Caffeine

[misstraci]

I wanted to see what others' experience was with caffeine. Do you steer clear of it because it makes you feel worse or do you have some because it helps?

I don't drink soda or coffee but I do eat quite a lot of chocolate and have some tea. I was wondering if these habits could potentially be harming me. More specifially, I've been having in my chest what feels like my heart doing flip flops and sumersaults. Not sure if this is related to the caffeine or an issue with my heart itself.

Any ideas?

[RockiesGirl]

I can do my 1 cup of coffee in the morning but that is usually all. All soda is out as it increases my Tachycardia....although sometimes I sneak a bit when I am at the movies. I pay for it during the movie But it kinda adds to the excitement!! LOL

My heart does flip-flops as well and it is worsened by Soda mostly ;o) Hope this helps!!

[tinkerbella]

Flip flops are from caffeine. Stop it and see what are not from it. Dark choc. will act like a blood pressure med. I used to use dark choc. after being allergic to BB's and Cinnamon. I had a pretty expensive habit going there. lol! I had to stop the choc due to the increase in tachy. But my cardio was great in letting me try ~ The dog is a barking....gotta go ~

Bellamia ~

[enko]

Black tea and coffee give me tachy and make me sleepy..

[misstraci]

thanks guys!!! I always like to compare my feelings to those of others just to see if our experiences are similar or what.

BellaMia..... what does dark chocolate do? Thats my favorite

thanks, you are all very helpful as always!!

[MontanaKimberly]

Caffeine is also a vaso-constrictor, so it can actually help POTS symptoms. But be very careful, and in moderation. It's two-fold because caffeine does cause heart palpitations. I can tolerate about one cup of coffee and it actually makes me feel better. Soda pop or any source of caffeine with sugar makes me feel worse.

[Sallysblooms]

I have no problems with it at all, everyone is different.

[HopeSprings]

Coffee is a must for me in the morning. It helps a lot with my brain fog and sleep induced stupor. It probably makes me a little racey, might make tachy a little worse (but this is bad when I get up and before I have coffee anyway). Any side effects are worth it to me to get help with brain fog.

[s-pot]

It seems to help me at times, but too much can cause problems for me also.

When I feel that v draining, dip...like 'everything is sinking to my toes' sorta feelin! a cup of coffey/tea really helps...obviously this is the vasoconstrictor effect of the caffeine when my BP is dipping...but if im tachy it just makes it worse.

I have learned to recognise when I need it and when I don't now...but really I couldnt do without my cups of tea/coffee anyway!

[misstraci]

thanks guys, you're the best!!!

[Guest tearose]

Caffeine is very different for everyone. Some people benefit from a little. I know I do. Just don't become "dependent" on it or you can develop a tolerance.

Like most things with "ANS sensitive people" a little may be fine.

[scarfgirl]

Caffeine helps my energy and concentration big time. I drink two cups first thing in the morning. I don't drink it if I wake up tachycardic, and I don't drink it every day b/c I can build up a tolerance fast. I also make sure not to drink any past noon as it will keep me up. I often use it to replace my morning Ritalin dose.

[Yolaclover]

Caffeine is my friend, i usually make a cup of strong coffee that I drink at home or I get some iced confection at Starbuck's.

[bensman]

Caffeine helps me, but I don't know how to get it in a healthy way. I do not like coffee or tea at all. I won't drink diet soda because of the fake sugar, so I currently drink Coke. I know it is not good for me, but I need the caffeine. Does anyone have a suggestion for me?

Has anyone used Spark from Advocare? It has caffeine, but I am afraid to try it.

Thanks,

Kate

[icesktr189]

I either have to drink caffiene all the time or never drink it. I quit caffiene three months ago and tried to have some the other day. I ended up with a horrible migrainw. But when I am used to it and drink it everyday im fine it does give me palps though

[misstraci]

dani... I'm sorry. I can't seem to understand if it helps me or doesn't. I feel good at the moment but then sometimes later I feel crappy and yes I get the palpitations.

volley9.... what about chocolate? you could eat that. and what is Spark? I don't think of heard of it.

tearose, 718mom, KeXia... thanks guys!

[Libby]

I usually steer myself away from caffeine, but I know that coffee w/ cream/milk gets me kind of wired but I don't feel too bad. Caffeine with sugar - like the delicious organic black tea w/ lemonade I just purchased - makes me feel kind of crummy.

I used to be a diet soda drinker and I was fine with that. I wonder what it is about the sugar.

[sandymbme]

I usually limit myself to no more than one or two caffeinated beverages a day. Although admittedly, when I can get my hands on Pepsi Throwback all bets are off! (lol) But it is a mixed bag for me. I don't really respond very well to triptans, so sometimes a bunch of caffeine is just what I need to kill a monster migraine. (I have literally been given caffeine drips in the hospital, I refer to them as IV lattes.) But it also is a major migraine trigger for me. So definitely ****** if I do, ****** if I don't....

Sandy

[ramakentesh]

I get a twenty minute improvement and then a three hour crash and wired feeling where i shake and feel irritable. It doesnt agree with Hyper POTS in the long term, once the increased cerebral blood flow wares off.

[Tanzanite]

It helps me BIG time. My specialist told me there is recent research to show it helps with POTS and told me to take 500mg a day. I don't take quite as much as that but since taking around 300mg a day, I have had more energy and been able to do more, it has stopped the heavy dragging feeling from my chest downwards and even helped my breathing when I do anything physically.

[Birdlady]

It depends on the day, temperature and time of day for me. I always have a cup of coffee upon waking, but I think it does stimulate me too much at times. If I have it iced though, I usually have minimal issues as long as I take it easy. Usually what sets me off is the temperature of the drink itself. My heat intolerance is just soo awful and it extends to drinks, food etc.

[janiedelite]

After a bit of caffeine, I feel so GREAT! But within an hour or so, I get my usual sympathetic overstimulation and get chest pain, palpitations, and it eventually causes dehydration which makes me sicker for the next couple days.

[corina]

coffee has always been of great help to me, i drink lots of it!

[abnel]

Before my POTS diagnosis and way before I had any POTS symptoms I used to drink around a cup of coffee a day. Even back then it had me bouncing off the walls and my heart would race at night and I couldn't sleep. But it wasn't the same as the 'sick' POTS fast heart rate which I have now. Back then it never made me feel unwell.

Caffeine is what triggered my first major POTS symptoms back in 2009. It triggered the fast heart rate and the 'wired feeling'. Unfortunately the sinus tachycardia has not really gone away, but it has calmed down a bit over time.

Now I avoid coffee like the plague.

Other stimulants like tea and ginseng can trigger bad palpitations.

[london]

Bring on the coffee! My POTS is noticeably worse if I DON'T have my 2 cups a day. In fact, My doc said 2 cups of strong coffee a day can help to keep BP fluctuations at bay. If my HR gets too high, I just take a beta blocker to compensate. My family starts drinking coffee from the bottle practically (my grandmother but cold, milked coffee in my mom's bottle for real). However, I can totally see how it can hurt some with POTS. We are all different when it comes to treatment.