Why does coffee make some people panic?
Lack of specific association between panicogenic properties of caffeine and HPA-axis activation. A placebo-controlled study of caffeine challenge in patients with panic disorder.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
People who had panic attacks after caffeine showed no greater hormone spikes than those who didn’t panic.
Common belief is that panic attacks are caused by runaway stress hormones — but this study proves the opposite: the hormones rise the same whether you panic or not.
Practical Takeaways
If you have panic disorder, try cutting out caffeine for 2 weeks to see if your panic attacks decrease.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
People who had panic attacks after caffeine showed no greater hormone spikes than those who didn’t panic.
Common belief is that panic attacks are caused by runaway stress hormones — but this study proves the opposite: the hormones rise the same whether you panic or not.
Practical Takeaways
If you have panic disorder, try cutting out caffeine for 2 weeks to see if your panic attacks decrease.
Publication
Journal
Psychiatry research
Year
2015
Authors
V. Masdrakis, M. Markianos, P. Oulis
Related Content
Claims (6)
Consuming caffeine increases the production of ACTH, which in turn causes higher levels of cortisol in the body than what would normally occur based on the body's daily rhythm.
In people diagnosed with panic disorder, consuming 400 mg of caffeine triggers panic attacks in about half of them, but this reaction does not correspond to higher levels of stress hormones like ACTH, cortisol, or DHEAS compared to those who do not have a panic attack, suggesting the panic response is not driven by activation of the HPA axis.
Caffeine causes similar increases in stress-related hormones in people with panic disorder and in people without it, meaning this hormone response cannot be used to identify panic attacks specifically.
In people with panic disorder, panic attacks triggered by caffeine occur without measurable changes in cortisol, ACTH, or DHEAS levels, suggesting these attacks may arise from brain pathways that do not rely on these specific stress hormones.
In controlled settings, a 400-mg dose of caffeine triggers panic attacks in about half of people diagnosed with panic disorder, while a placebo does not cause panic attacks in this group.