Caffeine + Anxiety = a bad mix??

Help! I just went to a therapist for the first time and he suggested that I try to "wean" myself off of caffeine. Apparantly that adds to anxiety--and believe me I have so much anxiety that I am willing to try anything to alleviate the symptoms. That means, no coffee, iced tea, diet pepsi and CHOCOLATE!! Has anybody tried giving up caffeine and has it worked? What are the benefits of no caffeine? Any good substitutes? Can I still use decaf or does that have some caffeine in it? Any responses would be helpful! Thank You!!

Your therapist is correct! Oh no! Caffeine is a stimulant which can lead to increased agitation and anxiety, and subsequently moodiness as your body begins to "come down" and crave more.

Good news though, decaf coffee and teas are available and very popular and have NO caffeine. Taste just the same. A little extra sugar might give you the boost you need.

However, caffeine withdrawal is real and can cause some of the same effects that you're hoping to aviod. You may consider weaning yourself slowly, and aviod going cold-turkey.

Physiological (or your body's) caffeine withdrawal is a relatively short lived process, lasting at the maximum 3 to 5 days. You may experience headaches, tiredness, sleep disturbances, and agitation. Exercise helps with these symptoms.

Psychological (or your mind's) caffeine withdrawal is longer lasting, and may persist for weeks depending on the amount you drink and how long you've been depending on it. Training your self to aviod cravings and pursue substitutes or distractions will help you avoid these.

In the beginning, you may want to limit yourself to tea during the morning and lunch hours instead of coffee or energy drinks (less caffeine). You should NOT drink caffeine after 4 or 5pm under any circumstances (this will worsen your sleep symptoms). Switch to the gold pepsi's (caffeine free) for the sugar fix without the caff kick at night.

Here are a few fun substitutions that you won't be able to taste a difference:
Decaffinated coffee
Decaffinated tea (many herbal varieties, very yummy)
"Gold" Pepsi and Coke
White Chocolate! yum.

A little chocolate shouldn't hurt you, eaten on its own. Compared to coffee and soft drinks, it has very little caffeine (unless you go cookie monster and eat a pound).

Moderation is key, and so is timing. A LITTLE chocolate, a warm tea in the morning, and a vanilla bean smoothie from starbucks should keep you satisfied and leave you tweak-free.

Good luck! And as always, trust your doctor more than me!

green tea is great and full of antioxidants. The headaches will hit you for about 3 days then disappear. It only gets better after that.

Giving up caffeine? Expect headaches.

want chocolate without the caffeine? www.becauseilovechocolate.com

maybe cut down first, like giving up smoking , maybe have only one cup a day for a while and see if anything changes.
Going cold turkey may increase your problem.

OMG, I have anxiety too, and they told me to decrease my caffeine and nicotine intake, but that is sooooo hard to do because I use these things as a stress relief. Must be psychological for me, but it helps me to have a cup o joe, and a cigarette! I guess if you can do it, it should work. you can also try to limit your caffeine intake after 3pm, that seems to help. Good luck!

use decaf..and yes caffeine can make you more anxious

YES IT IS A BAD MIX CAUSE CAFFINE MAKES YOU HYPER AND ANXIETY MAKES U ANXIOUS AND WORRIED.