Coffee Making Me Sick? A Bitter Reality

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Experiencing sudden nausea after drinking coffee has become a significant concern for a user who has enjoyed coffee for years. Despite trying different brands and brewing methods, the issue persists, leading to frustration and a search for alternatives. Tea has been suggested as a suitable substitute, with some users advocating for its health benefits and taste. Discussions reveal that coffee can cause digestive issues, particularly when consumed on an empty stomach or in large quantities, and some users recommend trying half-caf or decaffeinated options. The possibility of developing an allergy to components in coffee has also been raised, as well as the impact of stress on digestive health. Users share personal experiences with coffee-related nausea, suggesting that factors like coffee quality and preparation methods can influence symptoms. Overall, the conversation highlights the complexities of coffee consumption and its effects on health, while exploring alternative beverages like tea and the potential for temporary dietary adjustments.
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I have never heard of this happening to anyone before but everytime i drink coffee lately i have been getting extremely sick. WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE IS THIS! I love coffee and now I can't drink it...evilness! :grumpy This is going to put me in a bad mood for awhile...good thing i like tea...so far I can still drink that.
 
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Coffee is nasty. Soda is much tastier. Crush a mountian dew.
 
scorpa said:
I have never heard of this happening to anyone before but everytime i drink coffee lately i have been getting extremely sick. WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE IS THIS! I love coffee and now I can't drink it...evilness! :grumpy This is going to put me in a bad mood for awhile...good thing i like tea...so far I can still drink that.

Blah, you'll live. Simply switch to tea.
 
Now that's what's good. Chi.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
Coffee is nasty. Soda is much tastier. Crush a mountian dew.

I agree with that wholeheartedly, I can not stand coffee at all.
 
cyrusabdollahi said:
Coffee is nasty. Soda is much tastier. Crush a mountian dew.

d_leet said:
I agree with that wholeheartedly, I can not stand coffee at all.

I disagree with you both. Soda is for *******. :-p
 
Do you make your own coffee? I notice that I do not feel well when ever I try decaffeinated. It makes me sick to my stomach. I'd say that the first thing to do would be to try a different brand of coffee or a different coffee house.
 
black coffee for life,its my mojo.
 
Try a different blend. Some make me awfully ill even though i like them but others are fine. Failing that tea is just as good. Earl Grey anyone?
 
  • #10
scorpa said:
I have never heard of this happening to anyone before but everytime i drink coffee lately i have been getting extremely sick. WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE IS THIS! I love coffee and now I can't drink it...evilness! :grumpy This is going to put me in a bad mood for awhile...good thing i like tea...so far I can still drink that.
What have you been drinking? Are you drinking brewed coffee or (Gah!) instant, decaffeinated or flavored stuff? Probably the plainer the coffee, the better.

I have a big mug of black unsweetened espresso every morning, made with standard grind Chock Full o' Nuts in my own little espresso maker. I would be lost without my morning coffee!
 
  • #11
i used to drink earl grey now it's jasmine and celestial seasonings. arizona iced tea is great in the summertime.

you get the good jasmine tea from the chinese markets not the supermarket. another crisp drink is coconut juice (not goya) the thailand generic tallboys. :wink: as part of my diet plan i'll be downing enfamil :-p can only get that kind of juice from one of two places :biggrin:

btw, drinking large amounts of coffee with give you acid reflux. those people who down massive amounts of coffee everyday with have buy nexuim when their esophagus starts burning!
 
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  • #12
Yes, I think the blends make a difference, but sometimes if you just overdo it, that will happen. Do you drink it with milk? You could try adding more milk (or conversely, try it without the milk to see if it's the coffee or the milk causing the problem). I couldn't live without coffee in the morning.

And, Cyrus, are you nuts?! Mountain Dew?! Ugh, talk about stuff that will make you sick! :-p
 
  • #13
Switch to tea...it's healthier, and tastier.
 
  • #14
First time it happened I thought it was a coincidence, that time I had brewed my own. Second time I went somewhere and got some, happened again. Third time I tried another place and it happened again! So it doesn't seem to be the brand. I never drink that nasty instant stuff, and I only ever put a little bit of milk and sugar in it, but if I drink it black it happens to. Guess I just have to switch to tea, which is fine I like tea...but I really liked coffee :( I won't switch to pop though, it's just to sweet for me, I don't really like it that much.
 
