I have bipolar disorder and have been diagnosed for at least 5 years. I have heard many horror stories of many different herbs conflicting with pharmaceutical medications for bipolar specifically. I personally have suffered extreme manic episodes prior to diagnosis and medication. I have also experienced the real lows. But I drink coffee now about every other day, and I never have any problems. I would stick with something like coffee or green tea, but not any herbs which might trigger symptoms. The last thing you want is to lose control of your mind, right? hope this helps, karen

When they say it's different than caffeine what they mean is that the actual molecule that produces stimulation is called matteine. I've drank yerba mate for 5 years. I can tell you that it's better for you than coffee, but I still get the same withdrawal symptoms. Maybe a little bit milder.

I buy one can of decaf coffee and one can of regular and mix them together. It still gives me a little lift but not enough to make me feel crazy or jittery (plus it enables me to buy some yummy flavored coffee and have more choices than with just decaf)...I think it has to do with your individual chemistry.

One thing to keep in mind is that the tannins in tea and coffee can be sort of hard on your kidneys so if you're on a med that's hard on your kidneys anyway (lithium for instance) you have to ensure you're drinking extra water. Ditto on anything that can dehydrate you. Caffeine (and so is yerba mate) is a diuretic and you need to adjust your fluids accordingly.