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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Cindy W on June 18, 2000, at 22:57:13
Tonight, in talking with my s.o. about how I've been unable to lose weight, we calculated that I not only consume at least 800-l000 calories per day drinking soft drinks, but also a heck of a lot of caffeine that way too. I don't drink coffee. But lately I've had at least four Mountain Dews per day, and 4 or 5 glasses per day of Pepsi or Coke, on top of the Effexor-XR 375 mg/day. Does anybody have any information about how caffeine interacts with AD's? (BTW, I feel pretty good! except for being unable to take off about 20-30 lbs. I don't need.)
Posted by Cindy W on June 19, 2000, at 9:12:55
In reply to caffeine and AD's, posted by Cindy W on June 18, 2000, at 22:57:13
> Tonight, in talking with my s.o. about how I've been unable to lose weight, we calculated that I not only consume at least 800-l000 calories per day drinking soft drinks, but also a heck of a lot of caffeine that way too. I don't drink coffee. But lately I've had at least four Mountain Dews per day, and 4 or 5 glasses per day of Pepsi or Coke, on top of the Effexor-XR 375 mg/day. Does anybody have any information about how caffeine interacts with AD's? (BTW, I feel pretty good! except for being unable to take off about 20-30 lbs. I don't need.)
This post got "archived" before I got any replies. Any suggestions about an interaction? Thanks!
Posted by Sara T on June 19, 2000, at 9:52:35
In reply to Re: caffeine and AD's, posted by Cindy W on June 19, 2000, at 9:12:55
> > Tonight, in talking with my s.o. about how I've been unable to lose weight, we calculated that I not only consume at least 800-l000 calories per day drinking soft drinks, but also a heck of a lot of caffeine that way too. I don't drink coffee. But lately I've had at least four Mountain Dews per day, and 4 or 5 glasses per day of Pepsi or Coke, on top of the Effexor-XR 375 mg/day. Does anybody have any information about how caffeine interacts with AD's? (BTW, I feel pretty good! except for being unable to take off about 20-30 lbs. I don't need.)
>
> This post got "archived" before I got any replies. Any suggestions about an interaction? Thanks!Cindy -
Since caffiene is a stimulant and stimulants are used, as you know, with AD's to augment them or deal with attentional issues, I would imagine that that's simply what you're doing with the Mountain Dew. I do it with coffee or diet coke, but now I take ritalin so I cut back on those things.The soft drinks are probably why you can't take off that weight. Drinking water, 8 - 10 glasses per day helps with weight loss.
Sara T.
Posted by Johnturner77 on June 19, 2000, at 11:35:56
In reply to Re: caffeine and AD's, posted by Sara T on June 19, 2000, at 9:52:35
> > >My brother, who was up to about 240, which is 40 or 50 lbs too heavy, switched from sodas to water toward the end of last summer. In addition to the reduction of calories(he always refused to drink diet sodas) he was a lot less hungry. He has lost 15 to 20 lbs without dieting. He would never admit to depression, but he claims to feel much better now. My wife finds that it is much easier to stay on a diet if she cuts out sugar and white flour(anything with a high glycemic index). She has a lot of will power but finds it almost impossible to diet if she includes glucose type sugar sources. You might try switching to unsweetened tea to determine whether its the caffeine, sugar, or both.
Tonight, in talking with my s.o. about how I've been unable to lose weight, we calculated that I not only consume at least 800-l000 calories per day drinking soft drinks, but also a heck of a lot of caffeine that way too. I don't drink coffee. But lately I've had at least four Mountain Dews per day, and 4 or 5 glasses per day of Pepsi or Coke, on top of the Effexor-XR 375 mg/day. Does anybody have any information about how caffeine interacts with AD's? (BTW, I feel pretty good! except for being unable to take off about 20-30 lbs. I don't need.)
> >
> > This post got "archived" before I got any replies. Any suggestions about an interaction? Thanks!
>
> Cindy -
> Since caffiene is a stimulant and stimulants are used, as you know, with AD's to augment them or deal with attentional issues, I would imagine that that's simply what you're doing with the Mountain Dew. I do it with coffee or diet coke, but now I take ritalin so I cut back on those things.
>
> The soft drinks are probably why you can't take off that weight. Drinking water, 8 - 10 glasses per day helps with weight loss.
>
> Sara T.
