So - as we all know, if you have anxiety, consuming stimulants is probably not the best idea in the world.

However I'd like to think that coffee *can* have a place in some of our lives in moderation. 

Typically, I do fine with up to about 3 cups of coffee per day. I typically make Turkish coffee which is kinda obscure but - for folks who have never heard of it - probably best compared to espresso. 

Recently I decided to check out cold brew coffee making. You basically let coffee sit in water for a long time at room or fridge temp (in other words, no hot water).

I was a bit wary of the caffeine content so, earlier this week, crunched some numbers. After doing so, I discovered a few things that made me kinda nervous:

1) It's possible to fit more caffeine in water than is safe for virtually everyone

2) Caffeine extraction from cold brew is comparable to hot brew although the quantity of coffee used is typically a lot more. The long infusion time sort of compensates fully for the lower extraction rate of cold vs. hot water. 

I've spent the last few days fighting off a nasty cold. I should probably still be in bed recuperating but I had work to do. So I turned to coffee.

I went through my usual daily batch of cold brew coffee. But because I was feeling extra tired I decided to crack open tomorrow's batch. And apparently I wasn't being very good about being careful about my consumption (I make a liter per day and pour it into a Nalgene so that I can consume it slowly and carefully).

To cut a long story short, I went through the equivalent of 4 cups of regular coffee in about 20 minutes. 

The result was the first panic attack I have experienced in about 6 years (I take Lexapro daily and this has brought my anxiety well under control). We're talking about a full on panic attack here - the world is ending, I'm about to die, etc. My heart was beating super fast and I was sweating profusely.

Thankfully I had a Xanax on hand for emergencies and, within an hour, I was beginning to feel a bit better.

But the experience was terrifying. There's no way I would have consumed 4 cups of (hot) coffee in such a period but with cold brew it was easy.

**TL,DR:** Cold brew coffee is an awesome coffee brewing method but it also makes it really easy to accidentally overdose on coffee. I did just that and experienced a massive panic attack that was extremely unpleasant. If you're dealing with anxiety but choose to consume coffee, then be extra vigilant about this particular brewing method.