Ever overdose on caffeine?

Last night, around 7:00, in the middle of my daughter's 18th birthday party I started having a panic attack. Now, I'm not prone to panicking so it was pretty scary. I excused myself and laid down for a few minutes. My heart was pounding, palms were sweating, guts were tied in knots - felt like I was gonna jump out of my skin. I couldn't figure out what the hell was wrong. Then I started thinking back on what I ate and drank throughout the day and it hit me...

I started the day with an entire pot of coffee before I went to work. Another grande size Starbucks on the way to work. When I finished that I refilled the cup with office coffee (blech!) before lunch, had a coke later in the day, Ice tea with dinner, then another couple of cups of coffee in the evening! [img]eek.gif[/img] It's a wonder I didn't start hallucinating!

I guess I just wasn't paying attention. I don't drink alcohol so caffeine has become my drug of choice in recent years. Wonder if I have a problem. Is there such a thing as caffeine rehab? [img]wink.gif[/img]

That's pretty scary. There wasn't a clown at the party was there? They can lead to panic attacks.

Ha! No clowns. Except for my spazzy older brother. He's pretty scary. [img]wink.gif[/img] He actually made it though the night without breaking somethng. It was a first.

<font color="#cd6600" size="1">[ July 10, 2004 10:04 AM: Message edited by: madadman ]</font>

I remember once actually feeling it kick in once.....
other then that, no

Quote:

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Originally posted by chaserfan:
as a medic I deal with people with this problem of panic attacks and I can tell you. caffeine is one of the major contributors to panic attacks. it could be a few cups of coffee that causes it. you dont have to "overdose" on it, but the more you drink the more it will occur. I hate to say it but you really need to taper off and try very hard to avoid caffeine as this probably will continue and maybe even get worse each time. a doctor can prescribe Xanax for the attacks, but if it only happens after caffeine, just try quitting.

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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks Chaser. You're probably right. I'm tapering off starting today! I've just never had anything like that happen before - unless I was under some rediculous stress - which I'm not right now. I had a cup and half of coffee this morning. That's it for the rest of the day! [img]eek.gif[/img] Now where did I put those damn cigarettes... [img]eek.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img]

<font color="#cd6600" size="1">[ July 10, 2004 03:17 PM: Message edited by: madadman ]</font>

Once on a really, really long road trip (I had drove for 13hrs straight and only stopped for a an hour to stretch my legs)then hit the road again. I had been drinking soda all day long and into the night when I started getting pretty tired. So I decided to pull into a gas station and get another soda, a candy bar, and some Vivarin. At this point I had been driving for about 18hrs, and after consuming that lethal mixture let me just say that I felt like Beavis on a Cappuccino, crack, caffeine, sugar, speed, coke, all ilegal substances, and any thing that could be bad for you convulsing, jitters, shaking, fucked up high! Needless to say I drove for about another hour feeling that way (in the dark mind you) before I had to pull over at a rest stop and sleep.

During my first semester of college, I had an algebra exam to study for, then had it later that evening. Didn't get much sleep the night before (I suck at math-- bad), so I kept draggin' ass.

I wanted to make sure I was alert for the test, so just before class, I downed a 20 oz. Jolt Cola.

Spent the rest of the exam with shaky hands, writing in all the test answers and showing my work...

Never again.

Ended up getting a B in the class, though, which is the highest overall grade I'd ever gotten in math, post-elementary school.

I have panic attacks if I can't drink my coffee.
Especially with the one of the new heart meds I'm on, the stuff makes me want to sleep all day long.
I was so glad when I asked the cardiologist about coffee and he said "Drink all you want" No shit, I've been on pain meds for 10 years ever since the loss of my leg, and none of them ever touched the drowsiness side effect I get from this new med! [img]rolleyes.gif[/img]

Wow. Pain meds for ten years. I would SO abuse that! [img]wink.gif[/img]
Yeah, it's funny how there doesn't seem to be any physiological evidence that coffee and caffeine cause any long-term damage - and doctors are so quick to tell you it's ok to over indulge. I don't think they really know what stuff like caffeine does to you psychologically. It's easy to forget that that stuff is a powerful stimulant - and I got to see first-hand what 'way too much' feels like. [img]eek.gif[/img]

Madadman,
I'll tell you what, I am a very good boy with my meds. I have chronic neuropathic pain that can be truly brutal (My injury was traumatic, not surgical and did a ton of nerve damage) Hence the pain is far more distracting than any drug could be.
I had to sign a contract with the pain clinic and
such stating that I would not abuse. I need these to function, so I don't want to lose my
privileges. When you have pain like this they really don't get you stoned anyway..no euphoria etc.. They go to work on the pain, hence my ability to talk and converse without slurring and nodding off etc. I've never had to be lectured, or fired by my doctor. I only have had two pain clinics in 10 years, and that was because I moved from AZ to CA. So.. no..not even tempted. [img]eek.gif[/img] [img]wink.gif[/img]