the perils of caffein pills

[gib65]

Hi,

 

Are caffein pills more dangerous for you than a cup of coffee? I'm wondering because, on occasion, I take caffein pills. I know caffein in general can do damage to your kidneys over the longhaul (by increasing your blood pressure), but can the same amount of caffein in pill form do worse or other damaging things? The only thing I can think of is that caffein pills hit your system faster than a cup of coffee (more caffein consumed at higher concentration) and your body may not be prepared for the impact. In fact, I used to take a couple caffein pills first thing in the morning before I even got out of bed (I'd take them, and half an hour more of snoozing, I'd be wide awake). I've stopped doing this because I was afraid that going from an intensely sedated and groggy state to one of full awakeness in such a short period of time might be too much for my system.

 

What do the experts say?

[iNow]

The experts say to get your energy from proper diet and exercise, as well as regular sleep patterns.

 

 

After that, you can take all the uppers and downers you want until you die like Elvis did shitting on the toilet.

[gib65]

The experts say to get your energy from proper diet and exercise, as well as regular sleep patterns.

 

I eat well and exercise regularly. As for sleep, I usually get between 7-8 hours every night, but I've got a busy schedule and it's hard.

 

 

After that, you can take all the uppers and downers you want until you die like Elvis did shitting on the toilet.

 

So is that a no - as in, no there's no difference in health effects between coffee and caffein pills?

[DrDNA]

After that, you can take all the uppers and downers you want until you die like Elvis did shitting on the toilet.

 

ROFL

 

Gib,

I think mg of caffine for mg of caffine, that coffee and caffine pills have about the same safety profile. Except it is much easier to take a lot of pills really quickly than it is to take drink too much hot coffee. If you drink too much hot coffee too fast, you'll scald your tongue and then fill up your tummy (then your bladder).

You certainly should not take too much of either. It can raise you blood pressure (as you mentioned) and make your heart work overtime. Plus, if you take caffine for a while and stop, you'll have to deal with headaches and that awful drowsy feeling for a while.

 

You should do what Elvis, I mean iNow, said.

 

This post is not intended to take the place of medical advice from a medical professional. If you have any questions, see your doctor.

Para Espanol, prensa uno.

For English, press two.

If this is an emergency, please dial 911.

If you are being chased by angry dogs, run.

[YT2095]

Para Espanol, prensa uno.

For English, press two.

If this is an emergency, please dial 911.

If you are being chased by angry dogs, run.

for all other Drug related queries, press the Hash key.

[ydoaPs]

The experts say to get your energy from proper diet and exercise, as well as regular sleep patterns.

 

Some of us don't have that option. I only used caffiene pills in "A" School, though and not even regularly then.

[iNow]

It asked, "What do the experts say?" They say do it natural with diet, exercise, and regular sleep patterns (notice the use of the word "patterns," not just "get enough sleep.").

 

I drink caffeine all of the time. Sometimes like 4 or 5 cups by mid morning. It depends on how much amp I need to get through my tasks.

 

 

If you're truly worried about the health effects, drink green tea instead, or go get a smoothie. It really is amazing what a surge of fruits and vegetables and vitamins can do for your energy levels.

 

Avoid the pills where possible though. Get ginseng extract if you must, but the pills aren't exactly a positive experience for your metabolism and cleansing mechanisms.

 

Good luck.

 

 

 

Where's the ANY key?

[Phi for All]

If you have any questions, see your doctor.

Para Espanol, prensa uno.

For English, press two.

If this is an emergency, please dial 911.

If you are being chased by angry dogs, run.

If this is caffeine or Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder related, press 3 repeatedly.

[badchad]

Caffeine is one of (if not the most) widely consumed drug in the world.

 

There are very few health effects of caffeine (regardless of the source). There are reports suggesting beneficial effects of antioxidants in coffee, but other than that you have essentially nothing to worry about.

[John Cuthber]

My advice would be to drink coffee, and talk to someone while you make and drink it. People are usually a good for people.

[gib65]

It really is amazing what a surge of fruits and vegetables and vitamins can do for your energy levels.

 

HA! I should try binging on a whole bunch of vitamins one day and see how I feel

[ydoaPs]

HA! I should try binging on a whole bunch of vitamins one day and see how I feel

A lot of the really good energy drinks are loaded with B vitamins instead of caffiene.

[DrDNA]

HA! I should try binging on a whole bunch of vitamins one day and see how I feel

 

Just make sure they are water soluble (C, B, etc...). You can easily get a toxic dose of fat soluble vitamins, for example, vit E.

[ydoaPs]

Just make sure they are water soluble (C, B, etc...). You can easily get a toxic dose of fat soluble vitamins, for example, vit E.

 

Yep, you just urinate all of the unused water soluble vitamins.

[michael]

Caffeine jags the adrenals into releasing sugar & adrenalin? into the system

I would not recommend continual use of the pills.

(BTW they are often prescribed for migraine sufferers)

 

 

Some research has suggested that caffeine increases stress levels.

Taking a coffee break at work can boost your stress not relieve it, say U.K. researchers. But men and women react to caffeine in different ways.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2004/1046946.htm

also

A gene that controls how fast your body breaks down caffeine might explain why some people can get away with drinking lots of coffee and others can't, new research suggests.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2006/1586620.htm

 

If you are female and likely to fall pregnant, watch caffeine intake

the New England Journal of Medicine has found that women who drink the equivalent of more than five cups of coffee a day are more than twice as likely to miscarry as non or low coffee drinkers.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/1999/69046.htm?health

Caffeine may also affect fertility

Caffeine may affect fertility

Men and women undergoing infertility treatment should re-think their coffee habit, recent evidence suggests.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/stories/s631804.htm

 

Don't let me put you off Coffee it has a lot of positive health properties too.

