Xanthine stimulant + Bipolar = Mania

[Aetherius Rimor]

Recent discovery that I've been experimenting with recently, and figured I'd share.

Started using caffeine for work purposes, and it ended up replacing my adderall usage completely. However I had my first really bad hypermanic episode since I was in highschool (and on prescription Theophylline for asthma, also a Xanthine).

This caused me to start doing some research and more experimentation. I discovered that the effects caffeine has on me is very different than what most people experience. I get tons of energy, confidence, lose a lot of anxiety, and get a euphoria and body high. Subjectively it is almost identical to real MDMA rolling, without the desire to cuddle, eye jitters, jaw clenching, etc. It shoots me into a hypomanic state that is very obvious.

Tolerance does build up, but also dissipates more rapidly than MDMA tolerance it seems.

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Warning: If you are bipolar, and do attempt to test this, be very careful. Hypermania is the bad version of mania. You should be aware of how irritable/angry/etc you can get in this state. I lashed out at my friends in a way I have not done in almost 10 years thanks to using caffeine too much for a week.

Also, I have not found "proof" of this effect, only lots of anecdotal evidence, and now personal experience. If anyone has any studies/information that can prove this causation (xanthines as a trigger for mania), please share!

 

[Untm]

"I get tons of energy, confidence, lose a lot of anxiety, and get a euphoria and body high."

Sounds exactly how caffeine makes me feel.

 

[joedirt]

I don't recall were I got this information, but about 20% of the population don't metabolize xanthines efficiently. I am in that camp.

If I have a cup of coffee at 7am I have VERY restless sleep that night and I can STILL feel the effects of caffeine the next day.

The irony is that I used to drink a lot of coffee. I even used to roast my own coffee beans. However I suffered from insomnia for years and I just refused to believe that a cup or two of morning of coffee were the culprit. One day I decided to give up coffee for a month. About a week in I started sleeping fine.

If I want caffeine now I'll have a mild cup of green tea...which is still very stimulating for me.

Caffeine is no joke for some of us.

Peace.

 

[jamie]

I wont drink more than a weak cup of green tea..

Coffee makes me sketchy and then I burn out bad..if I drink it daily I get headaches and feel dehydrated. I hate the shakes it gives me.

Cacao is better than coffee for me, and I will use that maybe every month or 2 in a large sort of entheogenic dose the way the mayans do..but that is theobromine and a number of phens and other things..not caffine..

 

[benzyme]

I don't recall were I got this information, but about 20% of the population don't metabolize xanthines efficiently.

that applies to other CYP subtypes as well; no surprise there.
caffeine has greater affinity as a PDE-1 inhibitor, so of course it will
exert a more excitatory effect than theobromine or theophylline.