Why Doesn't Coffee Affect Me Normally?

[Ellie18]

This is sort of a random post, but something I've been wondering for a while and didn't know if anyone has felt the same way. So I was never a coffee drinker before learning about Ray Peat (2-3 months ago) because I was sensitive to caffeine. Every time I would drink coffee, or even half a monster/redbull I would get an extremely fast heart beat and anxiety, but no steady energy. Now since I've been drinking coffee for a few months (started with a half a cup in the morning now I drink a cup every morning) I no longer get the jittery heart beat, but I don't get energy from it either. i drank a full red bull the day before yesterday, and a rockstar yesterday (something I've never done before) and I didn't feel any different after either. Since coffee is healthy and tastes good I still drink it, but I've never gotten energy from caffeine, its just like drinking juice or water or something.

I've noticed that I react differently to other things too though, like MJ for instance, while it makes all my friends feel relaxed, hungry, and tired even, I would always get very high anxiety, not be hungry, and would get a lump in my throat sort of feeling. And with a prescription drug called tramadol (opiod) while its supposed to be a downer, every time I take it, it makes me feel awake, alert and peaceful. Not high, just how I think I should feel normally.. Certainly does more than antidepressants ever did but I rarely take it now, only when my back pain is horrible.
Sorry to deviate from coffee at the end, admins let me know if I should post this somewhere else please.

Can anyone think of why someone would react so differently to things than most people?

 

[milk_lover]

Do you drink coffee after a meal? Usually that's the best time to drink coffee.

 

[Ellie18]

Do you drink coffee after a meal? Usually that's the best time to drink coffee.

Yes, when I first started drinking coffee I got the jitters so I would eat before drinking it and I still do most of the time, but days when I drink it on an empty stomach I don't feel any different

 

[milk_lover]

Yes, when I first started drinking coffee I got the jitters so I would eat before drinking it and I still do most of the time, but days when I drink it on an empty stomach I don't feel any different

What do you want to feel? A surge of energy from coffee? What I gathered from the forum is that when you wake up in the morning (stress is high at that time) and your stomach is empty, it's advised not to drink coffee right away because it may increase stress further as it needs fuel to do its wonders. It's similar to T3 or aspirin or even pregnenolone. You need enough fuel in the tank. Do you think the increase of energy from coffee some of your friends experience could be adrenaline or cortisol issue? I remember in my low carb days I was very energetic, so there is that.

 

[Ellie18]

What do you want to feel? A surge of energy from coffee? What I gathered from the forum is that when you wake up in the morning (stress is high at that time) and your stomach is empty, it's advised not to drink coffee right away because it may increase stress further as it needs fuel to do its wonders. It's similar to T3 or aspirin or even pregnenolone. You need enough fuel in the tank. Do you think the increase of energy from coffee some of your friends experience could be adrenaline or cortisol issue? I remember in my low carb days I was very energetic, so there is that.

I was just wanting to feel more energy, and be more awake and alert feeling because I always feel sort of sluggish/low energy. I was hoping to feel steady energy like I got from tramadol, which i have since (mostly) replaced with aspirin for pain.
Is there anything besides coffee that you can recommend for energy?

 

[milk_lover]

I was just wanting to feel more energy, and be more awake and alert feeling because I always feel sort of sluggish/low energy. I was hoping to feel steady energy like I got from tramadol, which i have since (mostly) replaced with aspirin for pain.
Is there anything besides coffee that you can recommend for energy?

Are your temperatures and pulse in good range? Those are signs of good metabolism/thyroid. For energy, maybe coconut oil and magnesium are good. They are generally safe.

 

[Ellie18]

Are your temperatures and pulse in good range? Those are signs of good metabolism/thyroid. For energy, maybe coconut oil and magnesium are good. They are generally safe.

My temp is generally at 95-96 degrees, rarely at 98.6. I'm always cold. My pulse is pretty normal I think, around 70 bpm. I'll try more coconut oil, how do you get magnesium? I heard that the type of magnesium is important so you can't just buy any supplement..

 

[milk_lover]

My temp is generally at 95-96 degrees, rarely at 98.6. I'm always cold. My pulse is pretty normal I think, around 70 bpm. I'll try more coconut oil, how do you get magnesium? I heard that the type of magnesium is important so you can't just buy any supplement..

