I recently asked my neurologist about whether it was safe for me to drink coffee. The most innocent of things may have a bad reaction with your medicine. The answer I received was “drink coffee in moderation”. I started drinking coffee a few years ago when I was taking Topamax. This medicine made me so drowsy that I needed the shot of caffeine to keep me awake. Because of this, I bypassed moderation a LONG time ago. Now I drink about 4-6 cups of coffee per day. Although, I have never really counted.
While I am on this journey to improve my health, another goal of mine is to get my coffee consumption down to about 2 cups per day. What were your experiences with coffee and chronic illness? Would you recommend that I stop drinking it altogether?
March 19, 2013 at 9:16 AM
I bought some de-caf coffee, and caffeinated teas with the idea that I could just stop drinking regular coffee immediately. The first day went okay. Around midnight of the first day I got a massive migraine. I couldn’t sleep very well because of said migraine. As soon as the sun came up, I went to buy some regular coffee. Now I am trying a different strategy. I am going to drink about 2-3 cups of regular coffee. If I get the urge for more caffeine later in the day, I will drink green tea or de-caf.
March 10, 2013 at 12:10 AM
Hi! I would definitely recommend that you cut out coffee! I was drinking a fair amount of coffee last year because I was trying to get through school. I nipped it in the bud when I felt myself developing a dependence on it, and I felt that it worsened my seizures. At this point I am onTopamax (plus a few others) and I only drink decaf tea, because I find that coffee makes me very jittery, and I feel more seizure symptoms. I guess it varies from person to person, and each person will have a different tolerance, but that has been my experience.
Good luck!
March 9, 2013 at 2:14 PM
I am a heavy coffee drinker (10 to 12 Large mugs per day) I have never had any problems with sleep? My medications would probably put me in a coma if I stopped drinking coffee now! Doctors tell you to do everything in “moderation” if you enjoy drinking it, drink it.
March 9, 2013 at 4:22 AM
hi! I found coffee makes a big difference to the amount that I twitch, and i have really cut down to the extent that if I drink it I start to see lights and get pain in my back quite quickly. I found that going to de-caf first helped to ‘cushion’ the blow of coffee loss, then trying to interspearse the coffees with cups of green tea, and other teas like peppermint, chamomile or fruit teas. Barley drinks can help.
i rearely have coffee now, it is normally decaf and even decaf can be a bit strong – perhaps its ‘the memory of coffee’! Good luck.
March 9, 2013 at 1:39 AM
Yes! I feel so much better, I am hooked on chi tea now
March 8, 2013 at 9:52 PM
I don’t have a chronic illness, but I do love coffee. More than two cups a day, though, and I won’t get to sleep at night. If I could drink more an still sleep, I would.
Have you considered cold turkey for a week and then after that, allowing yourself the 2 cups a day?
March 9, 2013 at 12:01 PM
I don’t think that I have the will power to go cold turkey.