Metformin & Caffeine

Boink · 06-14-2005, 11:59 AM

Why or why not? I saw a post where someone said no caffeine... but they don't say why. I have been searching old threads and I didn't find anything specific on it.

Thanks for your help!

RunnerDuck · 06-14-2005, 06:18 PM

I don't think caffeine and met react bad per say... (persay?) but caffeine is thought to increase/cause insulin resistance. I have read various things over the years pointing to caffeine and aspartame being bad, bad, bad from an IR point of view yet I am a professed diet coke junkie and I CANNOT seem to give the stuff up. Well COULD not. I keep trying... and I'll go a while... but then I fall of the wagon. I am talking I start my day with 2 litres of diet coke instead of breakfast. And the day snowballs from there. I am high as a kite through mid afternoon and then I crash and start craving sugary carby stuff. Then I start grazing and have no interest in a healthy dinner. But then I spend the rest of the evening grazing. And I know it's bad but it's like I need that kick to start my day, to get me in a good mood... Honestly? To a degree I think I am self-medicating for depression. Of course it's a chicken or egg thing because caffeine withdrawl makes you moody so do I drink caffeine because I am depressed or am I depressed because I drink caffeine? (Or need to?)

Here is one article I found on caffeine and IR:

http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2002/01/09/caffeine_diabetes020109.html

I hope that link works. I look for stuff like this all the time to scare myself straight...

I have also read that caffeine significantly increases adrenal output and adrenal hormones contribute to our problems as well.

ANYWAY I go on and off the wagon. I go off caffeine for a few weeks... the first day I get a headache, sometimes a migraine, towards evening. The first 3 days I feel kind of lethargic. Then it's like my natural energy abilities come back and I am OK. But for some reason or other I get near 3 weeks and I crave it again and I cave, think "One day won't hurt" but one day somehow becomes 2 months and I hate myself for being addicted. (And it seems like such a lame addiction... cocaine, cigarettes, at least those seem like normal, understandable addictions... diet coke just sounds like well why don't you just give it up? But caffeine supposedly is one of the most addictive substances there is...)

The longest I hav e ever gone without since getting hooked was 10 months or so while I was pregnant and then when I was first nursing... but then I started again and it didn't seem to affect the baby so I kept going. Ugh.

So now I am trying again and I am on my 15th caffeine free day here - and I am also on antidepressants this time around and that seems to be making a HUGE difference in my attitude towards this. I hope I can make it to 3 weeks and keep going. One of the best things about being off caffeine (aside from being free of the embarrassment of having 10 or more diet coke bottles in the recylcing bin at the curb every week) is that my craving for junk food goes way, way down and I am much more able to stick to a healthy way of eating. Plus I actually eat breakfast which has its own benefits.

ANYWAY back to your original question, why not met and caffeine... I think that if you over do caffeine, you're cancelling out the effects of the met. It's like you're simultaniuosly taking something to make your IR better and something to make your IR worse. There are probably safe limits, say, a can or two of pop a day won't hurt you or won't hurt you much - but I personally have to do all or nothing. So it's easier for me to abstain.

Boink · 06-15-2005, 10:51 AM

Hi RunnerDuck

Thanks for the response. I am not sure if I am an addict, I just like coffeeeeeeeeeee. I sometimes only drink water on the weekends, no coffee at all, too lazy to brew it... and I don't get headaches or feel weird. I need to ask my doctors feelings on the caffeine insulin issue.

I like this piece from the article:
"But the good news is that regular exercise can reduce the insulin resistance associated with caffeine consumption.

Rather than cutting out caffeine altogether, the researchers suggest the key is a mix of moderate caffeine consumption and a balanced, healthy lifestyle."

It always goes back to 'everything in moderation', doesn't it? Sheesh, even exercise, if you do too much, you are at risk for injury. I read a book by a guy who was huge and had all kinds of medical problems... his site used to by onephatman.com, but it seems to be gone, anwyay... he drank like a pot of coffee a day! I emailed and asked why -- he said because he likes it. He was very obese and had diabeties and various other health issues.

I suppose a cup every now and then won't kill me. We'll see. I suppose a good indicator may be my weight... if I exercise and eat well but it won't budge, I may be surging my insulin or something.

Thanks!

RunnerDuck · 06-15-2005, 03:14 PM

My problem, more so than weight - I am a healthy weight but could still stand to lose 6-10 pounds or so - is that despite met, being at a healthy weight, diet, and exericse - when my diet is good that is, my exercise has always been good - is that my blood work is still abyssmal and I still don't get regular cycles without BCPs. I did briefly and then they stopped. So now I am taking Avandia, too, but I suspect... or maybe I HOPE since if this is the case I can control it - but I suspect my caffeine consumption may have something to do with it...

I'm really not sure.

I just wish I could go long enough without caffeine to figure it out... of course now I won't know if it's the stopping caffeine or starting the avandia. Either way I don't care... stopping caffeine won't hurt, might help, and if I get regular cycles I'll be happy...