# Coffee and DP



## university girl (Aug 11, 2004)

Hey all... anyone else notice that the boost they get from drinking coffee makes them feel more alive and less zombie-like? Without drinking coffee I feel half asleep or like half of my brain has been removed. On the downside, the anxiety it gives me is unpleasant and makes my DR worse.


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## Scattered (Mar 8, 2005)

Oh definately. Sometimes I feel like I need a cup just to get through my classes. I also have concentration problems and the stimulant effect of the caffeine seems to allow me to focus more.


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2005)

Hi Uni-g,

I am a coffee real addict, I drink one each day (one big coffee) and it's always for _waking me _up, I like the sensation, but after a while, I get shaky and nervous and my dissociation is worse.

I don't know how to stop that, I LOVE that. (you know Second Cup coffee?)


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## enigma (Feb 18, 2005)

I'm the only one I know about with this particular characteristic (maybe I'm a space alien or something), but caffeine has never had any effect on me whatsoever (be it in coffee, soft drinks, or what have you).

e


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## JAG (Aug 31, 2004)

caffeine sometimes makes me feel sick.


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## Kelson12 (Aug 10, 2004)

enigma said:


> I'm the only one I know about with this particular characteristic (maybe I'm a space alien or something), but caffeine has never had any effect on me whatsoever (be it in coffee, soft drinks, or what have you).
> 
> e


^^^It doesn't do anything for me either. I like an occasional Coca-Cola Classic, but that nor coffee does anything for me.

I can't stand the taste of coffee either. There is this one certain energy drink with ginseng in it that Snapple makes that wakes me up a bit. But I usually just drink water in the morning, cause I am always dehydrated in the morning.


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2005)

I've switched to tea, in an effort to reign in my anxiety as much as possible. Figure if tea has only 40% of the caffiene coffee does, I'm at least doing a little something to help myself. Plus, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit this for some reason - I've actually made it to the point to where I like the way it tastes. It's even kinda fun to make.....heat the water, put the leaves in the little basket doohickey....

p.s. I'd probably be willing to kill for a triple capuccino. Guess I'm not quite over my coffee urges yet.............


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## university girl (Aug 11, 2004)

SC drinks tea, hehe. JK. I like tea too. Karine, yes I do know second cup! I much prefer imported European coffee to North American coffee though. So, I was really wondering about the zombie-like/ half asleep feeling. Wondering if anyone who has this finds the coffee makes them feel more alive?


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## JAG (Aug 31, 2004)

I love the flavor of coffee so I do drink decaf cappuccino's, lattes, americanos, etc.


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## Guest (Mar 25, 2005)

cappucinos make me feel more spaced out and i think straight coffee is disgusting


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## university girl (Aug 11, 2004)

Does coffee help to counteract the zombie-like state of DP for you?


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## Guest (Mar 26, 2005)

If coffee helps you feel less dp, then you should talk to a doctor about considering Wellbutrin. The stimulant effect is similar. It's NOT for everyone - might make someone very panicky, but it's worth discussing with a professional.


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## university girl (Aug 11, 2004)

JanineBaker said:


> If coffee helps you feel less dp, then you should talk to a doctor about considering Wellbutrin. The stimulant effect is similar. It's NOT for everyone - might make someone very panicky, but it's worth discussing with a professional.


Hey Janine,

Coffee makes me feel less DP'd but unfortunately more DR'd. Thanks for mentioning Wellbutrin. I will definately keep that in mind.


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## shadowness (Sep 12, 2004)

i LOVE coffee but any kind of caffine substance seems to make me feel really odd...

mind you i have not had coffee in ages...might try it again soon...i miss it...


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## sebastian (Aug 11, 2004)

I would have sexual intercourse with coffee it was socially acceptable. I love the stuff.

And yes, one coffee (either Starbucks or my special espresso stuff that i make in my fancy schmancy Italian perculator) is what i'll pretty much limit myself to. When i have that coffee my brain works half as fast and, unfortunately for those around me, i also have a tendency to verbalize every single thought that wisks through my head.

Sans coffee, i'm a vegetable. (For those interested, i think it was National Geographic last month that did a big expose on coffee and what areas of the brain it effects, etc. People really do think better after having had a coffee).

However, while the high i'm on usually supresses the dp, once the initial buzz wears off, i'm struck with slightly elevated anxiety. But if i go beyond my one a day limit, the anxiety wacks me in the face almost regardless of circumstances, and it is not at all pleasant.

s.


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## Guest (Mar 27, 2005)

sc said:


> I've switched to tea, in an effort to reign in my anxiety as much as possible. Figure if tea has only 40% of the caffiene coffee does, I'm at least doing a little something to help myself. Plus, and I'm a little embarrassed to admit this for some reason - I've actually made it to the point to where I like the way it tastes. It's even kinda fun to make.....heat the water, put the leaves in the little basket doohickey....
> 
> p.s. I'd probably be willing to kill for a triple capuccino. Guess I'm not quite over my coffee urges yet.............


You must have teabags in the states? :?


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## university girl (Aug 11, 2004)

Sebastian, your brain works half as fast after having a coffee? If you have increased anxiety from coffee (having had more than one cup- me too!), is your DR worse? In what ways are you a vegetable without coffee? Thanks.