Posted by afatchic on June 19, 2000, at 13:58:26
In reply to Re: caffeine and AD's..Subtopic: Sodas and Weight, posted by Johnturner77 on June 19, 2000, at 11:35:56
I think many people would be surprised to know how many calories they drink a day. After 15 years in military medicine, one the most important lessons I learned was that your body needs water. It's a message that we hear so often, it's easy to ignore. The consquences of not drinking enough is difficulty losing weight, head aches, nausea, and a strain on pretty much all your organs.
I've finally won my battle with my Diet Coke addiction and my drink of choice now is iced green tea that I brew myself.
> > > >My brother, who was up to about 240, which is 40 or 50 lbs too heavy, switched from sodas to water toward the end of last summer. In addition to the reduction of calories(he always refused to drink diet sodas) he was a lot less hungry. He has lost 15 to 20 lbs without dieting. He would never admit to depression, but he claims to feel much better now. My wife finds that it is much easier to stay on a diet if she cuts out sugar and white flour(anything with a high glycemic index). She has a lot of will power but finds it almost impossible to diet if she includes glucose type sugar sources. You might try switching to unsweetened tea to determine whether its the caffeine, sugar, or both.
>
>
> Tonight, in talking with my s.o. about how I've been unable to lose weight, we calculated that I not only consume at least 800-l000 calories per day drinking soft drinks, but also a heck of a lot of caffeine that way too. I don't drink coffee. But lately I've had at least four Mountain Dews per day, and 4 or 5 glasses per day of Pepsi or Coke, on top of the Effexor-XR 375 mg/day. Does anybody have any information about how caffeine interacts with AD's? (BTW, I feel pretty good! except for being unable to take off about 20-30 lbs. I don't need.)
> > >
> > > This post got "archived" before I got any replies. Any suggestions about an interaction? Thanks!
> >
> > Cindy -
> > Since caffiene is a stimulant and stimulants are used, as you know, with AD's to augment them or deal with attentional issues, I would imagine that that's simply what you're doing with the Mountain Dew. I do it with coffee or diet coke, but now I take ritalin so I cut back on those things.
> >
> > The soft drinks are probably why you can't take off that weight. Drinking water, 8 - 10 glasses per day helps with weight loss.
> >
> > Sara T.
Posted by allisonm on June 19, 2000, at 18:58:40
In reply to Re: caffeine and AD's, posted by Cindy W on June 19, 2000, at 9:12:55
Since moving my Wellbutrin dose up to 400mg, I've beeen forced to stop all caffeine intake. If I don't, I get jittery all over and annoying hand tremors and I can't get anything done.
So it's decaf coffee in the morning, caffeine-free diet pepsi in the afternoon. CFDP is not always easy to find, so I often have to keep my own on hand. On the other hand, it seems stupid to be drinking something (CFDP) that doesn't do anything for ya -- no caffeine, no sugar, I'm used to the taste, but what's the point (ditto on decaf coffee)? So I have started drinking more water, herbal tea, decaf green tea, trying to wean off the sugar in the tea.
Thanks to the Wellbutrin, I've lost close to 15 lbs. Some of this is due to lack of appetite, but I've also had no interest in eating meat. And I've pretty much stopped alcohol intake for 3 reasons: it doesn't appeal, it makes my stomach hurt now, and I'm afraid of the increased seizure factor. No doubt, stopping the alcohol has cut the calories, too. I cannot say that I miss it, either, which is something I thought I would never say.
My next door neighbor is on Prozac; and another neighbor across the street was on another AD (gee, maybe it IS in the water). Both drank Diet Coke to excess (5-10 cans a day). Neither had the shakes. The one across the street had cancer and died. Slept only an hour or two a day. I don't know the cause of her insomnia, but I cannot imagine that the caffeine in the DC helped. When you drink that much, I guess it's hard to stop.
I remember from college that Mountain Dew was the beverage of choice during finals week because it supposedly had the most caffeine. I used to like the diet version of it. But I digress...
Good luck, Cindy.
Posted by Cynthia M. on June 21, 2000, at 21:51:28
In reply to Re: caffeine and AD's, posted by allisonm on June 19, 2000, at 18:58:40
I am finding this thread really interesting since I am dealing with an addiction to Diet Coke. I did give it up while I was on Topomax since that caused all carbonated drinks to taste awful, almost burn! I have since gone off of the Topomax and am back on Diet Coke! I have a lot of weight to lose and am curious about the theory behind the actual increase in insulin output when drinking something that only "Tastes" sweet. I am open to any ideas. Oh, I do find that I have caffeine withdrawal headaches when I stop the DC. Also I am BP1 and am on Carbatrol,Gabitril,Remeron,Seroquel,and Klonopin.-Cynthia
Posted by Andre Allard on June 22, 2000, at 0:37:20
In reply to Re: caffeine and AD's, posted by Cindy W on June 19, 2000, at 9:12:55
I am curious of where you got your theory. Insulin is released when blood glucose levels rise. Aspartame (the sweet taste in diet drinks) does not elevate blood glucose levels. I am positive of this. So do not worry about diet drinks releasing insulin.
