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Originally Posted by hamster-bamster
According to wikipedia, caffeine is used by 90% of US population, the vast majority of which is not bp. I imagine that 100% of the Brits use it if you count decaf tea because it still has some. China uses green tea which has some caffeine. Tea and coffee are major crops. If there were some widespread sensitivity to caffeine (it cannot be an allergy in the proper sense of the word because food allergies are reactions to offending proteins, think peanuts, nuts, shellfish, milk, wheat, soy, to a lesser extent beef, and caffeine is not a protein at all) that mimicked as bipolar, we'd see bp dxs in large numbers, and we do not - bp is a minority dx. But I do want to learn of an equally powerful, consistently working, socially acceptable, convenient tool to counteract the sedation and grogginess that are side effects of psych meds. I have actually asked already but received no answer.
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That's wonderful. I hope they enjoy it. However, it isn't for everyone.
And, no, caffeine is not a protein, but it's highly acidic and some people can be and are sensitive to it and can have an intolerance for caffeine. For those who have an inherited allergy gene, anything can trigger reactions, and often the allergens change rapidly from one year to another.
It would be interesting to know what percentage of the population has an inherited allergy gene and what percentage of the population understands the detrimental effects of caffeine on those sensitive to it or having an intolerance to it.
The truth is that most people enjoy their drinks and tolerate their allergens without ever bothering to look deeply into what they are doing. My interest is not in attempting to enlighten anyone who has no interest in learning. There have been some very grateful people along the way who have given me encouragement about trying to help the one who really wants to learn what's bothering him or her in regard to the unhappiness--if anything.
I don't think you will find a "socially acceptable, convenient tool to counteract the sedation and grogginess that are side effects of psych meds". You might wish to include,also, the excessive acidity, insomnia, slowing of metabolism in depression, in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (which is believed to possibly be, in part, a result of bipolar illness, occurring far more frequently in women than in men), and many other side effects of psychotropic medications, such as closure of the tiny arteries in the kidneys as a result of prolonged use of lithium,-(and there's nothing doctors can do about that--from my nephrologist)or the toxicity of lithium (according to my endocrinologist, it's one of the most toxic medications on the market) or the loss of hair experienced in Depakote, acne in use of Lamictal for some, acne with lithium for some, etc. etc.
Some would like to reduce the side effects by helping themselves.
If there were such a product, as you request, psychiatrists would be prescribing it with each prescription, probably.
Actually, only about 7% of bipolar patients ever seek help for their illness if I read the data correctly several days ago. That leaves a very large percentage of bipolar patients who self-medicate in all likelihood to help with the problems of strong depression and highs. One can only imagine the effects that alcohol and caffeine have on a significant percentage of that group.
I also read the other day that about 27 million people in this country are the children of alcoholics and that worldwide there are about 130 million alcoholics. It is known that alcoholics will drink coffee when they are not drinking alcohol--that is, those who are not undergoing treatment or following the 12-step program which is one of the most effective programs available for recovery. And maybe they still do drink coffee--I don't know about that.
Alcohol use is "socially acceptable", so are some other drugs now that are on the market illegally, but that doesn't mean that 100% of people are engaging in them or have any desire to be part of the so-called "socially acceptable" followers. (I am not antisocial-I have just seen too much pretense in social situations to believe that social circumstances may differ sharply in a positive way from the lives of many good and well-meaning people who are not part of a social group.
It just isn't an "all or nothing" kind of reasoning that resolves a solution to use of caffeine in some and not in others. What works for one may or may not work for another.
It is known, for example, that sea salt (not American refined sea salt) but other types such as Himalayan and French or Hawaiian sea salt helps to remove acids from around brain cells. It may work for some, not for others. Caffeine is highly acidic; all medications are digested as acidic and leave an acidic residue.
As for the industries involved in coffee manufacturing, the same thing was true in regard to the tobacco industry and the states and companies involved in producing a marketable product. It was the 1963 Attorney General's Report on the effects of long-term use of tobacco that led many users of tobacco to give up the use of nicotine.
Since bipolar illness is an inflammation of a portion of the brain, it seems to me that one would be logically looking for the things that have the possibility of reducing symptoms. There is no recipe for all--not at this time, anyway. (It is also a chemical imbalance--both, per my psychiatrist.)
That's all I think is necessary for me to suggest in an effort to help those who may have a sensitivity or intolerance to caffeine.
I think you intimated earlier in a thread that you were virtually required to drink coffee to keep your job. If that's truly the case, you have a lawsuit against the group directing that as an order. Caffeine is one of the most psycho-active drugs available; it would be the equivalent of demanding that one drink alcohol to work.
I hope you really find and are happy with what works for you.
Genetic