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## dax (Mar 16, 2005)

university girl said:


> Hey all... anyone else notice that the boost they get from drinking coffee makes them feel more alive and less zombie-like? Without drinking coffee I feel half asleep or like half of my brain has been removed. On the downside, the anxiety it gives me is unpleasant and makes my DR worse.


Yea, I have noticed this. I need caffeine in order to be awake enough to function, but then I don't function as well because it makes me anxious and leads to worse DR. Sucks.

BTW check your PMs.


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## Martinelv (Aug 10, 2004)

Sebastian - not only is it socially acceptable, it's legally acceptable, yet morally dubious.

Coffee always increases my anxiety - yawn. Breathing increases my anxiety too, so what the hell. I drink loads of Green Tea, because I'm deluded into thinking that it doesn't contain as much caffiene, and that it contains anti-oxidants which hopefully balances out my 40 a day cigarette habit. :roll:


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## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

No Sebastian, that was in the Scientific American this month.

Martin, the fact that I have to murder you is both legally dubious, morally ambiguous, and psychologically cathartic.

Peace
Homeskooled 8)


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## sebastian (Aug 11, 2004)

university girl said:


> Sebastian, your brain works half as fast after having a coffee? If you have increased anxiety from coffee (having had more than one cup- me too!), is your DR worse? In what ways are you a vegetable without coffee? Thanks.


Uni Girl, i have a tough time distinguishing the difference between what DP and DR actually are. I know that sounds foolish but it's true. I guess what it is, is that i'm much more "pumped up" into reality, whereby i'm much more interested in very practical tasks, as opposed to drifting off into DP induced contemplations. But the anxiety does go up and if i were to have another that practical "pump up" would become hazardous, in the sense that my mind would race too much.

Without a coffee, i just feel tired and stupid. It's the way the brain adapts to it (I don't think it was Sci. Am. Homeskooled, but it was one of those science magazines). If you are a coffee drinker who has had their "fix" you are much quicker mentally than if you're a coffee drinker who hasn't, and even quicker than those who don't drink coffee (for a short period of time that is).

That being said, i'm off to get a coffee now...mmmm...

s.[/code]


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## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

Dear Sebastian, 
You could very well be right. I've always wanted to write for National Geographic, but its got to be one of the most competitive magazines in the world to write for. I'd love to be the editor that doles out stories to the freelancers. How do they come up with these topics? Go write about the wild cave men of Borneo and Check out the Bat Caves of Sumatra....Anyways, coffee is good for you, but caffeine doesnt seem to be. One to two cups a day of coffee protects against certain cancers. Go higher than that, and the risks outweigh the benefits.

Peace
Homeskooled


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## sebastian (Aug 11, 2004)

Homeskooled said:


> Dear Sebastian,
> Anyways, coffee is good for you, but caffeine doesnt seem to be. One to two cups a day of coffee protects against certain cancers.
> Peace
> Homeskooled


Is this true? I've never heard this mentioned before. Where did you hear this?

thanks,

s.


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## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

A study done about 2 or 3 year years ago found that people who drank one or two cups daily had less colon cancer than people who didnt. Its thought that something unique to coffee, not the caffiene, is at work. A study done this year showed that those people also had a lower risk of liver cancer. You can probably just Google these studies. I read them in my daily fretting over medical journals to figure out what the heck is wrong with me.

Peace
Homeskooled


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## Martinelv (Aug 10, 2004)

> Martin, the fact that I have to murder you is both legally dubious, morally ambiguous, and psychologically cathartic


Only legally 'dubious ? What country do you live in ? The Solomon Islands ? Oh, hang on, I forget...America, where I would have no rights as a human being, as an Atheist. :lol:

Hee hee. Next time I get my passport renewed I'm going to put my occupation down as 'Professional Atheist' and see if I can get into America.


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## agentcooper (Mar 10, 2005)

i work at starbucks part time so i have a lot of access to coffee but i have decided that coffee (or the caffeine) makes my dr much worse. it also makes me a bit panicky. i do drink tea, occasionally.


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## Inflammed (Aug 10, 2004)

Don't you guys remember the papers that was posted here a few months ago about the substance knowned to induce DP DR ?

Coffee was one of them...and it is clearly knowned that coffee even at low dosage is creating anxiety.
They even use it in Hospitals to induce panic attacks to people for researches...
Drink coffee if ya want, but gosh, don't complain about having DP DR :shock:

And if you think you actually NEED coffee to wake up or to function normally it's only because you're addicted, never forget that coffee is a drug.
Similar to cigarette, in the way that you have symptoms when you dont' take it...wich are the worst drugs to get off.

*What you ingest is what you'll feel.*


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## university girl (Aug 11, 2004)

Inflammed,

For six years before I drank coffee, I had DP to the point where I felt like half of my brain was removed. Coffee makes me feel alive. So I do not need coffee because I am addicted but rather because it makes me feel a bit more normal in that sense. (It does increase both my anxiety and DR though.)


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## kenc127 (Aug 10, 2004)

Hey Uni

Yes I totally agree with you. Coffee takes me out of the DP zombie state also. I confess I am very pro coffee, but in resaonable amounts. The doctor keeps telling me to stop because of its effects on blood pressure and the fact that it is a form of oxide (free radicals and carcinogenic). But whatever.

Ken


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