Caffeine significantly affecting my mood

No idea. I’m a caffein addict and I can’t remember life without it...

Caffeine affects several chemical pathways in the brain that cause feelings of pleasure. Exactly what it’s doing is still under investigation . Here is an article that’s fairly lengthy, but attempts to explain one study in less technical terms: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/scicurious-brain/feeling-stimulated-by-your-coffee-look-to-the-basal-ganglia-of-your-brain/

dewd2 wrote: »

For running distance races like I do caffeine can really give you a boost. But, it only works if you haven't had any for a couple weeks ahead of the race. I have no idea why that is, but I found it to be very true for me. I can take gels with caffeine when my diet is normal (soda and tea several times a week) and I don't get much of a boost. But if I stop caffeine for a few weeks and then take a gel or two I feel like I've been shot out of a canon.

What I'm trying to say is the effect may be short lived. But enjoy it while it lasts.

Ditto. I've read about elite trail runners who stop caffeine intake a month before big races to reap that effect.

I've been trying to reduce coffee because the Chinese New Year is coming up and I'll be going without it for a week. I get awful headaches and lethargy when going cold turkey - the opposite to what the OP is experiencing, I suppose.

DannehBoyy wrote: »

I've started having Diet Dr pepper which contains caffeine apparently. I overthink a lot, sometimes pretty negative thoughts, but after drinking it my thoughts are so much more positive and I become really motivated to do things which normally I would put off.

Sounds like the stimulant caffeine gives you the energy boost you need. Diet and regular Dr Pepper only have 41 mg caffeine in a 12 ounce can, but you might be particularly sensitive since you avoided caffeine for a long time. You may become less sensitive with exposure, that happened to me.

For me, B vitamin complex supplements have that kind of an effect. Not particularly affecting my mood in an obvious manner, but definitely I start getting to projects I haven't felt like I had the energy to do. The effect is pretty fast, also, so it's not one that takes a month or two to notice. Maybe this is because the B vitamins are water-soluble and don't build up in tissue. Excess amounts just get flushed out.

My threshold used to be at least a 20-gram B-complex per day (they label themselves according to the amount of one of the vitamins), I seem to need more now since I'm a lot older than when I first noticed the effect. So I try for two doses a day at that level with a particularly effective supplement like Shaklee tablets, which tend to be better absorbed in general and the company is intelligent about formulating tablets (I'm a chemist), as is especially needed for multicomponent tablets. I can tell the difference when I only get one dose in a particular day.

I used to use a 50-mg complex from an acceptable but not as research-oriented company for the same effect as I get from two Shaklee tablets (10 mg each). B vitamins are tricky to formulate in a dosage form because they all absorb at different places, so better absorption means you need less. The high level of most of the B vitamins in a B complex supplement is to make sure enough gets absorbed because a lot will be wasted. But it may not really matter so much because the high dose capsules are typically cheap enough. I would advise getting a cheaper but good brand of 50-mg capsules for a test.

I always thought the effect on me was because I have a lot of allergies and the B vitamins in my food might get used up fast.

Other reproducible effects of the B vitamins for me: I sleep much better (longer, sometimes don't even wake up in the middle) and remember my dreams. This was obvious the very first night I started taking them - my sleep has been patchy since childhood, so sleeping through the night was new to me. Also I type faster and more accurately as long as I keep taking them. This is another immediate effect, certainly within 24 hours. I know one of the B vitamins is beneficial for short-term memory, which may be related. If I stop the B complex supplements, my typing speed and accuracy go down quite noticeably. I hate taking pills, so I have unfortunately had many opportunities to test with and without the supplement....

This is worth a read - especially the part about developing tolerance if you intend using it for particular events or training. https://examine.com/supplements/caffeine/

Personally I'm a very low responder to caffeine (and nicotine and creatine and morphine and entenox....) and to get a boost / reduce feelings of fatigue on endurance cycle rides I need to come off caffeine completely in the run up to an event and then take a mega dose tactically (just before an evil 19% hill climb 110 miles into a 130 mile event for example).

My response is so low I fell asleep riding a motorbike home after a night shift despite 3 double expressos.

I've noticed it sometimes too. Like, I'll be out and kind of tired and grumpy, stop for an iced coffee or diet choc coke(Sonic😉) and feel so much better and happier. More recently, I was feeling really down and started taking niacin when I get up because it is supposed to help with depression (among other things). It seems to be working, so I keep taking it.