Is Caffeine Bad For People With Anxiety Disorder
Posted in Anxiety Disorders | Asked on Nov 20, 2010
I keep hearing this. I have this kind of disorder but I drink a LOT of coffee and on top of that take caffeine pills sometimes. Is ti making my anxiety worse you think? Also, I have trouble sleeping at night so I get around 4-5 hours average a night.
There are 4 Answers for "Is Caffeine Bad For People With Anxiety Disorder"
I can only relate a personal experience.
My daughter had an anxiety disorder, but i found a cup of coffee seemed to help calm her down to where she could function.
(And it was odd, packing her thermos with iced coffee)
The sleeping may be due to too much caffeine, so try a decaf for a bit
Yes! I am on medication for anxiety disorder, and I was advised by my doctor to cut back significantly on caffeine. I used to drink about six cups of coffee a day. Now I have just one cup in the morning, and I feel MUCH more like myself again!
Coffee is one of the leading causes of sleep deprivation and sleep deprivation is one of the leading causes of anxiety, switch those caffeine pills for sleeping pills buddy. your hurting yourself here.
ABSOLUTELY! It’s like giving sugar to a diabetic!
Social anxiety can cause these feelings, which can also lead to severe depression,
http://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/ds…
There is hope; I’ve been there, and still am there, it is a long, hard struggle. I recommend
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cognitive_b… worked best for me, with mild anti-anxiety meds. I suffered from social anxiety for over 15 years. I’ve tried individual therapy, and group therapy and studied psychology for 10 years, as a profession, but also with the hope to cure myself.
Depending on your comfort level, you could go to a psychologist that practices CBT and specializes in anxiety disorders, seek a group therapy, or create one. Usually those that do attend the group therapy are a bit more high functioning because as you know, it can be difficult to speak in a group.
Another idea is to see if there are any local research studies being conducted that you could participate in.
The program that finally worked the best for me is this one: http://www.socialanxietyinstitute.org/au… and I was lucky enough to have a structured behavioral group to go along with it. Sometimes the people that actually attend this program come back home and form groups.
I recommend a mild anti-anxiety med, and a beta-blocker (it will reduce shaking and tremors enormously, but only use in extreme situations) in addition to CBT therapy.
Any questions, let me know … I can’t tell you how much this has improved my life!