Caffeine Tablets

[neil7818]

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Someone had mentioned before the possible adverse effects of caffeine tablets - but I was wondering whether or not over the counter tablets (namly Vivarin) which claim to only have as much caffiene as a cup of coffee are equally risky?

Pills definitly beats coffee when it comes to mobility...

Thanks,
Neil

 

[UDbiochem]

a friend was addicted to the caffeine pill Vivarin for a year or so. he had a job at night and took it to stay awake while driving home. went through all the withdrawal symptoms too when he tried to quit. he did finally quit, but it was bad.

i would advise against using them.

 

[finnpipette]

i would strongly advise against using caffeine pills. i was addicted to that crap in high school. i always used that stuff to get through my work, then i would crash and puke and die. it sucked. when i tried to get off of it, i had major headaches, shivers, etc. all that good stuff. don't use it. suck it up and get through it.

 

[damntexan]

it will give you the shakes and make your pupils dilate like you are on crack...fight the urge....

 

[Heal&Teach]

Caffeine actually does the opposite of what you want it to do... especially in large amounts. Try good ole' 100% agua. Tastes like nothing, but it won't leave you feeling groggy and jittery in the morning. Usually water and regular exercise will do a lot more for you in terms of providing energy, and they're habits that certainly aren't bad to have. Best of luck to you.

Sincerely,
Caffeine Free

 

[Nor2themax]

All the medical research I've read says caffeine is not possibly addicted physically because it doesn't stay in your system. I guess it could be addictive in the fact that you start on weird hours of sleep and you have to have more caffeine to stay up... medical knowledge says withdrawal symptoms aren't possible. The headaches are usually from dehydration or lack of sleep 😉 Don't know if this is right but this is what I've read in journals. I drink a lot of cofee to study and take vivarin to drive home and have never had adverse affects except having to pee a LOT!

 

[DannGee]

as far as physical effects, it's exactly the same as coffee (obviously). they're no more addictive than drinking coffee- in fact, and i dont have any scientific basis for this, but it seems that coffee would be more addictive because its a bit more ritualistic. Pills have the advantage that they won't stain your teeth (or your clothes, should you spill coffee). However, it's kind of hard to regulate your dose when you're taking a pill, as compared to coffee- one vivarin could be too much for you and you would get the jitteriness and other side effects mentioned above.

 

[logos]

i was addicted to that crap in high school

This was me too...by the end of highschool I was taking about a gram of caffiene a day...plus a little ephedrine before weight lifting...

I think if you're reasonable the pills likely carry a minimal risk...I dont see how it would be different from consuming the equivalent in coffee or pop in a short period of time...certainly taking a caffiene pill is a lot safer than driving whilst asleep...i have some pills around here somewhere...but havent used 'em in ages...its been mt dew (blech..!) and coffee mostly so far this year

I think they also seem to loose some of their effectiveness as you take them more often...

 

[DrBodacious]

Caffine is caffeine, pills are fine although taking them w food is a good idea. I take no-doz on occasion, probably 2 days a week, cause I hate brewing coffee than waiting for it to cool and then drinking it before it gets cold, spilling it in the car etc...

I take half a pill though which is 100mg caffeine. What I'm trying to say is that 1 no-doz is too much caffeine for my taste so figure it out for youself. 50mg ~ 8oz of coffee.

Oh yea, caffeine is definatly addictive, duh!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=1441496&dopt=Abstract

On a lighter note, caffeine may reduce the incidence of Parkinson's disease!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...ve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12891669&dopt=Abstract

 

[Megalofyia]

Do you ever get a weird feeling when you take no doz?

 

[DrBodacious]

Originally posted by Megalofyia
Do you ever get a weird feeling when you take no doz?

Nah, just like I would from coffee. Before I read up on caffeine doses I was taking a whole no-doz which was enough to make me jittery though.

I also would like to reinforce that caffeine is addictive. It de-sensitizes neuron connections, as such you'll be tired if you quit after taking it consistantly for a long duration. Although it apparantly helps with Parkinson's that was a joke because it is not something you want to be addicted to.

 

[Nor2themax]

This is such an interesting topic for people like us who need caffeine to get into med school 🙂 hehe. Here are two links to articles which argue caffeine is NOT addictive

http://www.star.niu.edu/campus/articles/110102-buzz.asp

http://www.channel4000.com/sh/health/conditionsaz/news-health-990323-091252.html

I don't know where I stand, but I'm not gonna stop drinking my morning coffee!

 

[Teufelhunden]

I would have never made it this far in life if it wasn't for caffeine.

I'm dead serious.

 

[spumoni620]

i'd tend to go w/pubmed and the nih on this one 🙂

but, at the same time, caffeine in moderation has been shown to have promise in reducing/preventing chances for parkinson's disease.

my take on it: everything in moderation. it just seems that if ppl have been having such violent withdrawal symptoms w/the pills it can't be a good thing for the body.

p.s. the person who suggested h20 was on target - at least in my case...that stuff helped me slog thru some tough nights....

 

[OSUdoc08]

I did a science experiment in the 8th grade, that I one first place in.

I fed caffeine (Vivarin) to mealworms. They had significantly faster development, and thus finished out their life much more quickly. (Meaning they died alot sooner.)