[hamster-bamster]

I have to have caffeine at work. Otherwise, I cannot work. I fall asleep in meetings. This is very embarrassing. This work represents a second lease on working life for me, as I have already lost a similar but better work to this disease - I went on (and did not come back in time from) a disability lease. This work is also what separates me from poverty and homelessness. So I must perform. I cannot afford not performing. The company - a typical tech company - "runs on coffee". I have not just observed it, I have been told so by a colleague in that many words.

I have tried black tea which I love to drink. It does not help. Actually, before starting this job, when I was still depressed, I could drink a big mug of black tea and go straight to sleep. So apparently there is not enough caffeine there in tea, for me.

I drink coffee at work and today I drank Pepsi. That is what prompted my question to you. Among coffee, Pepsi, and caffeine pills (which I have not tried yet), what is the least unhealthy choice? I will ask my p-doc on Wed, too.

As I see it, coffee, for me, has the disadvantage of not being tasty (having just drunk a double Espresso as a bitter medicine, I can attest to it). But, of course, this is tolerable. Other people love it - maybe I will grow to, as well. It has the advantage of being a natural plant product with antioxidants that may confer benefits (I have read about them and the benefits are impressive, but all are in the form of correlation and not necessarily causation).

Pepsi has the advantage of being tasty for me (it was a rare treat of my childhood). It has the disadvantage of packing sugar. I am afraid of artificial sweeteners so I would not drink Diet Pepsi. How bad is sugar? Sugar is food for the brain, after all. I am not talking waistlines here, but strictly asking what is better from the standpoint of mood stability.

Other than caffeine, what helps against falling asleep at work? My GP recommended sunlight and standing up. I tried sunlight and it does not help. I asked for a standing desk and we will see if it works. Exercise helps, but I cannot exercise all the time.

[Trippin2.0]

I know some people who take a vitamin energy supplement, Barocca in the AM. Apparantly it's healthy, and works, but I can't testify to that. A few times in the past, when I was falling down tired and really couldn't afford to be, a satchet of turbovite worked instantly. Think it's rich in ginseng or something, and bcoz it was just 1 dose,(5/10ml) I figure it didn't harm me, and would definitly take it again! I've never gone the energy drink route, not bcoz of bp, but coz it doesn't taste good, and my brother mentioned how it activates your adrenal glands in an unhealthy way and becomes addictive. I don't like filter coffee at all, and instant does nothing to me, I even have a cup just before bedtime...

[BlackPup]

I love coffee and coke zero. I used to live on coffe when I was doing my phd...

I gave up caffiene some years back (maybe 7 or so?) because I realized by was really very dependent on it. The withdrawal from it was several weeks of absolute hell actually, but once I had adjusted to being without it, I found it much easier to function in the long run; I almost never have headaches anymore when I used to have them constantly.

[cocoabeans]

Nos energy drinks (the best!) or coffee or pepsi, I don't worry about the sugar, need the calories!!!!

[ickle.Arnav]

I have tea. It's also been proven to be more effective at keeping you awake than coffee.

[Secretum]

I agree with Cocoa; Nos is good. I also like Venom, especially in the "black mamba" flavor. It tastes delicious for an energy drink.

I like both coffee and tea. Coffee contains more caffeine, and is better at waking me up.

[Tsunamisurfer]

Cappuccino without sugar. The steamed lactose is sweet enough and it's not bitter.
I try to avoid sugar.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by ickle.Arnav

I have tea. It's also been proven to be more effective at keeping you awake than coffee.

How so? Does not work for me, why?

[Resident Bipolar]

First thing in the morning I go downstairs and have an extremely strong cup of coffee. It's probably unhealthy (I use about 5 full teaspoons of coffee and 2 full teaspoons of sugar in a 400ml cup)...but with my dosage of Quitiapine, if it isn't strong, it doesn't make the tiniest difference.

When I'm out and about, and especially at work...I tend to drink cans of Monster and/or Rockstar. Rockstar is a favourite of mine because it comes in a huge variety of flavours, and energy drink isn't the nicest of tastes at times - with Rockstar Blueberry, it doesn't taste like energy drink at all.

One thing I do enjoy the taste of but will not drink is Mountain Dew. Why? Because it has about 60-70mg of Caffeine per bottle...whereas Rockstar has around 160mg of Caffeine per 500ml can/bottle. Monster is the same as Rockstar (aside from their Lo-Carb version).

Occasionally I will take a couple of Pro Plus - if I'm not thirsty, I get the caffeine I need to function. However, I avoid them for one reason: they can be very addictive.

