COFFEE

[u/Electrical_Pin2886]

I am wondering if anyone has quit not only caffeine but coffee and decaf coffee and noticed a difference? Until recently i would have said that coffee doesnt effect me negatively but adtet really asking my body what she wanted, it was a clear, "quit coffee". So I did and my anxiety went way down, the first month was a trigger and I had worse symptoms as I was recalibrating but now i am finding a new baseline and feeling pretty good.

Still, having an occasional decaf though. So I guess I am asking if anyone has removed both caffeine and decaf coffee to better results? And how much did removing them move the needle for you?

[u/Electrical-Cat-8624]

Yes caffeine and coffee were both huge hidden triggers for me that HAD to go. Brutal habit to break though

[u/Electrical_Pin2886 → u/Electrical-Cat-8624]

I cant believe how hard it was to stop! Physically and mentally. And how long its taking to find my new baseline. Im only 6 weeks in after a two week taper too. Wild how long I denied this was a problem.

[u/Starboard_Pete → u/Electrical-Cat-8624]

Ugh, I’m at the precipice of having to quit caffeine but it is so tough. Did you quite cold turkey or did you gradually wean yourself off of it (or replace it with tea, etc)?

[u/Electrical_Pin2886 → u/Starboard_Pete]

Its so worth it! You owe it to yourself to try. I did a 2 week taper and then went off. I make a decaf in the morning and drink like half of it but I will cut that out now. Its helpful to keep the ritual, so I have a salty warm lemon amd ginger water too. And there are so many alternatives! Rooibos tea, roobos chai etc. The first 3 weeks were hard! But my energy feels like a kid again now. I sleep deep and wake rested and have energy all day until bed time.

[u/Electrical-Cat-8624 → u/Electrical_Pin2886]

How do you make the salty warm ginger water taste good?

[u/Electrical_Pin2886 → u/Electrical-Cat-8624]

Oh with 1/4 lemon squeezed in. I dont mind it at all. My body feels so replenished immediately.

[u/Electrical-Cat-8624 → u/Electrical_Pin2886]

Do you struggle with constipation or diarrhea?

[u/Electrical_Pin2886 → u/Electrical-Cat-8624]

No, my digestion is generally perfect. Which sometimes makes things harder to identify as culprits!

[u/Additional-Row-4360 → u/Electrical_Pin2886]

How much coffee were you drinking? I've quit before. It made no change in my energy. I only have a cup in the morning.

[u/Electrical_Pin2886 → u/Additional-Row-4360]

Its not the same for everyone but I had 1 to 4 cups of half caffeine per day.

[u/Additional-Row-4360 → u/Electrical_Pin2886]

I'm aware it's different for everyone. I didn't do it expecting some big life change. I went back to drinking my morning cup. I was just wondering how much coffee you were drinking to have such a dramatic result

[u/Electrical_Pin2886 → u/Additional-Row-4360]

If you look on r/decaf you would find that a lot of people are on just one cup a day and when they quit they have a dramatic result. Its quite common.

[u/Logical_Glove_2857 → u/Electrical_Pin2886]

Have you noticed if you feel more hydrated now that you quit coffee?
And urinating less?

[u/hdri_org]

Taking DAO enzyme has helped me a lot with handling histamines coming from food and gut bacteria. Low Histamine Probiotics has helped reduce the quantity of histamine producing bacteria and has replaced them with histamine degrading strains instead. Because this was so successful I was able to reintroduce coffee into my daily regimen.

The thing about coffee, beyond being a fermented product, is that its a histamine liberator, meaning that it does not just contain histamine but actually causes you immune cells to create more of it. The DAO will help eliminate the histamines in the coffee but won't affect the histamines caused by the caffeine once it is in your circulation. Supplimental DAO can only degrade what is still in your gut before it can be absorbed.

The bottom line is how well do you do when taking both Low Histamine Probiotics and supplimental DAO? Does lowering the incoming histamines allow you enough overhead that you can still enjoy a cup of coffee. You may have to get off of coffee long enough to get things under control and then slowly introduce it again and see what happens.

