GABA and Caffeine Link

[Guest]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Och AFM, it`s cool.........I had a brainwave.......rare occurence, but had one anyway lol. We had already eaten, but I figured if I ordered a home delivery from the local Indian Takeaway.........I could get the driver to bring me fags, SO..............food in freezer and cranky mood appeased.

Great to hear you got your gum. Am sticking with Mon as my quit day, as I feel to start tomorrow is a bit like railroading myself into it........I think if I psyche myself up for the quit, I will have a greater chance of success, so Mon it is for me. Please feel free to start tomorrow without me if you wish........either way, I will join you on Mon..........MOST DEFINITELY!!!! :H

Starlight Impress x

P.S.............am scared!!!!!!! LMAO

[Accountable for Me]

GABA and Caffeine Link

I will wait until Monday - that is cool with me! I start a new job tomorrow and just getting into the swing of things, I think quitting tomorrow would be 'interesting.'

Don't be scared. :H

I love Indian food. No one that I know other than my mom likes it.... I LOOOOVE IT!

[Guest]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Excellent!!........with us both starting Mon we will likely be as cranky as each other lol. Good luck with the new job tomorrow and............roll on Mon...........I think???!!! :H

[Accountable for Me]

GABA and Caffeine Link

You betcha! I think it is always a good thing to have a quitting pal. We can crank out together - and I don't mean the other crank!

[xtexan]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Day 6....No caffeine.

Brain is mush. Arms.....legs......made of lead.


Air .....difficult to pull into lungs. Body is shutting down.

Sleep....... sleep.............

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Neil

[Determinator]

GABA and Caffeine Link

oh man....my last drug of choice.. my beloved coffee. oh the humanity! weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.
however I have cut back significantly. I was drinking more than 3 pots of coffee per day then boozing like mad at night from about year 2001 to 2006 and I'm sure that really did my nerves wonders. I really don't want to quit the coffee entirely but if it makes staying AF hard then I'll do what I gotta do.

[Guest]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Well, I`m assuming it`s alright to have decaff tea ?

Not doing so great on the caffeine front thus far. My daily juice is Diet Irn Bru, which I`ve just discovered has caffeine in, so tried decaff Diet Coke........would take a while for my taste buds to accept this........I like my "Bru" :H

However, blood tests returned normal from docs, so I know I must address my fatigue through diet, exercise, supps and vits and appreciate that the caffeine must go........it`ll have to wait a couple more weeks though........I have approx 350 tea bags of the caffeine variety in my kitchen cupboard and...........I ain`t binning them!!! :H

Hey AFM........the clock is ticking, so do as I`m doing and light up the sky with fags meantime........Mon will be here before we know it!!!! LMAO

Starlight Impress x

[Guest]

GABA and Caffeine Link

P.S.

Renegade, I really do wish I could have Chantix(Champix here), but docs here won`t prescribe it to anyone who suffers from anxiety and depression as I do, so it`s the inhalator for me. It does concern me that the inhalator is a form of nicotine replacement, which means that I may well quit smoking, but I will remain addicted to nicotine. Guess I`ll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it........for one thing, being addicted to using my inhalator (which I get free) is a damn site cheaper than being addicted to fags!!!! :H

I want to quit for 3 reasons.......in order of importance:1)my health 2) am decorating and don`t want to work my arse off painting to have all my hard work destroyed by smoke 3)this filthy habit costs me almost ?200 per mth.

Starlight Impress x

[xtexan]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Incredible. I slept almost 12 hours yesterday. Got home from work, and just had to crash. Lots of dreams.

I took a BC powder this AM, and it immediately supercharged me, and feel great right now having herbal tea. Ginseng and chamomile blends are my current sipping brews.

I can definitely feel the load off of my nerves and entire system. The adrenals are struggling to come back from no-mans land. Hopefully the worst is over, but still going to be a while before I normalize.

I look forward to much improved sleep in the coming weeks, and a longer term benefit from getting off the caffeine.

Someone asked me if I was becoming a Mormon or something (no booze, no smokes, no caffeine), and I pick up the edge of my shirt and say, "Hey look! No magic underwear on me!!!" :H

Neil

[Cinders]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Neil,

:H :H

Glad you are slowly starting to feel better, though.

Someone noted that GABA makes you feel kind of strange. I have noted that when I take my GABA in the a.m., about 15 minutes later, I get dizzy and tingly skin. It passes in about 30 minutes.

I thought it was the SamE but have narrowed it down to the GABA. However, I am going to keep taking the GABA because I believe this alcoholic brain really needs the GABA.

Hang in there, Neil. No booze, no cigs, no caffeine. You are going to be healthier than you have EVER been!!

