I'm Sensitive To Something In Coffee, And It Isn't Caffeine

[jitsmonkey]

Black coffee gives me anxiety

Coffee with coconut oil/cream gives me anxiety

Coffee with half and half, and I get nice, clean dopamine and energy, with no anxiety...until I drink far too much coffee lol, but the threshold is much higher than with just black coffee

Works for me -.-

are you having any carbohydrate with the versions that give you anxiety?
or a better question is WHAT are you eating with those versions

 

[lvysaur]

IMO there is a good chance it is the homocystinergic effect of coffee. The effect is equal for both decaf and caf.

 

[Runenight201]

Yes I drink my coffee following my meals which always have carbohydrates. Sometimes I'll drink it apart from my meals, and then I'm especially sensitive to the anxiety, but the half and half really helps. It also masks the taste of the shitty coffee I use lol and I actually really enjoy the taste of my half and half coffee.

Definitely the more carbohydrates I have flowing through my system the more the anxiety is buffered, but for some reason I find that the half and half increases the tolerance to anxiety significantly more than black alone.

 

[Ulysses]

IMO there is a good chance it is the homocystinergic effect of coffee. The effect is equal for both decaf and caf.

Fascinating comment, because I actually had high homocysteine levels in my last round of bloodwork. Doctor put it down to MTHFR, and started me on a Folate/targeted B Vitamin supplement, but now I’m wondering if maybe it was from coffee. Then again, the coffee may just be revealing the deficiency by increasing metabolism.

 

[Tzheng2012]

any of the answers offered so far could be correct
the most likely issue is like any food... the general quality of 99% of coffee available commercially is ***t.

I agree with most everything @Tzheng2012 said with the exception of I'd recommend light roasted coffee.
I cannot drink dark roasts they upset my stomach and make me tired and truthfully as a registered coffee snob I don't drink burnt coffee and that's essentially what a "dark" roast is
with rare exception when a legit ace roaster roasts dark. If its commercially for sale on a shelf somewhere and its labeled "dark" its simply
mislabeled... its burnt.

anyway just try both I think you have a fairly high percentage chance of finding your answer there.
certainly adding milk and sugar can help as well.

your idea to use a chemex filter is a good one as it, may also filter out some of the irritant compounds that you referred to. its likely unnecessary if you improve the quality of the coffee.

I agree about stuff like starbucks dark roast. I really ment medium roasts when i say darker roasts, not charred black beans. But if you have gastric problems id avoid light roasts because higher chlorogenic acid content, but your mileage may very.

Do you know of coffee without chlorogenic acid?

Try for medium roasts, or espresso blends. Espresso blends choose beans with lower acidity so you may have better luck. Beans grown in lower altitudes have lower chlorogenic acid content also.

Id def recommend fresh coffee beans grinded versus already powdered since coffee gets rancid very fast because of the oils so if you buy and preground its def rancid already. A cheap but good quality hand grinder is the evergrind you can prob find on amazon.

Heres some reccs for some roasteries if you cant get good beans locally:
Best brands of coffee that can be purchased online? : Coffee

 

[lvysaur]

I actually had high homocysteine levels in my last round of bloodwork.

Have you posted them here?

 

[Ulysses]

Update: I finally had to just quit drinking coffee. From what I’ve read online, people typically go through withdrawals for days or weeks, but it’s only been three days since I quit cold turkey, and I already feel VASTLY better despite currently using no caffeine of any kind.

I think I must be allergic to something in brewed coffee. Considering one of those commercial genome tests if they’ll shed any light on the issue. I know about CYP1A2, but like I said, I don’t think caffeine itself is the issue. Perhaps there are other genes responsible for metabolizing the “xenobiotics,” or perhaps whatever I’m allergic to is also metabolized by CYP1A2. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that I have low CYP1A2 activity, since I have a history of high E2 estadiol and usually feel good after eating large quantities of broccoli.