Posted by Cindy W on June 22, 2000, at 8:58:50
In reply to Re: caffeine and AD's - Cynthia, posted by Andre Allard on June 22, 2000, at 0:37:20
> I am curious of where you got your theory. Insulin is released when blood glucose levels rise. Aspartame (the sweet taste in diet drinks) does not elevate blood glucose levels. I am positive of this. So do not worry about diet drinks releasing insulin.
Progress note: yesterday, I had only one diet Dr. Pepper, and drank plain water the rest of the day. I feel thinner already! ;) Anyway, I'm giving it a try and although I miss Pepsi and Mountain Dew (my only pleasures in life, sigh!), I don't feel really bad without all the caffeine and sugar..just a little tired.
Posted by Cynthia M. on June 22, 2000, at 10:03:43
In reply to Re: caffeine and AD's - Cynthia, posted by Andre Allard on June 22, 2000, at 0:37:20
> I am curious of where you got your theory. Insulin is released when blood glucose levels rise. Aspartame (the sweet taste in diet drinks) does not elevate blood glucose levels. I am positive of this. So do not worry about diet drinks releasing insulin.
Andre- thank you for dispelling this "new theory " myth. It is actually published in a new diet book called protein power. It just goes to show you how convincing some of these '"doctor/authors" can be.. I will not concern myself with diet drinks and insulin levels. I don't need one more thing to confuse the issue of weight loss. Thanks so much for your response. I appreciate you helping me out.-Cynthia
Posted by noa on June 22, 2000, at 11:49:14
In reply to Re: caffeine and AD's..Subtopic: Sodas and Weight, posted by Johnturner77 on June 19, 2000, at 11:35:56
I agree that for many people, sodas, and other soft drinks with sugar in them, account for a LOT of uncounted calories. When I started on lithium, my internist warned me to stick to water because I would be drinking a lot more and therefore, at risk of gaining weight from sugary drinks (including juice and juice drinks). I read somewhere that for some people that may be the primary reason for weight gain on lithium--just the addition of calories from drinking more and having all one's drinks be sugary. I also noticed while on lithium, that I had particularly strong cravings for soda, especially regular coke. It was more than just thirst--I really wanted coke. I also craved sugary juice/tea type combos. Then I became extremely addicted to Coke. I made the decision to stop the sodas altogether and cut down on the juices. Then I stopped the lithium, and lo and behold, the cravings for sugary drinks was almost completely eliminated.
As for caffeine, I decided to stop regular intake of caffeine. I do have tea drinks (much less caffeine and not as well absorbed for me as with coffee and soda) about two or three times a week. Coffee is now limited to infrequent occasions. I feel a whole lot better this way. I was having problems with fidgitiness and agitation and insomnia from the effexor, and it seemed silly to continue with caffeine, which causes the same problems.
Also, I think the stimulant from ritalin, etc., doesn't cause me the same effects as caffiene. With ritalin, I don't feel buzzed at all. And the amount of stimulant intake is more controlled and regulated because I know I take my 20 mg sr two times a day. With coffee, unless you are extremely careful and consistent with brand, amount, density, etc., it is hard to know if you are taking in the same amount of caffiene at the same intervals, etc.
Also, I have a feeling that caffeine is "dirtier" than methylphenidate, et. al. JohnL, you might be able to fill us in on this one.
Posted by MB on June 24, 2000, at 14:04:12
In reply to Re: caffeine and AD's - Cynthia, posted by Andre Allard on June 22, 2000, at 0:37:20
I've heard that some people will put out insulin by even thinking about food. I think it was in a book called "maximum metabolism" or "beyond pritikin", can't remember. Supposedly the body prepares for the food it "thinks" it's going to get. It's Psychological. If this were true, couldn't aspartame, also "trick" the unconscious into thinking it needed to release insulin, when it really didn't?
> I am curious of where you got your theory. Insulin is released when blood glucose levels rise. Aspartame (the sweet taste in diet drinks) does not elevate blood glucose levels. I am positive of this. So do not worry about diet drinks releasing insulin.
This is the end of the thread.
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