Personally I use magnesium chloride (magnesium oil) and I rub it on my body. Some people make magnesium carbonate from milk of magnesia and sparkling water (you can find the method on youtube). Peat mentioned that as long as the magnesium is without nasty stuff and it doesn't cause gut issues, it should be ok. Some also take magnesium baths. But you need good ATP production (good metabolism) to make efficient use of the magnesium. Your temperature is low so I think it's safe to say you have low thyroid function. Coconut helps with thyroid function or you can experiment with thyroid supplement (I haven't experimented with it personally). Have you mentioned your diet before?

 

[Ellie18]

Personally I use magnesium chloride (magnesium oil) and I rub it on my body. Some people make magnesium carbonate from milk of magnesia and sparkling water (you can find the method on youtube). Peat mentioned that as long as the magnesium is without nasty stuff and it doesn't cause gut issues, it should be ok. Some also take magnesium baths. But you need good ATP production (good metabolism) to make efficient use of the magnesium. Your temperature is low so I think it's safe to say you have low thyroid function. Coconut helps with thyroid function or you can experiment with thyroid supplement (I haven't experimented with it personally). Have you mentioned your diet before?

I have magnesium oil, but it burns so I rarely use it. I'll definitely look up the videos! And I think I do, I occasionally get pain where my thyroid is so maybe thats a sign too? I haven't tried thyroid supplements, I'm a bit scared since results vary so wildly. This is a quote about my diet from a previous thread-
"If more info is needed about my diet, I generally eat 2 eggs in the morning, I get free range eggs from a friend when I can, or I buy organic cage free eggs from the store. dates, mangoes, occasionally bananas, papayas, sometimes watermelon or cantaloupes, potatoes, zucchini/squash, mushrooms, broccoli, occasionally polenta, oatmeal, sometimes rice cereal with honey, white rice, I try not to eat a lot of wheat, but with buying food without PUFA's, my options have become quite limited, so I eat small amounts of wheat a few times a week. Corn tortillas, cheese (pastured when possible), orange juice, pineapple juice, Mexican coke, coffee in the morning with collagen and gelatin, sugar, and grass fed milk. Larabars (at work because they're quick and non messy) and maybe once a week I'll eat organic chicken or grass-fed beef. I've eaten canned oysters a couple times since peating, don't know how good of quality they are though. I also have dehydrated liver powder which I use occasionally, because I haven't been able to find any liver near me yet. I eat cheat meals with some pufa maybe once a week but doing my best to eliminate them. I just moved to New Hampshire from San Diego so my food options have drastically lowered, being that San Diego was very health conscious it was a lot easier to find organic/healthy food. I don't plan on living here forever though. I also but a generous amount of salt on everything."

I'm moving back to San diego soon so I'll have more options again. I've been eating more wheat than usual now, because of the limited options but I'm going to clean up my diet more when I'm back home next month.

 

[Luann]

Some things are just, you are that way, you react differently. The coffee in specific, are you drinking the cold brew made w/o drip, or just coffee-maker kind? Because the cold brew has less caffeine and more magnesium, niacin. might work better.

 

[Ellie18]

Some things are just, you are that way, you react differently. The coffee in specific, are you drinking the cold brew made w/o drip, or just coffee-maker kind? Because the cold brew has less caffeine and more magnesium, niacin. might work better.

I drink an organic coffee made in my keurig. I occasionally do drink cold brew though. I know theres different types and blends of coffee, do those make a difference?

 

[lvysaur]

MJ for instance, while it makes all my friends feel relaxed, hungry, and tired even, I would always get very high anxiety, not be hungry

This is a common difference between people who regularly smoke, and those that do it occasionally.

Keurig coffee is low potency all around compared to freshly ground.

Cold brew doesn't have less caffeine. I got the biggest caffeine jolts from cold (room temperature) brewed coffee that was steeped for 24 hours.

 

[Ellie18]

This is a common difference between people who regularly smoke, and those that do it occasionally.

Keurig coffee is low potency all around compared to freshly ground.

Cold brew doesn't have less caffeine. I got the biggest caffeine jolts from cold (room temperature) brewed coffee that was steeped for 24 hours.

