Coffee

pinpricks · Post by **pinpricks** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 4:33 pm

I'm new here and battling to get right answer (not yet diagnosed).
I posted in the Introduction (you can read my story if you wish).
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Question is:

I found out that coffee increased symptoms. Even with no caffeine (is there really no caffeine?). Is the caffeine the culprit itself or what does coffee (may be vaso-constriction).

- Shaky hand
- Increase of paresthesia
- The effect was delayed in time

Am i right? do you have such thing? ... or I'm crazy(may be), just a coincidence.
Also if i was putting milk in it, it was not so bad .... ?
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I read a paper so that caffeine COULD promote inflammation on this site...

Bye
Have a nice day

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 6:06 pm

Welcome, Pins....
I've read your intro, and I really hope you get some answers as to your diagnosis. As many have said, the not knowing is really tough.

There are many different opinions on the harm/benefit of coffee. My husband loves his java, and because of the antioxidant properties of the bean, I let him have his coffee. Here's a recent study which touts the benefits of caffeine for MSers as an adenosine receptor blocker-

Caffeine is a well-known adenosine receptor blocker, and the researchers believe results show the importance of this molecule in permitting the infiltration of immune cells into the central nervous system of patients with MS.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that occurs when the body's immune system attacks and damages nerves in the brain and spinal cord. The infiltration of immune cells into brain and other CNS tissue is rarely seen in healthy individuals without MS. What allows the immune cells to infiltrate the CNS tissue of patients with MS is unknown. In earlier work, Dr. Margaret S. Bynoe became convinced that the molecule adenosine is responsible for this infiltration.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 162405.htm

Here's a whole thread where we discuss coffee and MS...
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopict-6285-coffee.html

That said, if coffee is affecting you negatively...don't drink it!
It's a personal preference,
AC

skydog · Post by **skydog** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 6:31 pm

Be careful if you drink allot of coffee and then stop completely you could have some rather nasty side effects. I quit for a time but found that 1 small cup mid morning seems to be fine. Just my opinion. Trick is to not head for the coffee first thing in the morning. Eat first. I have switched my wife over to only organic coffee. I will have my one small cup black no sugar. Good luck Mark PS if you do keep using coffee. Cut the consumption. Up the quality and enjoy.

Post by **jimmylegs** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 3:55 am

i'm usually a single coffee in the morning, most times but not always after food, because i skip brekkies here and there :S
i do remember that coffee makes one pee out minerals at the very least.
coffee has pros and cons like everything else i guess! maybe we went over some more helpful details in the thread cheer mentioned

pinpricks · Post by **pinpricks** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:07 am

Wow ... this board is really, really helpful

I stop drinking coffee for 4 months now.
It seems it cut down symptoms by 50% or it may be a coincidence because i stop it when everything was really, really NASTY (lot of paresthesia, shaking bodywide (clonus?)) coming by burst, every time past 4PM.
I'm taking tea now and it doesn't do much things (tea = theine = caffeine, in less quantity)
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Usually i don't drink coffee at all past 12.
I went to see a friend and had 2 full cups of coffee by 4 PM.
Then 9PM ... then suddenly full of prickly sensations in both legs, below the knee, really horrible.

Take care.

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:30 am

If you're drinking tea, Pins, look into green tea. It has wonderful health benefits for MSers, and is being tested in a clinical trial in MS in Germany. Check out EGCG (the active ingredient in green tea) A terrific antioxidant!
best,
AC

Loobie · Post by **Loobie** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 9:24 am

Green tea also has about 1/2 the caffeine of regular (black) tea, which has even less than coffee. I get really affected (read; shaky) from caffeine and I can drink a green tea as late as I want and it doesn't affect my sleep or anything. No way I'd get away with that with coffee. I drink one mug in the morning and that makes me shake a bit, but I need it to wake up! I used to drink it all day long when I worked as a toolmaker, but I was also on my feet all day and was normally tired at the end of the day anyway. I can't even think about a Red Bull. I drank one of those about two years ago and I swear I was vibrating. My wife, however, can chug an espresso right before bed and be fine. So I guess we all react differently to it.

mrhodes40 · Post by **mrhodes40** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 12:50 pm

Red Bull. I drank one of those about two years ago and I swear I was vibrating

That's how all caffeine affects me! Can't take the stuff to save my life.

DO those ECGC suplements have caffiene?

pinpricks · Post by **pinpricks** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:06 pm

Just got some "green tea" at the store.

Anyway ... quitting coffee is not so hard. It's 4 months now. Just a problem if you want to take a drink with friends in the morning ... heuuuu ... give me an apple juice

... then every body looking at you as if you are ET

Just say ... ok, it's over.

skydog · Post by **skydog** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:51 pm

Now if someone can come up with a tea that smells like coffee. Its more the aroma that I crave than the caffeine. M

cheerleader · Post by **cheerleader** » Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:56 pm

mrhodes40 wrote: DO those ECGC suplements have caffiene?

You can get EGCG supplements decaffeinated (Teavigo is one brand)...but if it doesn't say anything on the label, it has caffeine. As Lew mentioned, it's less than black tea or coffee, however.
AC