List of Caffeine 'Sources'

• Instant Coffee - approx. 100mg for a STRONG cup
• Tea - Usually between 50mg and 70mg per cup
• Pro Plus - 50mg per tablet
• Monster (All Flavours exluding Low Carb.) - 160mg per can
• Rockstar - 160mg Per Can

I disagree with Tea being better at waking you up than coffee. It's the caffeine and sugar which work together to cause the effect you feel. Typically a cup of Coffee will have a considerably higher amount of Caffeine in than Tea...but it's dependant on the amount.

Sorry for the long post. Energy junkie here :P.

RB ♥

[unaluna]

Morning Thunder tea might work. What's wrong with coffee? Have you tried stevia? Don't make a habit of Pepsi.

[RobertDark]

I gave up caffeine about 6 months ago. When my mom was in the hospital I stopped drinking it mostly because I went from work to the hospital so I never really had access to soda without cash, which I never carry. After those few weeks I drank a Pepsi at noon and it had me wired for hours. I figured, at that point, life was fine without it and it jacked with my sleep too much after not having any for a few weeks.

But... when I did like caffeine I was all about Full Throttle. It's liquid gummy bears, I have no other way to describe it. My second favorite after that was Amp Cherry and in third was just about any variety of Mtn Dew.

[bumpy_road]

Just remember, drinking too much coffee...especially diet pepsi can flush out medication from your system really fast. And caffeine pills are too dangerous...be careful.

[cocoabeans]

Originally Posted by bumpy_road

Just remember, drinking too much coffee...especially diet pepsi can flush out medication from your system really fast. And caffeine pills are too dangerous...be careful.

Hehe, good thing I'm not on meds

Mountain Dew here has no caffiene, silly Canada. But, hey I don't drink Red Bull because it has so little caffiene. What bugs me though, is the way people, the press, go on about the caffiene in energy drinks. No dudes, a Starbucks grande coffee has MORE!!!!

But there is something about Nos, the inositol I believe and bipolar. Works different than other energy drinks with similar contents and a fraction of the inositol. I call it canned "hypomania"

[moremi]

I drink two cups of coffee in the morning. I drink sometimes one soda through the day ususally a mountain dew. So caffeine takes away from our medicine?

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by hankster

Morning Thunder tea might work. What's wrong with coffee? Have you tried stevia? Don't make a habit of Pepsi.

Yes, I use Stevia with tea. I completely got used to its taste. Coffee, luckily, does not require a sweetener for me at all. I will try Morning Thunder tea. I will also try coffee with stevia - maybe the taste will be better for me.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by moremi

I drink two cups of coffee in the morning. I drink sometimes one soda through the day ususally a mountain dew. So caffeine takes away from our medicine?

I do not know. I hope not. I hear around that caffeine worsens bipolar but I never heard anything definitive. So the answer on my end is: I do not know. I have read some place: do not take stimulants after noon, but again it was not backed by any research, it was just a statement.

[RobertDark]

I've heard that caffeine can interact poorly with meds. I did a little search and here is what I found. Remember, it's the internet and a quick search, so take it for what you will.

This article has a few other articles linked from medial related sites. It says there is no know interaction (positive or negative, I assume) between caffeine and anti depressants. It says that caffeine does raise blood pressure which things like Effexor does as well. So if you have blood pressure issues, a lot of caffeine and Effexor might not be a good mix.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/51...ants-caffeine/

Mood stabilizers sound like a different story. From this very site I found a blog post with some medial study behind it.

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/bipola...-red-bull-too/

In an article in the Psychiatric Times entitled “Coffee, Cigarettes and Meds: What Are the Metabolic Effects?” authors Narsimha R. Pinninti, M.D., Rajnish Mago, M.D., and Jose de Leon, M.D. point out another important consideration regarding stimulants and other substances – their effect on the metabolism of psychiatric medications or how quickly and efficiently the human body can break down and deliver medications to the brain and how quickly the medications leave the body.

The article points out several studies that show cigarette smoking and coffee drinking are both significantly more prevalent among people with serious mental illnesses than among the general population. It then goes on to explain that the human body uses certain enzymes to metabolize nicotine and certain other enzymes to metabolize caffeine. Some of these enzymes are the same ones required to metabolize some medications, including Zyprexa and imipramine to mention only two.

Smoking cigarettes or drinking coffee can increase or decrease the speed at which certain psychiatric medications are metabolized, thus increasing or decreasing the levels of these medications in the bloodstream. The moral of the story is to let your doctor know if you smoke or you drink caffeinated beverages and, if you do, how much, so your doctor can more accurately estimate dosing requirements. In addition, if you decide to quit or cut down on your caffeine or nicotine intake, consult your doctor.

