Coffee & Methylation: To Stop or Not?

[Tor]

Over the past 5 years, my mental health has been slowly eroding due to some major stressors. I've also been drinking coffee for 5 years, and am wondering if I should cut it out or if it is helping me.

I only have one cup in the morning, but it gives me a very strong boost of happiness and euphoria. I can think of any stressful situation and it doesn't upset me anymore. Instead, I think of solutions and have so much hope. I imagine myself healing and actually cry sometimes at how overwhelmingly hopeful that idea makes me. I seriously feel my body surging with joy and happiness. I know, intense reaction. No shakiness, sweating, anxiety, racing heart, or any of the typical side effects that other people have.

Then as the day goes on, I go back to my usual state of dread, irritability, and emotional greyness. I can still appear outwardly calm and fine, but inside all of my emotions go back to feeling bunched up and bad.

Over the years, the good effects have become much shorter (~30 minutes now, as opposed to all day when I first started).

I also respond super well (in a similar way) to Sam-E, although the effects have been dwindling.

I'm wondering, does coffee impact methylation? And is it helping me, or is it using up all my neurotransmitters at once, leaving me to feel bad for the rest of the day? Obviously I don't need to be walking around crying with joy all day long, so I'm just curious if cutting out coffee would help to slowly level things out, or if it would ruin the only good part of my day.

I was 100% happy/fine/healthy without coffee for my entire life before I started, so I feel like my body should be able to feel like that again without coffee.

Thanks!

 

[Critterina]

I know what you mean...two cups used to make me feel like I was in love, but only when it didn't make me feel like I was coming down with the flu - cold hands, sweaty, etc..

I would guess that you'd feel pretty bad for a while, until you adjusted to less caffeine in your system. But who knows? How bad would it be to do a one-day experiment?

I have found that after two years of various supplements (methylation yes, but also antioxidants) that my tolerance to coffee has increased from half a cup of regular (I used to brew a whole cup of half-caf), to two cups with adverse effects. And I don't miss it when I don't have it.

 

[JAH]

If you feel great when you drink coffee, why quit? I take a ton of supplements that lose their effectiveness over time, so I know what you mean about that. Try not taking it and see what happens. Coffee is definitely not "using up all you're neurotransmitters all at once"! Methylation is a complex process that's happening all the time - I don't understand it but learned a lot from my docs and reading including @ahmo recommended "methylation for dummies" http://ihateticks.me/2014/10/06/methylation-for-dummies/
and Wikipedia https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_methylation

JAH

 

[whodathunkit]

How do you react to ubiquinol (CoQ10)? Have you tried high doses of that? I get a lot of the same effects from CoQ10 as I do from coffee, without the jitters. It's not quite the same, but CoQ10 doesn't get eliminated from your system nearly as fast, either. The effects last, and are cumulative in that the longer you take it, the more stable you become on it and the benefits will last longer between doses. O'course CoQ10 is more expensive than coffee, but it's also better for you.

 

[rglr]

I have been asking myself the same questions..should i quit? is it helping or hurting? There is a lot of conflicting information out there so I decided to test it out for myself and quit. It was extremely difficult to quit this time around, however, once I did the whole game changed. I can definitely feel the effects of the nutrients I'm taking in much more profoundly than I did while drinking coffee. This is not a pleasant experience but the difference between drinking and not drinking coffee is so drastic I have to believe that it has no place in my recovery program. Certainly, the body has no requirement for coffee.

 

[Tor]

I have been asking myself the same questions..should i quit? is it helping or hurting? There is a lot of conflicting information out there so I decided to test it out for myself and quit. It was extremely difficult to quit this time around, however, once I did the whole game changed. I can definitely feel the effects of the nutrients I'm taking in much more profoundly than I did while drinking coffee. This is not a pleasant experience but the difference between drinking and not drinking coffee is so drastic I have to believe that it has no place in my recovery program. Certainly, the body has no requirement for coffee.

Alright, I'll join you on this one! I want to give it a full year before deciding the effect it has on me. Wishing you the best of luck on this!

 

[rglr]

Good luck to you as well Tor!

 

[Tor]

Good luck to you as well Tor!

Hey rglr! How are you doing with this? After a week of weaning, yesterday was my first day with zero coffee, now I'm on day 2. Big headache yesterday but Advil helped. My early morning 4am wakeups have returned, but I actually feel energetic and positive! Could be due to starting the methylation supplements.

Hope you're doing well!

 

[rglr]

Hey Tor, glad to hear you are having positive results! The first time I tried to quit I weaned for a week too but I just couldn't sleep without it! It took me months to get down to zero and the pain/sleep is still a major issue but I do have more energy and potassium seems to be helping with the discomfort and sleep issues.