[251turnaround]

I'm of course referring to caffeine and its tendency to induce mania in some people.

Since I've been kicked off amphetamine-based medication I've been trying to make do with caffeine pills. I took about 300mg yesterday morning and wasn't able to sleep. It's just after 8:40 AM and I'm still wide awake. Not even the trazodone was enough to put me out last night. Other than my alertness after 24+ hours of being awake, I'm experiencing absolutely zero manic symptoms.

What I mean to ask is if this stuff is really as dangerous for bipolar as they say? These pills are so cheap, accesible, and effective. I've read stories of some people taking a large dose of these pills and becoming manic over the course of a few days. I'd say I was worried that would happen to me, but I need this energy too much. Not the manic energy, but the caffeine energy.

[leomama]

My p doc told me to watch it for ptsd, however now I realize he’s also thought I had bp all along. The Whole30 recommends no more then 2 cups a day before 12pm.

[Moreta]

I find that caffeine doesn't effect me much. Probably been relying on it too long. I've been drinking a coffee that's over caffeinated and feeling pretty good. Trying to get off provigil at the moment and down to half a 200 mg pill a day. I still sleep like a baby. I have other caffeine during the day, so probably somewhere between 6-8 cups of caffeine a day. weeeee. Still pass out at 8 and am out for 7-10 hrs. I find what gets me in trouble the most is when I don't sleep for 2+ days but I've got a handle on that. I've been abusing stimulants less so it doesn't happen anymore. Talk about feeling like crap for a month. Energy has seemed to even out now though.

Caffeine does not cause mania for me. These days I just become agitated when I have too much.

[Wild Coyote]

There is such a thing as caffeine intoxication. I have seen it at the hospital where I used to work. I do not know the amount of caffeine it takes to cause "intoxication."

I live with BPII and my pdoc had suggested caffeine before we'd moved to prescribed stimulants. I get jitters from caffeine.

How dangerous is it? The answer might vary with each individual.


WC

[Leia78]

I'm ok with caffeine.
I just over did it once with caffeine pills when I was in tech school in the Air Force and I ended up throwing up all over the place. I think it was caffeine intoxication. I had been using them exclusively for months and not sleeping - not eating. They were substitute for everything.

Now, I'm ok with coffee and such. It's not a problem.

I'm fairly sensitive to caffeine when it comes to inducing mania, so no coffee for me. Like Wild Coyote said, it's going to be different for each person.

[still_crazy]

hi. i don't take caffeine pills, but I -love- coffee. Home brewed, home made cold brew (you should try it..), stuff from coffee shops, even the bottled Frappuccinno and double shot stuff. So...

I probably get about 6+/- full cups of coffee per day, and I do better with the coffee than without it, honestly. The other day, I had the place to myself and I just kept drinking cup after (delicious...) cup, and I ended up vomiting. Ugh. That'll teach me, lol.

To be fair, though, my "Bipolar I" leans more towards lethargy and fatigue. W/o psych drugs, I get all sortsa agitation and mixed action, but with an "atypical" (Abilify) and a mood drug (lamictal), most of that's taken care of, leaving the tired, downward stuff, plus...even though I"m thankful for Abilify, and its -far- less sedating than many other options, I do think I drink a good bit of coffee in part to "perk up" from the psych drugs.

Coffee has all kinds of potentially good for you stuff in it, so my personal, not at all expert advice would be to get your caffeine from coffee and other whole foods, not pills or energy drinks.

hope this helps.

[Guiness187055]

I drink 5-6 cups of coffee a day with no issues.

[SheilaKathy]

I'm on Welbutrin and was told the other day by my pdoc that ONE cup of coffee can be multiplied ONE HUNDRED times in its affect on me and that was what was causing me to have trouble sleeping at night. So, I am weaning off coffee, onto decaf. But I can tell you right now that if this does not solve the problem, I am going right back to my regular coffees, because I love them!!!