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  • #15
That's too bad! Life would look bleak without my morning espresso. I love black tea, but if I drink that on an empty stomach, it screws me up (may be the tannin), but I have my espresso black and unsweetened every morning before breakfast - no problem.

If you really don't want to give up coffee, you might want to try taking an antacid (Titralac, Tums, etc) before you drink coffee to see if it's the acid in the coffee that's bothering you. If you think that the caffeine might be bothering you, you might want to try taking one No-Doz pill. It will give you about a cup of coffee's worth of caffeine without anything else to contribute to the effect. Good luck.
 
  • #16
scorpa said:
First time it happened I thought it was a coincidence, that time I had brewed my own. Second time I went somewhere and got some, happened again. Third time I tried another place and it happened again! So it doesn't seem to be the brand. I never drink that nasty instant stuff, and I only ever put a little bit of milk and sugar in it, but if I drink it black it happens to. Guess I just have to switch to tea, which is fine I like tea...but I really liked coffee :( I won't switch to soda though, it's just to sweet for me, I don't really like it that much.


Explain how you feel sick. Are you nauseated to the point of throwing up or does your stomach hurt/burn or are you light headed and heart racing...etc...?
 
  • #17
It made me really nauseated, almost like I had the flu or something. Getting through the rest of the day was hell. My stomach didn't hurt or burn or anything like that.
 
  • #18
Did you drink just one cup or several? Does decaffeinated do the same thing?
 
  • #19
This coffee sick thing happened to me too, but I think it has to do with the coffee maker we were using. Two weeks ago I went out and got coffee somewhere else. I was fine. But I still can't drink coffee out of that machine without getting sick for some reason, even after I cleaned it. I don't know what could be wrong with it.
 
  • #20
larkspur said:
Did you drink just one cup or several? Does decaffeinated do the same thing?

I only ever drink one cup at a time. I've never tried decaffeinated coffee so I have no idea whether it does the same thing or not.
 
  • #21
scorpa said:
I only ever drink one cup at a time. I've never tried decaffeinated coffee so I have no idea whether it does the same thing or not.
You might try having a cup of half caf and see if you get the same symptoms. I can't drink fully caffeinated coffee without stomach problems unless I take an acid reducer(pepcid is my preferred choice). Half caf and decaf don't bother me.
 
  • #22
I have fairly severe problems with my esophagus, but it causes pain, not nausea. When it flares up, the food I swallow causes quite a bit of pain and coughing. Prevacid stopped the GERD I suffered from for years, (I no longer wake up during the night choking on my own vomit). I was recently placed back on Prevacid for the chest pains, but I've run out and haven't had a chance to get it refilled, but the pain is going to get me to the pharmacy pretty soon. :frown:

Scorpa, I wonder if you have developed an allergy to something in the coffee. I recently developed a rare allergy to bananas. I love bananas, but one day I ate one and was doubled over in pain. It wasn't after several of these incidents that I realized something was wrong. I can no longer eat bananas. :frown:
 
  • #23
I'm wondering the same thing Evo, it just seems so weird that it just suddenly happened now. I have been drinking coffee for years and had never had a problem before, but these past few months I haven't been able to touch the stuff.
 
  • #24
scorpa said:
I'm wondering the same thing Evo, it just seems so weird that it just suddenly happened now. I have been drinking coffee for years and had never had a problem before, but these past few months I haven't been able to touch the stuff.
Not drinking coffee is SO SAD! It's worse than not eating bananas. :frown:

There is something called Postum which is chicory and you could pretend is coffee.

If I could help you, I would. :cry:
 
  • #25
Try getting a water filter and making your pot with that, I can taste the difference in our morning pot since we started. I also noticed that I drink far less coffee if I make a pot of Starbucks or another higher quality blend. We drink a discount blend at work and find myself drining 5-6 cups, whereas if I drink a high quality coffee, I drink no more than two and that has reduced my stomache discomfort.
 
  • #26
scorpa said:
I'm wondering the same thing Evo, it just seems so weird that it just suddenly happened now. I have been drinking coffee for years and had never had a problem before, but these past few months I haven't been able to touch the stuff.

Months? Ugh! You poor thing!

