Bipolar Disorder/caffeine

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Expert: - 11/3/2004


Question
Hi Dr. Goldberg,

I am bipolar. I have just quit drinking caffeine a week ago (i used to drink sevaral cups of coffee a day).  I quit because i heard that it might be bad for my mood disorder.

i was wondering if this is true. should i continue to abstain from coffee or does it not really matter?  

Answer
Hi . . .

I tell my patients that up to about 200 mg per day of caffeine is not likely to make any mischief but that more than that amount should be avoided. That is equivalent to 2 cups per day. Of course, if an individual feels that Even that much has unfortunate effects it should be avoided.

Best regards . . .

Ivan
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Bipolar Disorder

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Ivan Goldberg, M.D.

Expertise

I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.

Experience

I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.

A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine

I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html

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