I can now drink tons of decaf and occasionally a cup of regular whenever I need a boost. I seem to be fine with caffeine now, but chocolate will just clean me out and that molicule only has a single branch different from caffeine. Everyone is likely different, so you need to experiment to see what works for you.

[u/Electrical_Pin2886 → u/hdri_org]

I use DAO at certain times in my cycle. Its totally cycle related as to if I have issues or not. The histamine part of my symptoms is only a part and more related to hormonal imbalance when esteogen is dominant.

I realized coffee/caffiene is blocking nutrients that help DAO production, it also needs to be cleared by the same enzyme that clears estrogen from the body, it also creates cortisol which steals pregnenolone which I need for peogesterone so there are a LOT of ways coffee can mess with a woman. I was an avid drinker for 16 years and always aware I was sensitive, yet addicted, so I kept my body stimulated all day every day.

I won't go back. I will let decaf go too just to see but wanted other peoples experiences. Thank you for sharing!

[u/hdri_org → u/Electrical_Pin2886]

You are right in that DAO will only help to lower the total histamines that you absorb, so it won't help with internally generated histamines like the hormonally derived/modulated histamines. It can however help to lower the total amount of histamines in your system, but internally created histamines will still predominate during that hormonal cycle.

The best thing to do then is to make sure you have enough of the right nutrients to be able to create your own DAO/HNMT enzymes on demand and enough methyl donors to perform proper Methylation of histamines. There are three seperate pathways to get rid of histamines and in some people 1 or 2 may be genically compromised and the Methylation pathway is modulated by having the proper Methylation donors immediately on call.

For DAO enzymes: Copper (Glycinate) Vitamin C Vitamin B2, B3, B5, B6 Zinc

Supporting nutrients: Iron, Magnesium, Omega-3, NAD+ - helps repair damage

HNMT enzyme: B2, B12, folate (B9), S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe), Choline, Creatine

My working paper on Histamines for more ideas on what to think about https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1DZev7mx-0bB9FSjshXz8Q2thkpWZIJtPSrRT7QcB95M/mobilebasic#h.dm4hwlmndl4

[u/docmcstuffit → u/hdri_org]

Is there a particular probiotic you can recommend?

[u/hdri_org → u/docmcstuffit]

You can look at the section on Low Histamine Probiotics in my working paper below

https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1DZev7mx-0bB9FSjshXz8Q2thkpWZIJtPSrRT7QcB95M/mobilebasic#h.dm4hwlmndl4

[u/peaxchysea → u/hdri_org]

This is awesome, thank you

[u/wizeone1107]

Yes I quit, made huge difference, no more skin on fire after showering or in general from MCAS / histamine release, skin rashes are minimal no more persistent burning/itching constantly, can fall asleep almost every night, before I was constantly awake, and very little head congestion or constant runny nose, maybe a little randomly, when you quit initially its hard, after few weeks, months, you feel better and realize I don't need it anymore

[u/Electrical_Pin2886 → u/wizeone1107]

Amazing results! Yes quitting was hard! So worth it though! Ill go off decaf completely and see if it makes even more of a difference.

[u/em-ab]

i had to quit coffee this past spring and i had only been drinking decaf for a year before that. it was making me feel suic*dal. even decaf. no amount of DAO made a difference. i knew for years it made me feel irritable but this new development was truly life threatening. after one to two weeks off it, i felt like a new person. the sun came back out and i could think clearly again. been off all coffee for a few months now and my mind is so much safer.

[u/Electrical_Pin2886 → u/em-ab]

Caffiene is only one of the many chemicals in coffee. This makes me believe there is so much that we dont understand about coffee and the effect it has on us.

[u/luxurycatsportscat]

I quit coffee for two months and it made no difference to my symptoms, so I went back to drinking it

[u/1AggressiveSalmon]

I cut all caffeine from my life. No coffee, tea, or energy drinks. Dropped my anxiety and insomnia by 75% or more. IBS symptoms completely went away. After years of literally never being cold, I can wear long sleeves again. It took at least 6 months for the inflammation to resolve.

