Caffeine+Studying+Boards = bad combo?

[emlopez2]

So right now Im an MSI student and doing pretty well in all my classes. I would really like to taper off my caffeine use prior to clinicals due to it making my hands shaky as well as increasing any nervousness I might have at the time. As of right now though I think it really helps me with my long periods of studying and it seems to be working as far as my test scores go. Has anybody out there had any trouble as far as combining caffeine use with studying and taking boards? Any suggestions from recovering caffeine addicts would be great. Thanks.

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[Taus]

First of all....how much caffeine are we talking here (ie are you popping no-doz, having 8 cups of starbucks or just like 2-3 cups of coffee per day?)....as w/ most things moderation is key....I don't think anyone will want you holding a scalpal or placing a line/tube during clinicals w/ your hands shaking from caffeine...

Also, try taking frequent breaks during your studying (ie almost hourly) and if you're not already....exercise...im studying for boards right now while taking classes and wouldn't have the necessary mental or physical energy to study w/o exercising

Another thing that I have tried to do is limit my caffeine intake during the days (or at least hours) that I'm not studying

 

[emlopez2]

I only have about 2-3 cups/day, but never the less it still seems to give me the shakes. Im basically just looking for any kind of success story of a past coffee drinker quiting and still being able to do well. Our last unit is only 1 month long so I might just test out the waters by giving it up for the month and see what happens.

 

[Taus]

Except for the shakes part (I guess I'm lucky)...I was pretty much in your shoes last year. (btw 2-3 cups a day is nothing compared to what many med students drink..I was expecting you to say 6-10). If I were you I wouldn't go cold turkey....caffeine withdrawal isn't exactly pleasant even though its tolerable. Tapering down on the coffee, cutting it w/ half decaf or even switching to tea/soda can do the trick and made it easier for me to cut back last year. The cutting the coffee w/ half decaf sounds stupid...but still getting the constant hot sips during studying somehow still helps (gotta love the placebo effect).

That being said...its board studying time....so even w/ all my tricks I'm drinking around 3 cups a day....I guess there's worse habits that I could have..

 

[fun8stuff]

i average 3-4 cups of coffee/tea/diet soda per day. I am not too worried about it. I will probably work on quitting after residency unless I end up doing an easy residency.

 

[Roy7]

I have half a nodoz every morning. Now,that doesnt seem like a lot (1 nodoz = 1 cup of coffee) - but any morning where I dont have that half a nodoz I start falling asleep everywhere then by mid afternoon I've got this headache and am sleepy for the rest of the day.

It sucks. I plan on detoxing a few days before going to Pass so caffiene can have the optimal effect when I get there.

 

[DragonWell]

EtOH might help with the shakes...🙄
Just tell the attending you need a couple shots before placing that central line.

Seriously, though, I'm also pretty sensitive to caffeine, but I find green tea gives me just the right amount of lift w/o the negative effects of coffee.

Green tea also has theanine in it, which increases relaxation and alertness. Might try substituting some for coffee and see how it goes.

 

[Taus]

on another note....diet mt. dew is the $hit....quality caffeine

 

[stargirl50]

I took the Kaplan class for MCATs and somehow they convinced me to quit drinking coffee before taking that test. Worst idea ever. I think I quit drinking coffee like a month before the test and I was probably living in a fog the whole time. I don't drink all that much coffee either-- 16 oz every morning and maybe 1 smaller cup in the afternoon if I'm dragging like once a week. I think you might be able to quit and still be able to think clearly but I would seriously give it a couple months before your brain works like used to when it had the caffeine.

 

[doctalk2]

I took the Kaplan class for MCATs and somehow they convinced me to quit drinking coffee before taking that test. Worst idea ever. I think I quit drinking coffee like a month before the test and I was probably living in a fog the whole time. I don't drink all that much coffee either-- 16 oz every morning and maybe 1 smaller cup in the afternoon if I'm dragging like once a week. I think you might be able to quit and still be able to think clearly but I would seriously give it a couple months before your brain works like used to when it had the caffeine.

Au contraire, try quitting. You will feel awkward the first few days - you should be fine after that!

 

[stargirl50]

I have half a nodoz every morning. Now,that doesnt seem like a lot (1 nodoz = 1 cup of coffee) - but any morning where I dont have that half a nodoz I start falling asleep everywhere then by mid afternoon I've got this headache and am sleepy for the rest of the day.

It sucks. I plan on detoxing a few days before going to Pass so caffiene can have the optimal effect when I get there.

Why do you take nodoz instead of coffee/tea/soda/etc? Just curious-- for me, half the effect is sitting in my car or in lecture with my big thermal mug and knowing that coffee's gonna wake me up 🙂

 

[Roy7]

Why do you take nodoz instead of coffee/tea/soda/etc? Just curious-- for me, half the effect is sitting in my car or in lecture with my big thermal mug and knowing that coffee's gonna wake me up 🙂

Its just easier. my schedule has me sleeping for like 5 hrs a night. And when I first wake up I'm walking around the room bumping into walls, falling asleep while brushing teeth, etc - having half a caf tab is a lot easier than making a cup of coffee - plus calories - coffee w/milk and sugar (how I like it) has more unnecessary calories.

I tried a "study drug" and it just felt like a super caffiene pill, my conculsion - caffeine is the way ot go!

 

[gluon999]

Here is what worked for me....

1) Find a span of few days when you don't have to study all day, preferably a long weekend (after an exam).

2) Get plenty of sleep and when you wake up, drink tea instead of coffee. Drink the black/grey tea which has about 40% the amount of caffeine in an avg. cup of coffee.

3) You might get a headache later in the day (depending on how much coffee you used to drink)...just pop an aspirin.

4) After a few days, you should stop getting the headaches as your body gets used to the dip in caffeine.


If you want to get rid of the tea habit too, just wait for another long weekend and follow the same steps but use caffeinated soda instead of tea.

In short, what worked for me was to taper off the habit, rather than to go cold turkey. Hope this helps.

 

[automan2]

I would change the title of this thread to: Caffiene+Studying+Boards = GOOD idea!


Seriously, I don't drink caffiene. I get average grades. I look at my friends who get stellar grades, and they drink TONS of coffee. They study much more than I do because they are alert and ready to go.

Alternative Hypothesis: If you were to poll the top half of the class compared to the bottom half, you will find the top half drinks way more caffiene.

I find that if I can drink a red bull (or some kind of energy drink) I study much better and much longer, so I intend to INCREASE my caffiene intake before the boards! HA

 

[emlopez2]

Wow thanks for the comments everybody. So for those of you who did completely quit coffee, did you notice any difference in your test performance? Did it take longer to learn the same info or did your thought process remain the same once the caffeine was out of your system?