and about half a year into being a vegetarian. I work in a coffee shop so I've had plenty of coffees daily for years but suddenly it was making me really shaky, jittery, anxious and gave me a heavy chest, all day no matter how little I had.
    I don't know if the anxiety was making it worse, or the caffeine was making the anxiety worse but I just ended up cutting caffeine entirely for a couple of weeks and worked my way back with super super weak coffees. I'm still on regular weak ones. I also worked on my mental health, and starting running, I often tell myself when I start to feel jittery that it's okay cause I can 'run the caffeine out'. Probably in my head but it makes a difference.
  • Jaimeclmt
    Jaimeclmt Posts: 20 Member
    I'd been a big coffee and soda drinker for years. A few years ago, and also within the last couple months, I started getting heart palpitations after drinking caffeine. My doctor couldn't find anything wrong, so this most recent time I cut caffeine completely and only drink decaffeinated coffee and soda.

    Have you considered going decaf? I feel really good, actually. I miss a lot of the sugary espresso drinks, but Starbucks actually makes decaf espresso which is awesome!
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Go over your diet with a fine tooth comb, you may be missing a stealth source of caffeine.
  • timeforwork
    timeforwork Posts: 114 Member
    Same problem here it takes 48 hours for me to feel normal again after a coffee. First it's jittery then shaky then I feel exhausted then another burst of energy with an upset stomach before finally getting back to normal. Your not alone but why it affects some people more than others I don't know. ( a lot of sweets and some juice drinks have the same effect but for a shorter time frame) I just avoid known trigger foods/ drinks
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Sure, intolerances come and go oddly.

    My OH started having a similar reaction to caffeine a few decades ago, and on the recommendation of his doctor, switched to decaf.
  • hoodahmahn
    hoodahmahn Posts: 9 Member
    Up until my 30s -- and starting as early as 12, I drank really strong coffee without an issue. And could go to sleep after drinking it. But now in my early 50s I can't drink coffee without those crazy jitters and it stays in my system for a good 14 hours.

    Now in the mornings I drink a lemon Maca tea, which is simply hot water with a 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon and 2 tsp of Maca powder. Keeps me focused and alert well into the late afternoon. Which, for me, is exactly what I want.
  • jessicagreen1828
    jessicagreen1828 Posts: 133 Member
    Yes, after changing my diet and exercise I noticed I developed caffeine intolerance, sadly. I drank decaf or Cafix to wean myself off caffeine. I still miss real coffee, but very glad to be done with those crazy jitters!
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    I had one of those genetic tests done and it turns out i metabolize caffeine slower, so it stays in my system longer than typical. I have not noticed any change, but i have trouble sleeping if i drink coffee after noon.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited June 2018
    I've actually been dealing with this lately. I don't know what caused it, but I used to drink a liter of coffee daily no problem (this isn't excessive caffeine intake because we're talking instant coffee here), plus many cups of tea of varying caffeine content. Now I can barely do half of that. My solution was to mix my regular coffee 1:1 with decaf and it seems to have helped a little. I'm also having anxiety issues surfacing up lately, so that might be part of why I have worse tolerance. I don't want to give up caffeine because I like what it does for my appetite, but if this gets worse I might have to.

    I actually wanted to start a similar thread, but thought I'd give my anxiety some time to get better first.
  • HaggisWhisperer
    HaggisWhisperer Posts: 125 Member
    I used to drink it without any problems when I was younger, but when I was pregnant I started getting palpitations after only one caffeinated tea or coffee. So I went decaff. I tried reintroducing it after baby was born, but it still had the same effect. I've just stuck with decaff which isn't really a hardship.
  • DragonHasTheSapphire
    DragonHasTheSapphire Posts: 184 Member
    I cannot have caffeine, since I was a little girl it caused bladder and UTI problems for me. I'm not sure about jitters, but just drinking 1 can of Mountain Dew gave me a UTI a day or two later.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I lost my caffeine tolerance suddenly in my late 20s. I used to have no problem with it, and then one evening I had a few glasses of iced tea with dinner and I couldn’t sleep until 3 that morning. Now I limit caffeine to before noon.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
    edited June 2018
    I can't drink the caffeine in a regular coffee and be able to sleep at night. I avoid caffeine whenever possible but the effect in chocolate or soda is not as bad (have less caffeine). I don't doubt if I would drink two cups of regular coffee I'd have palpitations and jitters too.

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