Every once in a while, I will hit a spell where my stomach says it just won't take any more coffee, but that's usually after I've been doing something that has me drinking way more than usual. At most, I'll go about 2 weeks where I have to cut it out entirely (and switch to tea), but after giving my stomach a rest, it is okay again. Some of that also has to do with the quality of coffee. Some blends are smoother than others. If I'm drinking a lot of cheap coffee (like the stuff you get at the gas station), or really strong, burnt tasting stuff (like Starbucks regular coffee...or a few other "gourmet" blends that aren't made right), that'll usually do it.

When/if I have kids, I'm telling them to never start drinking coffee. It's a horrible addiction when you sit here saying, "Yep, it makes my stomach really sick, but I still want more!"
 
  • #27
Is there any other sort of underlying anxiety or something like that? Any stress that's you've been feeling recently? Anxiety often affects the digestive system and something like coffee can tip it further.
 
  • #28
Evo said:
I have fairly severe problems with my esophagus, but it causes pain, not nausea. When it flares up, the food I swallow causes quite a bit of pain and coughing. Prevacid stopped the GERD I suffered from for years, (I no longer wake up during the night choking on my own vomit). I was recently placed back on Prevacid for the chest pains, but I've run out and haven't had a chance to get it refilled, but the pain is going to get me to the pharmacy pretty soon. :frown:

Scorpa, I wonder if you have developed an allergy to something in the coffee. I recently developed a rare allergy to bananas. I love bananas, but one day I ate one and was doubled over in pain. It wasn't after several of these incidents that I realized something was wrong. I can no longer eat bananas. :frown:
Ouch - that's very unpleasant. Sorry to hear that Evo. My brother had something similar. It seems stress exacerbates the condition.

Evo might be onto something with the food. Now looking at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroesophageal_reflux_disease
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastroesophageal_reflux_disease#Foods
Certain foods and lifestyle are considered to promote gastroesophageal reflux:

Coffee, alcohol, and excessive amounts of Vitamin C supplements are stimulants of gastric acid secretion. Taking these before bedtime especially can promote evening reflux.
May be the coffee (or other foods) is promoting an excess of gastric acid. Check the list of foods to see if others might contribute to too much gastric acid, which could be further exacerbated by coffee.

See also - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000265.htm
 
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  • #29
Speaking of foods...does it matter if you drink the coffee on an empty stomach or after a meal? When it starts to bug me the most, it's usually when I'm just having coffee on an empty stomach. If I eat something else first, I can get my caffeine in without much problems.
 
  • #30
Astronuc said:
Ouch - that's very unpleant. Sorry to hear that Evo. My brother had something similar. It seems stress exacerbates the condition.
Yes, the main remedy cited for GERD is elevating the head during sleep. Well, I slept sitting up for years and I still woke up choking.

Funny all those years while seeing military doctors while my then husband was in Naval Intelligence and there was no treatment except to sleep sitting up and hopefully not die. Then I had a regular physician that diagnosed it and treated it and it was gone within a month. I could have died under military treatment.
 
  • #31
Evo said:
Funny all those years while seeing military doctors while my then husband was in Naval Intelligence and there was no treatment except to sleep sitting up and hopefully not die. Then I had a regular physician that diagnosed it and treated it and it was gone within a month. I could have died under military treatment.

It serves you right for picking the wrong medical condition. You should have been suffering from a gunshot wound instead. :smile:

PS: Glad you got it solved in the end.
 
  • #32
I only drink coffee during or after a meal, so having it on an empty stomach isn't the problem. I never buy crap coffee, usually Tim Hortons or Folgers I make myself. I really don't understand it, I tried searching on the internet to see if I could find out what the deal was out of curiosity but I couldn't find anything relevant.

As for the stress thing, I am one of those people who just seems to be eternally stressed out but I have actually been ok with that lately so I doubt that is it.

I guess it will remain a mystery. Good thing I am not a coffee addict or anything, I just happen to enjoy it :(
 
  • #33
scorpa said:
I only drink coffee during or after a meal, so having it on an empty stomach isn't the problem. I never buy crap coffee, usually Tim Hortons or Folgers I make myself.
:rolleyes: Both of those fall under my category of "crap" coffee. My parents like Folgers, so I had some of that in the house last time they visited. My co-workers like it too, so I brought it into my office, but last time I tried drinking it, despite being so weak, it really made my stomach do a tumble. Tim Hortons is tasty coffee, but that too is horrid on my stomach (the first time I had problems like yours, it was when I was living only a few blocks from a Tim Hortons, so was drinking mostly their coffee). I like Starbucks Italian Roast (dark, but smooth) but brewed at home, not by them (their coffee beans are good, I don't know what they do to them in their stores that makes it all taste so burnt when they brew it though).