 

It is extremely complex chemically(Partly due to the roasting process). This is the reason flavour chemists have never come up with a good coffee flavour despite years of trying.

 

 

You might like to test your knowledge of caffeine here at this Quiz:-

http://www.abc.net.au/science/quizzes/caffeine/

 

Green tea is probably the healthiest way of getting caffeine into you.

Toss the pills; enjoy the herb.

[DrDNA]

Green tea is probably the healthiest way of getting caffeine into you.

Toss the pills; enjoy the herb.

 

 

Yes, many green teas are high in polyphenols (flavonoids), which have antioxidant activities. These flavonoids are destroyed to a large degee when "regular" tea becomes oxidized in storage or during processing.

 

Many teas are not as high in caffine levels as coffee. Values vary greatly, but tea usually has about 1/2 to 1/4 the amount of caffine that coffee contains. However, tea (but not some herbal teas of course) contains caffine's methylxanthine brother, theophyline, which has less activity in the brain, but a MUCH longer half life and packs one heck of a punch on the kidneys, heart and resiratory system in particular. Theophylline is a medical and home treatment for asthma, bronchitis, and emphesyma and can even be obtained via prescription. I always laugh when I see people buy or use "decaffinated tea" because they don't want to stay up at night or get stimulated.....most of the theophyline is still in there and it carries a big, much longer acting systemic

punch.

 

Theobromine is another methylxanthine brother, that is found in high levels in coca products like chocolate, but it lacks the punch. If I recall correctly theobromine has about 1/10 the stimulating effect of caffine. Many teas also contain a tiny amount of theobromine.

[1veedo]

A cup of green tea has about a third as much caffeine as coffee. 35ish mg in green tea vs 110 in coffee. Some of the green tea you can buy at like a gas station (pre-brewed) has added caffeine though.

Theophylline

Theophyline is the same stuff in chocolate, and kills dogs if you give them too much. Theophyline isn't necessarily toxic, dogs just don't metabolize it as fast as humans.

 

Btw I hear meth is a pretty big stimulant. Keeps you up all night so you can do your homework. It's pretty bad for you though, much worse than caffeine.

[DrDNA]

Theophyline is the same stuff in chocolate, and kills dogs if you give them too much. Theophyline isn't necessarily toxic, dogs just don't metabolize it as fast as humans.

 

Btw I hear meth is a pretty big stimulant. Keeps you up all night so you can do your homework. It's pretty bad for you though, much worse than caffeine.

 

Uhm, theobromine is the stuff that is toxic to dogs in chocolate.

it is the main methylxanthine in chocolate. Theophylline and theobromine are both dimethylxanthines, but they have different positions for the methyl groups on their xanthine rings. Caffine is trimethylxanthine.

 

Yes, methamphetamine is a BIG stimulant and a BIG shitter on peoples' lives; the lives of both the user and their loved ones. It is not anywhere near the same league as the methylxanthines....which are for the most part relatively harmless. Like heroine, meth is one of those drugs that, for some people at least, one try = addicition = destruction.

[1veedo]

Oops my bad lol I meant theobromine. Theobromine is what everyone usually talks about when discussing green tea -- it's a mood elevator and is responsible for green tea's calming effect. It (and other flavanols) also stimulate NO2 production in the body which is why green tea is good for your heart.

[Revenged]

Theophylline is a medication for asthma btw...

[insane_alien]

yes it is used to treat asthma but it is also a breakdown product of caffeine the concentrations in asthma medicine are much much higher though.

[michael]

Theophylline is a medication for asthma btw...

You might find this list interesting?

 

Plants Containing THEOPHYLLINE

Ordered by quantity

 

Theobroma cacao L. -- Cacao Seed 3,254-4,739 ppm

 

Paullinia cupana KUNTH ex H.B.K. -- Guarana Seed 570 ppm

 

Ilex paraguariensis ST. HIL. -- Mate, Paraguay Tea, South American Holly Leaf 500 ppm

 

Theobroma bicolor HBK. -- Nicaraguan Cacao, Pataste Fruit 453-522 ppm

 

Theobroma cacao L. -- Cacao 130-257 ppm

 

Theobroma bicolor HBK. -- Nicaraguan Cacao, Pataste Seed 210-211 ppm

 

Theobroma cacao L. -- Cacao Petiole 58-188 ppm

 

Theobroma angustifolium -- Castarica, Emerald Cacao 113-116 ppm

Seed 84-96 ppm

Petiole 47-52 ppm

 

Camellia sinensis (L.) KUNTZE -- Tea Leaf 4 ppm

 

Sun Oct 21 11:29:53 EDT 2007

[Revenged]

tbh i don't think theophylline is used for asthma all that much... it is given orally (in a tablet form or liquid) and the only time i think where it may be used is when children refuse to take inhallers... but they aren't very good drugs for causing brochodilation... as they are a lot less selective in their action compared to salbutamol (which is b2 agonist inhaller)... but i think it may be given intravenously in emergency situations... i'm not totally sure on that...

 

You might find this list interesting?

 

100-3000 ppm (parts per million) doesn't sound paticulary high to me...

[1veedo]

Trace amounts of a lot of things can have big effects on your body.

[insane_alien]

botulinum toxin has a LD50 of 1ng/kg body mass. i would definitely count that as a trace element having a big effect. compared o this 100-3000ppm is quite a high concentration.