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Coffee Question

coffee stimulants

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9 replies to this topic

#1 dolan_duck

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Posted 19 April 2012 - 02:05 AM


So I know coffee really isn't the best stimulant. When I drink coffee the first hour or two feel really great, and then the crash comes hardcore. I start shaking, feel anxious/borderline paranoid, and my legs feel like they lose all their energy and I have to lay down. However, those first two hours are some of the only moments I feel normal. My memory retention is better and my speech is more fluid.

I've read that coffee works on the same neural pathways as amphetamines and even cocaine. I tried adderall many times, and the first 4-5 hours are great, and then a hardcore nightmare crash. I don't understand how some people can take that stuff everyday. I would be a completely insane wreck. I believe adderall caused some long-term damage in my dopamine pathways..

My question is, are there are any supplements out there that might help with the coffee comedown? I know my reaction to coffee is more on the extreme end of things. But for people who have problems with Piracetam, they can always take choline to help provide the ammunition P needs to do its job. Is there anything I could take with coffee that would have a similar effect? Is it a problem of too much cortisol or adrenaline being released or something?

Also, does anyone know why my crash would come so hard compared to other people? Is it something metabolic? I fatigue very easily in general. I know some people who can just put away cups of joe with no problems. Very jealous.

#2 tunt01

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Posted 19 April 2012 - 03:07 AM

really strange symptoms. i know i'm a slow caffeine (coffee) metabolizer according to my DNA check @ 23andme.com. if i have coffee, i try to drink a 50/50 blend of decaf/caffeine, if not decaf entirely.

maybe try a blend of 20% caffeine, 80% decaf and keep working the percentages around until you find something that is tolerable for your metabolism.

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#3 noos

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Posted 19 April 2012 - 06:00 AM

Have you tried adding phenylalanine or tyrosine? There are products that combine those aminos with caffeine as precursors to NT.

#4 8bitmore

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Posted 19 April 2012 - 11:21 AM

Have you tried adding phenylalanine or tyrosine? There are products that combine those aminos with caffeine as precursors to NT.


Sorry for asking but what does "NT" stand for? And are you saying that phenylalanine or tyrosine combine with caffeine into NT or into a precursor to NT?

#5 noos

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Posted 19 April 2012 - 02:34 PM

NT: neurotransmitter
yes as precursors to catecholamines
Durk Pearson has a line of products but I did not try them.

Edited by noos, 19 April 2012 - 02:35 PM.


#6 dolan_duck

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Posted 19 April 2012 - 04:07 PM

No, haven't tried either. Maybe I'll give them a shot.

I can't drink coffee without food either, or the crash is immediate. I'm wondering if this is because the coffee is absorbed more slowly through my stomach lining or there are nutrients in the food that the coffee can feed on.

I should also mentioned that drinking tea or coke or anything else with caffeine doesn't have this effect on me. I can drink four cups of tea (more caffeine than one cup of coffee) and still not have a crazy crash like when I'm on coffee. So, I'm reading there are hundreds of chemicals in coffee, maybe some we don't even know yet. So it's something besides the caffeine that gives me that nice burst of energy but then the hardcore crash later.

#7 NeuronicObserver

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Posted 19 April 2012 - 04:30 PM

Coffee will affect you with both placebo and caffeine content. But am quite sure that caffeine is the sole chemical culprit, I've read a lot about caffeine in general. Also consider how much caffeine there is per fluid ounce in coffee vs tea. It will take the body a slightly longer time to process the caffeine, but this could be negligible.

I suggest that if you continue using coffee as a vector for caffeine, drink it twice a day to event crashing and eat before drinking it, that way the crash may be delayed slightly. Better yet, get caffeine pills from a pharmacy.

I've experience the magic of caffeine. During demanding parts of life, I've taken caffeine pills 2 or 3 times a day in order to avoid crashing. This has worked out perfectly in the past. At first it would be 100mg upon waking, then another 100mg 5 hours after waking, no crash. This gradually increased to 300mg. Tolerance builds up quite fast this way, but as long as you increase the dose, the effect remains. Just keep in mind that after you stop taking it, there will be a few days of intense apathy and maybe irritability. I think of it as "overclocking" the brain to get over temporary hurdles. For me, it even led to manic states of euphoria and efficient productivity.

And don't forget to eat, as a deficit in carbohydrates ruins the effect of caffeine.

#8 xeon

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Posted 01 September 2013 - 08:23 PM

I'm working on figuring out the answer to this same question, OP. I have the same issues. Anything that stimulates me, including caffeine, ginseng, whatever... causes me a horrible crash very shortly thereafter. I've tried taking 10mg Adderall (not the extended release kind) and it works for maybe an hour and then I crash hard. I can't understand how some people consume all this stuff daily without going up, down, up, down, etc.

The only thing I can come up with is that I simply don't have enough neurotransmitters built up and the stimulants are depleting them even further. I don't touch anything stimulating now, ever.

#9 Godof Smallthings

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Posted 02 September 2013 - 02:18 PM

My experience:

Since about 10 months, I've cut back on coffee majorly, and I've experienced a definite positive shift in mood and energy levels. I started in late October last year by going cold turkey with all forms of caffeine (including chocolate and tea) for a month. Then I gradually re-introduced green and white tea in moderation.

Now, I drink 3-5 cups of green tea every day, and I get a clean, clear-headed effect from it. I have a small shot of coffee a few times a week, only for those times when that type of 'wired' energy is really needed. I virtually never drink coffee after 3 PM (it has a detrimental effect on my sleep).

Coffee raises cortisol levels. If you are sensitive to stress, like me, then the cortisol spike you get from coffee might be the main reason for the negative effects you experience.

You can improve your stress response by cutting back on coffee and other stimulants, by avoiding exposing yourself to excessive stress to the extent it is possible, and by the following:

- Cardio exercise. Before you just gloss this over and look for a 'quick fix' pill, think about it seriously: you can exercise for free. You can exercise virtually anywhere and anytime you want, and if you pick the right form of exercise, all you need to do it is your own body. No fancy gym membership, clothes, tools or anything - unless you really want to exercise in a way that requires expensive tools, there is no reason to do so. Walking, running, jumping, stretching, yoga, body weight strength training (calisthenics) don't require much at all.

- Meditation. Conclusively proven to reduce stress, and has lots of other benefits as well, such as a reduction of overall suffering even in the presence of challenging situations.

- Tea. My personal favorite is green tea, which apart from caffeine and the counter-balancing l-theanine also contains antioxidants and has been proven to increase alpha brain wave activity.

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#10 boythatssomebreath

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Posted 02 September 2013 - 09:15 PM

Do you put sugar / creamer in your coffee? If so, you may be "crashing" more from the sugar high than the caffeine high. I cut both of these out of my coffee years ago (I now just use a 1/4 tsp. of Stevia to sweeten). I also used to drink a BIG cup of full strength coffee. Now, I drink a small cup of about half to 3/4 strength coffee. No crash anymore.





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