Around the Fringe of Excessive Caffeine?

My inspiration for penning this article is within reaction to the numerous incidents during my clinical practice treating individuals with panic disorders and under-diagnosed caffeine intoxication. Whenever a new client reports high anxiety it will go exactly the same: The customer comes into session complaining of hysteria and panic symptoms with numerous reports of anxiety attacks and follow-up visits using the psychiatrist, pleading for anti-anxiolytic medications. Many people don't know about the physiological consequences of consuming excessive caffeine, and the way they're commonly wrongly identified as panic attacks and anxiety symptoms. Restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, flushed face, muscle twitching, rambling flow of speech, increased heart rate and psychomotor agitation for example. These are just like panic-like symptoms (Association, 2013).

Caffeine makes it possible to wake given it stimulates various areas of one's body. When consumed, it increases the neurotransmitters norepinephrine within the brain, leading to increased levels so that it is are more alert and awake. Caffeine creates the same physiological response that you were stressed. This ends in increased levels of activity in the sympathetic central nervous system and releases adrenaline. The identical response you would get on a stressful commute to operate, or seeing a snake slither over the path on a hiking trip. Caffeine consumption also minimizes the quantity of Thiamine (Vitamin B1) in the body. Thiamine is a known anti-stress vitamin (Bourne, 2000).

While writing this article one morning I observed the line inside my local coffeehouse. The long line wrapped around the store jammed with people wanting to wake, eager for their daily caffeine fix. Many ordered large-sized coffee cups, many of which included caffeine turbo shots to assist them survive their mornings. So how should we know when we've had excessive caffeine? Most assume their daily caffeine intake has little if nothing to employ their daily emotional health.

Let's discuss the amount of milligrams are in a day-to-day average sized 8 oz mug of coffee:

Instant coffee = 66 mg
Percolated coffee = 110 mg
Coffee, drip = 146 mg
Decaffeinated coffee = about 4 mg



Caffeine come in numerous sources besides coffee. The common cup of joe with respect to the color and also the length of time steeped contains roughly under 40 mg of caffeine per serving (Bourne, 2000).

Many popular soda drinks also contain caffeine:

Cola = 65 mg
Dr. Pepper = 61 mg
Mountain Dew = 55 mg
Diet Dr. Pepper = 54 mg
Diet Cola = 49 mg
Pepsi-Cola = 43 mg

Even cocoa has about 13 mg of caffeine per serving (Bourne, 2000). Energy drinks have high caffeine levels and may be monitored at the same time. To learn your total level of caffeine multiple the quantity of consumed caffeinated beverages with the indicated average caffeine levels listed above. Remember that a single serving equals 8 oz. Simply because you're consuming one large cup does not mean it simply counts as one serving!

According the brand new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) Caffeine Intoxication is often a diagnosable mental health problem. A lot of the clients I treat for various anxiety-related disorders concurrently get into the caffeine intoxication category. They eagerly seek psychiatric medication to lessen anxiety symptoms without first being assessed for lifestyle and daily stimulant consumption. The DSM-V's criteria for caffeine intoxication is defined as anybody who consumes more than 250 mg of caffeine every day (compare your average caffeine level to 250 mg to gauge the volume of caffeine you consume daily) (Association, 2013). After just two cups of drip coffee you already met the criteria for caffeine intoxication! It's recommended that individuals without anxiety problems consume less than 100 mg of caffeine every day. For people with anxiety troubles you need to have 0 mg of caffeine every day so that the anxiety arousal system isn't triggered by anxiety-induced substances.

Almost all of the clients who report being affected by panic and anxiety attacks recall right then and there they had a panic attack they usually consumed another caffeinated beverage, compared to the days without anxiety attacks. Each client is assessed for caffeine intoxication one of the primary steps I take is to create a behavioral want to profit the client reduce their daily caffeine. Virtually all my clients inform me anytime having cut down on their caffeine they quickly feel much better and fewer anxious. When the client is as a result of 0 mg occurs when I can finally ascertain whether the anxiety symptoms are related to anxiety, caffeine intoxication, or both.

If you meet the criteria for caffeine intoxication there are lots of ways you can lower your caffeine levels. High doses (in particular those inside the caffeine intoxication zone over 250 mg) are greatly susceptible to caffeine withdrawal symptoms for example headache, fatigue, depressed or irritable mood, difficulty concentrating and muscle stiffness (Association, 2013). It's recommended to slowly lessen your level of caffeine to reduce withdrawal symptoms. For the best results try reducing by one caffeinated beverage a month (Bourne, 2000). By way of example if you consume five cups of coffee each day try cutting down to four cups daily to get a month, then right down to three cups every day for the following month and continue and soon you are in least under 100 mg or even 0 mg.

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