Does caffeine directly antagonize benzos?

[paranoid android]

Ive been taking clonazepam every day now for awile. Ive been told by my doctor to try and cut out all caffeine as well to reduce my anxiety. But ive been unable to cut out my morning cup of coffee because of the splitting headaches i get without it. Even percocet fails to get rid of the headaches.

I read somewhere that caffeine is a gaba antagonist. So am i greatly reducing the effects of the clonazepam or would the difference without the caffeine only be minimal?

 

[rashandreflex]

caffeine is an adenosine antagonist. adenosine is released to induce sleep, so antagonizing it keeps people awake. i don't *think* caffeine affects GABA. probably your doctor told you not to drink coffee bc caffeine itself can cuase anxiety (not bc it will interfere with the action of clonazepam.)

 

[jasoncrest]

A google search shows that:
-Caffeine decreases GABA release (it interfers with its metabolism, it interfers with the molecules binding to GABA receptors, etc...)
-you would have to take a toxic dose of Caffeine to completely block only 20% GABA-A receptors
-you can also read many things like "Caffeine can neutralize the effects of benzodiazepine tranquilizers such as diazepam"

There are many many pages about that, and I think there is some truth behind it. A search on pubmed would be useful.

 

[paranoid android]

I also read the article saying that a toxic dose of caffeine only blocks 20% of the gaba-a receptors. I didnt find anything saying that caffiene blocks the effects of benzos though. But i guess it would only make sense that any drug that inhibits the release of gaba would make benzos less effective.

 

[BilZ0r]

Caffeine binds to benzo receptors with an affinity constant of somewhere around 30-300 microM [1]. Now seeing as it's affinity for adenosine receptors is in about the same range, I think caffeine really could block benzos effects.

 

[paranoid android]

Thanks for clearing that up. I may have to try and get off the caffeine then, as much as i like my morning cup of coffee.