Cindi

[Guest]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Neil, am a little confused as to what BC powders actually do??........is it something like Pro Plus tablets that we get here to give us a fast - acting energy boost?.......I`ve always steered clear of that kind of thing as I have been under the impression that Pro Plus are predominantly caffeine.......am confused. Am looking for something to bring this semi-dead body to life!!! :H

Starlight Impress x

[Cinders]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Star,

BC Powders are nothing more than headache powders - aspirin and caffeine.

Not good for what you are dealing with, sweetie.

Neil needs to get off of them, too. He is using them instead of the coffee/cokes/whatever mode of caffeine he is using. However, is is a very controlled form of caffeine, so pretty smart!!

Star, I truly wonder if SamE might not be a better choice for you than the other anti-Ds? Have you tried them? However, I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL BUT JUST A LAY DRUNK!!
:H

Love,
Cindi

[xtexan]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Thanks Cindi for the clarification on what I am trying to do here. I figure one BC powder a day, is 38 mg of caffeine as opposed to the 100 mg in a cup of coffee. I had 4 or 5 cups a day before the tea and cokes in the afternoon, so I was probably at over 500-750 mg a day total.

Anyway, I am now convinced the excess caffeine was definitely hurting me in a myriad of ways just now becoming apparent. I did weights workout today, and had more muscle energy than before. The lifts were no where near as painful or unpleasant as before. I blame the excessive caffeine for limiting my potential there.

Caffeine they indicate directly increases the level of cortisol in the body, and then cascades in the numerous effects that mimic or even create high stress, or nervous system loading.

Now, I'm looking for ways to accelerate the reduction of cortisol in the bloodstream. A few short Google searches, and DHEA is classified as a cortisol antagonist (meaning it counteracts it). I also found some information indicating that melatonin, which I've been using for a while to even get a little sleep, is useful in cortisol reduction as well.

I note that recent OTC weight reduction products claim that cortisol is to blame in appetite stimulation, and seek to reduce the level in the body. So both caffeine and stress increase cortisol they claim.

So, it all seems tied together to a certain extent. Caffeine and stress increasing stress and appetite via cortisol on the one hand, and DHEA, melatonin, and also 5-HTP on the other reducing stress, appetite, and cortisol. Just my working theory at this point.

I am wondering if high cortisol level in bloodstream really aggravates the desire for alcohol. Still searching and reading the information on all this. Very fascinating.

Neil

[Cinders]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Neil,

Yes. I have read all the same things (being an ex-fattie) but a lack of cortisol is also an issue. You know, balance in all things.

However, DHEA is good for men. Hubby takes it.

My rehab doctor recommends 6 mg of melatonin by the way, says that seems to be the "magic" number she has found.

Do you think 5-HTP is better than L-Tryptophan? I am taking L-Tryptophan and it seems to do wonders for me. I never have taken the 5-HTP but it is a much cheaper supplement.

I do believe reducing caffeine is good. I find if I keep my caffeine intake low, my anxiety levels stay lower and my desire for alcohol stays lower as a result. Which is NOT freaking rocket science, and hey, I WAS a rocket scientist once...

However, the articles on 5-HTP vs L-Tryptophan are a little more nebulous. But, I am afraid the ban on L-Tryptophan led to some of that. Trying to figure out which one has the better chance to impact the brain as a supplement is difficult based on Google...

Cindi

[xtexan]

GABA and Caffeine Link

Feeling much better now. New energy coming in from I don't know where.

I now have a collection of teas in my office credenza. Decaff Earl Grey, decaff Lipton, decaff green tea, and a few others with ginseng, chamomile, and lemon grass. I found some diet root beer, and diet Dr. Pepper with no caffeine, which is great for me. Of course good old water is the original decaff fluid.

Sleep has become incredibly deep and refreshing for the first time in I don't know how long. Last night was major REM sleep, with some really different dreams again. Like some old story lines, that were being updated for the new "caffeine free xtexan"

Cindi asked about l-tryptophan vs. 5-HTP. I have both, and have used both. I really can't speculate on what is better on that count. I do seem to feel a difference in the effect, but it is about as subjective as one gets. All I can say is, if curious, try either/or. I find both very relaxing and sedating. I have read that 5-HTP may lead to serotonin syndrome if abused in large quantities, but that l-tryptophan would not if abused. I tend to be conservative, and take supps on certain days in rotation. About the only thing I take every single day is Vitamins B and C. Others I will cycle on and cycle off of.

Hell, pure water will kill you if abused. Some lady died not long ago from over-hydration.

Anyway, I think getting off this caffeine is going to do me a world of good.

Neil