That makes sense, weird though that I also used to smoke (for about a year) it was pretty much just an oral fixation thing, but I never got addicted, and it was expensive so I just stopped one day.
Is it the act of using the keurig that makes the coffee lose its potency? Or the fact that I buy ground coffee off a shelf that has probably been there for who knows how long..
Would you reccomend getting freshly ground coffee instead?

 

[WestCoaster]

I suffer from the same thing, though, I wouldn't call it suffering, but more so just random whether I get energy from coffee or not (or feel like something the cat dragged in). After listening to some of what Matt Stone says and how we can basically dilute our fluids causing some sort of electrolyte imbalance; it's purely speculative but I think maybe this might have something to do with it.

Fluids, regardless of the source, will dilute your system so to speak (water being the biggest culprit as there is nothing really in it). I'm new here myself and still absorbing lots of information, but I have seen many recommendations here of adding additional salt to things like OJ and warm milk. So coffee in of itself can dilute down your electrolytes causing some chain reaction issues, and I believe lack of energy is one of them.

The way Matt Stone described it was basically if your urine is clear your over-diluted. If it's partially clear like a chardonnay, you're on your way to being over diluted. If it's yellow, your in the zone, but if it's dark yellow and/or smells bad, your over-salted? I guess that is the right term? lol. I'm sure you get the picture. So if your urine is is clear, it's time to stop the fluids and pick up some salty carbs. This should also cause a rise in internal temperature. Even as I type this, I'm sitting here with a venti dark roast from Starbucks, and noticed earlier before I even started drinking that the urine was completely clear. Though I feel okay at the moment, I don't feel entirely energetic either. This could explain why coffee at times is a hit or miss for energy.

Again this is purely speculative at the moment for me and something I'm going to tinker around with. Has anybody else had any experience with this?

 

[Ellie18]

I suffer from the same thing, though, I wouldn't call it suffering, but more so just random whether I get energy from coffee or not (or feel like something the cat dragged in). After listening to some of what Matt Stone says and how we can basically dilute our fluids causing some sort of electrolyte imbalance; it's purely speculative but I think maybe this might have something to do with it.

Fluids, regardless of the source, will dilute your system so to speak (water being the biggest culprit as there is nothing really in it). I'm new here myself and still absorbing lots of information, but I have seen many recommendations here of adding additional salt to things like OJ and warm milk. So coffee in of itself can dilute down your electrolytes causing some chain reaction issues, and I believe lack of energy is one of them.

The way Matt Stone described it was basically if your urine is clear your over-diluted. If it's partially clear like a chardonnay, you're on your way to being over diluted. If it's yellow, your in the zone, but if it's dark yellow and/or smells bad, your over-salted? I guess that is the right term? lol. I'm sure you get the picture. So if your urine is is clear, it's time to stop the fluids and pick up some salty carbs. This should also cause a rise in internal temperature. Even as I type this, I'm sitting here with a venti dark roast from Starbucks, and noticed earlier before I even started drinking that the urine was completely clear. Though I feel okay at the moment, I don't feel entirely energetic either. This could explain why coffee at times is a hit or miss for energy.

Again this is purely speculative at the moment for me and something I'm going to tinker around with. Has anybody else had any experience with this?

Thats super interesting, I drink a ton of water, probably close to a gallon a day, among other liquid (juices, coffee, sometimes soda) And my pee is generally always clear. I am thirsty often too, though. I alway thought that it was a good thing to be clear, not over hydration! Thanks for the input!

 

[lvysaur]

Would you reccomend getting freshly ground coffee instead?

I would recommend grinding your own coffee, it's a pretty trivial matter. I use a french press partially to avoid plastic stuff, and partially because it makes stronger coffee.

 

[charlie]

I am thirsty often too, though.

Have you checked your blood sugar?

 

[Luann]

@Ivysaur GTK. Serotonin causes thirst, ya know, OP

 

[Ellie18]

Have you checked your blood sugar?

No, how do you do that?
I think it may be somewhat low, because if I dont eat small meals often I get light headed, irritable, headaches/stomach aches. Its been a little less bad since consuming more sugar though

@Liubo
Is it possible to still have high serotonin from anti depressants/mood stabilizers taken 3/4 years ago?

 

[charlie]

No, how do you do that?

They have meters you can buy at somewhere like Walmart. @whodathunkit made a post about it recently and what meter is good to buy.

There is also h1ba1c meters, which work a bit differently but are supposed to give a longer view of what is going on with your blood sugar.