Suddenly can't handle caffeine?

[ktgrok]

What on earth? I used to drink 2 cups a day. One in the morning, one around 2pm.  When tired or working on a book deadline late I'd have 3 cups. Rarely more than that. No problems, other than maybe trouble sleeping if I had one past 4 or 5pm. 

 

Now, half a cup and my heart is racing!!! What the heck is that about? My resting heart rate has gone from 74 to 79 according to fitbit, and after half a cup of coffee was at 87. While sitting down! And then I got up and loaded the dishwasher and it was 118!!!! And I feel like it is racing. 

 

I've noticed I'm also staying awake without it in the afternoons. Fine, I can switch to decaf, but why all of a sudden? The only thing I can think of is that i switched to methylated b vitamins, but I stopped those to see if it made a difference and I don't think it did?

 

Although...maybe. Come to think of it, I was feeling better yesterday, but then last night I did take the methylfolate at dinner. I didn't notice any issues then, but could that be a delayed reaction that i'm noting this morning?

 

But it definitely is triggered by coffee, which is dumb. 

Edited April 22, 2016 by ktgrok

[Mergath]

Sounds like it could be the vitamins. If not though, could you be dehydrated? 

[Carol in Cal.]

I think it's pretty common to get more reactive to caffeine with age -- maybe that's it.

[Katy]

Could be the vitamins give you more energy, and the caffeine puts you over the top.

 

Could be aging or dehydration.

 

Could be that you used to eat a lot more and that slowed the absorption of the caffeine so you didn't feel it as fast.

 

Could be that you're in better shape so you no longer need the stimulant to feel normal.

[Faithr]

Same thing happened to me.  Drink lots of water, and go half-caff.  I do half caff in the a.m. and decaf the rest of the day.  And honestly I feel tons better and I don't need caffeine to keep me awake the way I used. 

[Katy]

You're not already pregnant are you?  Caffeine intolerance has been an early pregnancy symptom for me in the past.

[prairiewindmomma]

I have this issue; it hit recently (last 3 months) and we are the same age.  My blood pressure is now reactive to caffeine as well.

[ktgrok]

No not pregnant. 

 

Oh,and I checked, my blood pressure is still fine, I was worried given how I felt. But 118/70. Just high heart rate. 

[wapiti]

I can't remember, did you do the 23andme testing? Some people have more trouble than others procesing thru the liver. Since this is sudden, I might think about what other recent changes you have made. There are a number of supplements that may make phase 1 or 2 liver processing faster or slower.

 

Eta two things:  generally, I would avoid b-12-related supplements late in the day (including methylfolate and/or other b vitamins) in case that may cause some people (including myself) to be awake later, even though that's not what's happening here with an increased heart rate.  Methylation is a very confusing and incredibly complex topic and I would probably suspect that first, the tinkering with the methylfolate.  Perhaps reduce the dose further, a fraction of a tablet, every other day or something, and see?

Edited April 22, 2016 by wapiti

[kiana]

I wouldn't be surprised if your weight loss had something to do with it. You're getting a much higher dose in mg/kg than you used to.

 

I don't know why it would come on suddenly, though.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Actually my heart racing from drinking caffeine (when it never had before) was one of my first symptoms of high blood pressure.

[Guest]

I drank a pot a day, no effects at all.  Then, about age 45, whammo.  Same thing as you.  So I have one cup in the morning and never after 11 and it's OK now.  

 

At first, when I cut back, I got the caffeine withdrawal headache, but I don't get that anymore if I don't have my daily cuppa.  

 

Note:  this is why I got a Nespresso.  Portion control, for one thing, and also, it is just a PITB to make ONE cup of coffee in my old ways.  (Also, it is a convenient way to make after-dinner espressos for guests...)

 

I think it was age-related.  Same thing happened to my mom.  At 85 she had to cut it out altogether.  (She's 93 now.)

 

[ktgrok]

ok, sounds like this has happened to a lot of people, around this age. I don't think it is weight as it was so sudden, and my weight has been pretty stable the last two months. 

 

I did do the 23 and me testing and it said I have a normal reaction to caffeine. As for narcotic drug metabolism, I'm a ultra-rapid metaboliser. So stuff hits me hard and wears off hard, but that's only in the past related to say, pain pills and such. Most other drugs I metabolism normally according to my genes.  

[ktgrok]

Drinking half-caf now and no racing heart :)

[netwelladm]

I have that same problem. Now I drink as many decaf and/or half-café products that I can. Recently I’ve had to switch my favorite ice tea to the decaf brand. No more soda unless it says caffeine free. I now do more juices, water, crystal light type products, etc.

[ktgrok]

I realized I have also been drinking a lot of Diet Snapple. Not a lot of caffeine, but more than none. I'm thinking that PLUS the coffee plus the extra energy from the vitamins is the issue? 

 

But sticking with half-caf and decaf for now. 

[Katy]

I realized I have also been drinking a lot of Diet Snapple. Not a lot of caffeine, but more than none. I'm thinking that PLUS the coffee plus the extra energy from the vitamins is the issue? 

 

But sticking with half-caf and decaf for now. 

 

Oh yeah, black tea has some additional compound in it besides caffeine that's also a stimulant.  Without googling first, I think it's theanine, or something like that.  I can't tolerate nearly as much black tea as I can diet coke.

 

If you want to drink iced tea, Lipton has a bagged green tea variety with blueberries and some other sort of purple fruit I don't recall that's marketed as an antioxidant blend.  It tastes great iced, and doesn't give me the same jitters black tea does.