To me, the bolded part should apply to anti-depressants as well, no? I stay away from caffeine for my own personal reasons (can't sleep) but this kind of reinforces that it can have some effect on meds.

Originally Posted by RobertDark

I've heard that caffeine can interact poorly with meds. I did a little search and here is what I found. Remember, it's the internet and a quick search, so take it for what you will.

This article has a few other articles linked from medial related sites. It says there is no know interaction (positive or negative, I assume) between caffeine and anti depressants. It says that caffeine does raise blood pressure which things like Effexor does as well. So if you have blood pressure issues, a lot of caffeine and Effexor might not be a good mix.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/51...ants-caffeine/

Mood stabilizers sound like a different story. From this very site I found a blog post with some medial study behind it.

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/bipola...-red-bull-too/


To me, the bolded part should apply to anti-depressants as well, no? I stay away from caffeine for my own personal reasons (can't sleep) but this kind of reinforces that it can have some effect on meds.

____________________________________________

Two of my psychiatrists have warned me that caffeine makes bipolar illness worse. The latest doctor remarked that it was not good for people who are sensitive to it.

For more information, I like the website DoctorYourself.com an article called "caffeine allergy" by Ruth Whalen a retired laboratory technician who wrote the article. It is informative, and she says that her works are all over the internet.

Genetic

[hamster-bamster]

So what does Ruth offer in place of caffeine to keep us from falling asleep?

[BlueInanna]

So frustrating to work with BP Sometimes I can't wake up in the morning, even after 12 hours sleep. Also, sometimes I can fall asleep after drinking a cup of coffee. Maybe has to do with depressive/manic states, I will discuss with pdoc and try to track moods better. I would like to cut caffeine out of my diet - just to be totally healthy someday. But right now I do drink coffee, and I like the tejava ice tea it's unsweetened and tasty.

So I also have a dx of adhd/inattentive subtype - I don't know if I agree with it. It could just be symptoms of bipolar. But I have an rx for adderall and I don't take it regularly. It does help on work days, doesn't make everything perfect at all, but does seem to keep me awake and better able to focus.

[EverythingNothing]

If I'm looking to get some caffeine it's either strong coffee or Monster energy drinks. I prefer Monster but coffee is much cheaper. It doesn't really matter though considering if I start drinking caffeine I usually consume too much. It's a bad habit of mine.

[BuggsBunny]

I've never been able to go without caffeine and still function in the morning, nor can I drink enough pepsi to keep me awake. I go for WalMart's "Stay Awake" tablets. Equivalent to a cup of black coffee. Pretty much pure caffeine, no calories, sugar, or any of that junk. The only side effect is that I sometimes wake up on Saturday (my sleep late day) with a monster caffeine withdrawal headache, and need some Pepsi to ease it.

It doesn't make me manic, hypo, or anything else. The doctor has titrated my med levels with me on caffeine, so all my levels are appropriate for my needs.
I don't take them every day, just when I find myself dozing off while trying to teach.

I highly recommend it for when you are in the office and can't get your hands on any of the other stuff. (The doctor has approved my taking it.)

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by BuggsBunny

I've never been able to go without caffeine and still function in the morning, nor can I drink enough pepsi to keep me awake. I go for WalMart's "Stay Awake" tablets. Equivalent to a cup of black coffee. Pretty much pure caffeine, no calories, sugar, or any of that junk. The only side effect is that I sometimes wake up on Saturday (my sleep late day) with a monster caffeine withdrawal headache, and need some Pepsi to ease it.

It doesn't make me manic, hypo, or anything else. The doctor has titrated my med levels with me on caffeine, so all my levels are appropriate for my needs.
I don't take them every day, just when I find myself dozing off while trying to teach.

I highly recommend it for when you are in the office and can't get your hands on any of the other stuff. (The doctor has approved my taking it.)

Excellent suggestion, I will bring it up on Wed. I have to have a solution for dozing off! Incidentally, the person who introduced me to caffeine tabs was a ... p-doc. I did not stay with him because he was going to treat me with AD and I knew enough to keep looking, but AS HE WAS CHEWING on sth DURING THE CONSULTATION AND I ASKED!!! he told me what it is. If my memory does not fail me, he suggested some extended, more continuous release benefits as compared to a cup of coffee.

I go for strong black coffee. Caffeine pills make me feel shite. YMMV.