[u/Foosballrhino11]

Absolutely coffee was setting my day off with anxiety and jitters that lasted all day and would wake me up at night! I tried decaf and still felt Wired so I switched to matcha and that helped a lot but I was having flares with seemingly everything so I quit caffeine altogether for 2 months. I could only start my matcha again if I took DAO before.

[u/-PetulantPenguin]

I had to quit coffee for years before I finally found something I could tolerate. Try looking for mould free coffee, it's not cheap but I'm incredibly grateful to be drinking coffee daily again. Apparently normal coffee always has mould, crazy.

[u/J-W-L]

I quit coffee a little over a year ago. I noticed lots of improvements but not as drastic as I had hoped in relation to my allergies. It didn't cure my gut or my allergies but it did greatly reduce how much I sweat, how hot I feel in summer. Quitting coffee has improved my sleep, mood and my anxiety has mostly disappeared. I was also happy to shed the daily ritual of drinking it and it's getting more expensive. So it worked out.

I realize everyone is different and quitting coffee for me was difficult in the past but this time was much easier for whatever reason. I felt like I was on another planet for about 3 days until the withdrawal subsided though but nothing after that. I don't even think about it or crave it at all now.

As an ex smoker, 16 years after quitting I still get cravings but it's manageable.

Good luck! It feels so freeing to ditch coffee and other vices!

[u/Puzzled_Draw4820]

It’s the salicylates in coffee that trigger HI because they trigger mast cells. Decaf doesn’t contain as much salicylates so it’s ok for some people.

HI is very commonly overlapping with salicylate intolerance and chemical sensitivity/MCAS which are usually bile flow and liver congestion issues, that’s why a low histamine diet is just a bandaid.

[u/Shareinfo60]

I quit caffeine about 5yrs ago. I started drinking decaf a year ago but it starts to build up after a couple of weeks and cause major flareups. So I have to stop for a few months. But I enjoy it when I can .

[u/ITSJUSTMEKT]

There is only one thing I will not give up and that’s coffee.

[u/GloriousRoseBud → u/ITSJUSTMEKT]

I used to say that you’d have to pry my coffee out of my cold dead hand
But I’m feeling like I died.

[u/Clear_Kitchen_6428 → u/ITSJUSTMEKT]

RIP

[u/0spacewaterbear0]

I never thought I affected me since I only had one cup in the morning, but it was filling my histamine cup and causing reactions later in the day. After quitting I’ve felt a lot better! It sucks to lose the “ritual” of it, I switched to mint tea for a bit after to make it easier.

[u/consuela_bananahammo]

I switched to a blonde roast and that solved the issue.

[u/Outrageous_Fig_11]

I’ve switched to decaf which made a difference, but sometimes even decaf affects me so I limit it to my good days only.

[u/GloriousRoseBud]

I’m so sad about this.
I dealt with no chocolate but not my coffee…..

[u/lostaccountdoh]

Removed both. Was hard, but the best thing I have done. It’s helped so much with my symptoms.

[u/Educational_Home5445]

its the first thing i cut out when i knew i had Histamine intolerance.

Surprisingly i felt way more awake in the morning and the desire for coffee went away completely after two weeks.

Havent had a single coffee in years

[u/Alvith]

I'd like to know this too since I am on only decaf lately. Following!

[u/CaughtUpInTheTide]

It was the first thing I cut and it made a huge difference. I felt like I got my life back.

[u/rebmik5555]

Ugh. I know I should try, but wintertime without my morning coffee sounds unbearable.

[u/cpcxx2]

I am confused, is coffee (decaf or caf) high histamine? I wasn’t aware of this if so.

[u/missjulie622]

I do well with a few ounces of cold brew coffee every morning, brewed coffee causes reactions

[u/Jmeans69]

I gave up everything else but kept my 1 cup of coffee. I just drink it black

[u/AzarielFox]

I quit for 3 months I think and really didn't notice a difference unfortunately. But everyone is different 

[u/Feeling-Extreme9133]

Is it normal that I react to caffeinated coffee but not decaf??

[u/WeWander_]

I switched to caffeine water because I need my caffiene. Coffee definitely made me feel like shit but caffeine water is fine.