I guess it will remain a mystery. Good thing I am not a coffee addict or anything, I just happen to enjoy it :(

Well, if that's the case, let your stomach guide you away from becoming a coffee addict. :wink:
 
  • #34
There are times when coffee has given me problems, and even now a Dunkin' Donuts or Tim Horton's coffee could sour me. That's not the case with the espresso that I make at home, though. I'm not sure why, but I think it's because the hot water is forced through the grounds so quickly that there is little time for acids to leach into the brew. I use an inexpensive brand of coffee (Chock Full of Nuts) and my morning espresso is always tasty. I have had perked and dripped coffee at times that would make me stop at a half-cup, but I drink a BIG mug of fresh espresso every morning with no trouble. If you can find a friend-of-a-friend with an espresso maker, give it a go - preferably on a weekend when the weather is going to be crappy, so you won't be missing out on a nice day if you feel sick and you won't be dragging yourself through classes. I've got a little MaximExpres espresso maker that I took in return for cashing in some air miles, and it's a champ. Last summer some close friends from Pittsburgh stopped in for a visit and I offered them some coffee. They said they'd love some, so I made up a mug-full (my normal daily consumption) of espresso and split it into two cups. They looked a little doubtful about that "strong" coffee, but they both finished theirs and I made up another batch for Barb and myself (she wanted more) and wrote down the name of the machine and the coffee I used. This couple are world travelers and they import artifacts and custom jewelry and clothing made to their specs from all over, though south and southeast Asia are their hot spots, so for them to rave over some home-brewed espresso made from low-priced coffee was surprising. This is their web site. If you are big fan of silver and semi-precious stones, you should probably not click on the link in order to avoid sliding into debt!

http://www.blackstarjewelry.com/
 
  • #35
cyrusabdollahi said:
Coffee is nasty. Soda is much tastier. Crush a mountian dew.


you'll start drinking coffee sooner or later...all engineers do... :biggrin:

Eventually you won't be able to function without it.
 
  • #36
Nope. I hate the stuff.
 
  • #37
I'll have to try espresso turbo, I don't think any of my friends have an espresso maker but maybe one of my parents friends does. I actually mentioned that I couldn't drink coffee any more to my parents and apparently a long time ago my dad went through a period (about a year) where he could not drink the stuff without getting sick...but he is fine now so there is hope for me yet.

That is a neat website your friends have, they have some cool looking stuff on there.

On the plus side today at the farmers market they were giving samples of chai tea, I tried some and I really liked it. It was pretty sweet though so I don't know how much of it I could stand to drink at one time.

edit: Evo I know a few people that just cannot eat bananas without getting sick due to some sort of allergy. I wonder what is in them that causes it.
 
  • #38
scorpa said:
edit: Evo I know a few people that just cannot eat bananas without getting sick due to some sort of allergy. I wonder what is in them that causes it.
No one seems to know. I have been unable to find anything online and my doctor just said "yeah, I've heard of that".

It's a huge cover up by the Chiquita Banana cartel. :devil:
 
  • #39
scorpa said:
edit: I know a few people that just cannot eat bananas without getting sick due to some sort of allergy.

:smile: never heard of that in my life.
 
  • #40
light_bulb said:
:smile: never heard of that in my life.
:devil: I have it.
 
  • #41
Banana allergy (may be associated with sensitivity/allergy to latex) -

http://foodallergens.ifr.ac.uk/food.lasso?selected_food=5

http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1399-3038.2004.00162.x?journalCode=pai

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...ve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12452211&dopt=Abstract
Banana is a frequent cause of food allergy, particularly in latex-sensitized patients.

http://www.allergy-clinic.co.uk/food_allergy_for_doctors.htm (middle of page - see Other Food-Pollen Allergic Reactions)
Ragweed allergic people may react to Melon and Banana

Safety

Bananas and Latex Allergy

Like avocados and chestnuts, bananas and plantain contain substances called chitinases that are associated with the latex-fruit allergy syndrome. There is strong evidence of the cross-reaction between latex and these foods. If you have a latex allergy, you may very likely be allergic to these foods as well.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=7



Well apparently the NIH do not know or understand that there is an allergic response to bananas in some people.
Bananas can help relieve an upset stomach by stimulating the production of mucus from the stomach lining. The mucus creates a barrier between the stomach lining and the acidic gastric substances that cause heartburn and stomach upset.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/9689.htm

Bananas are considered to be a bland food as are dry toast, clear soups, and gelatin.
Part of BRAT diet. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002118.htm

But that will not work if one has an allergy to bananas.
 