 

[Luann]

It's the chlorogenic acid.
It inhibits COMT so it slows down adrenaline deactivation.
Inhibition of Human Catechol-O-Methyltransferase (COMT)-Mediated O-Methylation of Catechol Estrogens by Major Polyphenolic Components Present in Coffee1

Good thing I drink light roast :) I'm craving more information on COMT, if you have it! I haven't done any genetic testing, but still would like to know what things help and harm possible COMT mutants :)
I'm definitely getting better at WebMD-ing myself without making too many conclusions or really taking it seriously. It's like... the information on gene mutations is good, just in case. Anyway. Input is welcome....

 

[Makrosky]

Update: I finally had to just quit drinking coffee. From what I’ve read online, people typically go through withdrawals for days or weeks, but it’s only been three days since I quit cold turkey, and I already feel VASTLY better despite currently using no caffeine of any kind.

I think I must be allergic to something in brewed coffee. Considering one of those commercial genome tests if they’ll shed any light on the issue. I know about CYP1A2, but like I said, I don’t think caffeine itself is the issue. Perhaps there are other genes responsible for metabolizing the “xenobiotics,” or perhaps whatever I’m allergic to is also metabolized by CYP1A2. It wouldn’t surprise me to learn that I have low CYP1A2 activity, since I have a history of high E2 estadiol and usually feel good after eating large quantities of broccoli.

Don't worry, coffee/caffeine is just a cheap stimulant.

If you can replace that with more systemic substances like b vitamins, pregnenolone, thyroid, etc then it will be better for you.

You will loose the pro-bile, pro mood and anticancer properties, etc... but... that's life. You can achieve that with many other substances.

 

[Waynish]

Yes, a lot of people are... Definitely never drink instant coffee or anything that seems low quality. Coffee is a luxury. If you're going to have coffee, then have quality coffee. I recommend espresso.

 

[vCity]

Bumping this because I think this thread missed one of the more simple explanations. Thiaminases. If you can tolerate caffeine alone but have issues with coffee, be sure to try supplemental vitamin b1.

 

[Jib]

I have similar issues with coffee and tea. Energy drinks don't seem to cause the same issues.

Gut irritation however from certain caffeine softgel supplements. This one is very "clean" with MCT and L-theanine. I'll have to test it again to make sure it wasn't causing diarrhea, but...I'm almost sure that it was. However, that's digestive upset. I did not get the jitters and uncomfortable shakiness that I get from coffee, just digestive upset.

Adding a little baking soda seems to help coffee agree with my stomach much better. However, the jittery/shaky thing persists. There's a generic brand of Red Bull at a local store here and it seems much "cleaner" to me than coffee.

Sister made me a chai latte last night and I was feeling awful after it. Black tea. So I do think there is something in coffee and/or tea aside from the caffeine that causes these issues. I also get the same reaction to decaf like you do.

 

[MrGilbert]

I have similar issues with coffee and tea. Energy drinks don't seem to cause the same issues.

Probably the mold. I think I'll have to switch to red bull.

 

[lvysaur]

Does anyone else feel "eye pressure" after drinking coffee? It's one of those coffee-specific symptoms that I never get from tea.

Interestingly keratoconus is associated with high homocysteine, and homocysteine is increased by coffee (but NOT by caffeine). I think they're working on the same mechanism

 

[docall18]

Coffee also causes me digestive issues very easily. Ie. bloated stomach, diarrhoea etc.

I do

I wonder if the gut irritation is caused by bile release?

 

[lvysaur]

I wonder if the gut irritation is caused by bile release

I can almost guarantee that it isn't. I've had other instances where my poop has a darker or even greener color (more bile), with no diarrhea. Coffee (not caffeine) causes diarrhea via other mechanisms

 

[Astolfo]

unfiltered coffee causes LDL to rise. It's that easy for me. When i drink Turkish coffee instead of instant, i get parkinsonian symptoms and fatigue.