  • #42
Thanks Astronuc! It's been hard finding information on it. Years ago when I first had a reaction, there was nothing to be found on it.
 
  • #43
Evo said:
Thanks Astronuc! It's been hard finding information on it. Years ago when I first had a reaction, there was nothing to be found on it.
I'm not surprised. There still seems to be limited circulation of this type of information.

I agree with you on the lack of information. I was surprised that NIH does NOT yet include allergy to bananas. Their BRAT page should have a warning!
 
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  • #44
scorpa said:
On the plus side today at the farmers market they were giving samples of chai tea, I tried some and I really liked it. It was pretty sweet though so I don't know how much of it I could stand to drink at one time.

You can buy the tea and make it yourself. It's basically a spiced assam tea brewed in milk and sugar is added to sweeten it. You can add less sugar if you don't like it. A lot of people buy it already brewed in concentrate and just add milk or water, but I prefer to fresh brew it. Hmm...now I'm wishing I hadn't just put on another pot of coffee, because chai sounds really appealing now.
 
  • #45
Moonbear said:
You can buy the tea and make it yourself. It's basically a spiced assam tea brewed in milk and sugar is added to sweeten it. You can add less sugar if you don't like it. A lot of people buy it already brewed in concentrate and just add milk or water, but I prefer to fresh brew it. Hmm...now I'm wishing I hadn't just put on another pot of coffee, because chai sounds really appealing now.

Yeah they were selling it as a liquid already so I guess it was already brewed in concentrate like you said. I looked on the internet and there are recipes for chai tea but they start off by saying 1) peel and finely chop a root of ginger 2) same for nutmeg 3) do this for about 15 other ingredients so I gave it up as not worth it. But if you can just buy spiced assam tea that would be much easier...I've never heard of that before so I hope the grocery store sells it.
 
  • #46
The grocery store might sell it, since it's pretty popular. If not, send me a PM and I can direct you to an online site to buy it. That's where I order from, but they're pretty pricey, so you might do better in the grocery store if you're on a student budget. :wink:
 
  • #47
Thanks Moonbear I'll look for it next time I am at the grocery store. I think I read somewhere Chai tea is an Indian thing and I happen to live near an Indian store that seems to deal in spices, and other such products so maybe I could find it there as well.
 
  • #48
Now I'm having trouble drinking coffee. I can barely finish my first cup without feeling sloshy and queazy. :frown:

I wonder if Civet poop coffee would help?
 
  • #49
you guys might be suffering from a bit of caffeine poisoning, a classic symptom of which is nausea. just check if you are also drinking a lot of soft drinks and/or energy drinks every day with coffee. it has happened to me before. too much caffeine makes me sick. i popped a vivarin or two once and had a cup of coffee after a few hours. Made me want to throw up real bad http://img.tranceaddict.com/smilies/new/0509/nervous.gif
 
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  • #50
Evo said:
Now I'm having trouble drinking coffee. I can barely finish my first cup without feeling sloshy and queazy. :frown:

I wonder if Civet poop coffee would help?

Oh no not you to. Civet poop coffee doesn't sount terribly appealing haha.

omega_M said:
you guys might be suffering from a bit of caffeine poisoning, a classic symptom of which is nausea. just check if you are also drinking a lot of soft drinks and/or energy drinks every day with coffee. it has happened to me before. too much caffeine makes me sick. i popped a vivarin or two once and had a cup of coffee after a few hours. Made me want to throw up real bad http://img.tranceaddict.com/smilies/new/0509/nervous.gif
[/URL]

I rarely drink pop and when I used to drink coffee it was only a cup or 2 every few days. I defintely had the nausea though. It is weird.
 
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