Energy Drinks of the Stars (Med Students)

[MsKrispyKreme]

What beverages do you drink in order to stay awake just prior to an exam? And explain the reason behind your choice inclding taste. I'm analyzing different drinks... 🙂

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[DrYoda]

Plain black coffee. Tasty, cheap and convenient.

 

[xanthomondo]

I don't drink any of that crap.

I don't think I've ever really had to stay up the entire night before an exam, though. If you continuously have to do that then you're putting yourself too far behind when exams come around.

 

[ruralmd]

We drink Pepsi Max around these parts. Its loaded with a lot of things to keep you up.

 

[njbmd]

Water and perhaps an occasional Diet Coke (Tab when I can get it). Too much caffeine can work against you in terms of keeping you alert for strong performance on exams. A caffeinated soda or two isn't that bad (sugary) or even a cup of coffee (or espresso) but as one of the posters above said, you should not be trying to do all nighters in medical school. You start to get diminishing returns on your effort and the caffeine jolt isn't that good and may not work well for you.

Keeping hydrated can help keep you alert. Doing something aerobic (walking a flight or two of steps) to break up the monotony/stress of studying can make you more efficient. You also need to rest at some point. The aerobic exercise helps to cut the stress and the water helps to keep your brain lubricated. Add some fiber for regularity and you will be set but keep the caffeinated beverages to a minimum.

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

Who said anything about pulling all-nighters, guys? 😕

In fact, I wrote this with my early morning 8am exams in mind. (I'm not a morning person so I need a pick-me-up so that I'm alert.)

Leave it to SDN to give a stern paternalistic lecture when all I was trying to do was find a tasty alternative to my once per week Starbucks habit. 🙄

 

[Jorski]

Leave it to SDN to give a stern paternalistic lecture when all I was trying to do was find a tasty alternative to my once per week Starbucks habit. 🙄

OR.... trying to look out for a fellow student 🙂.

Anyway, to answer your question: plain black coffee, Dunkin Doughnuts style. Now its not so much about the caffeine but about the taste. The taste and warmth just kind of wakes me up in the morning. I have an auto coffee pot that brews right before I leave for school. I carry a travel mug, and drink 4 cups in about an hour and a half.

I have found that I prefer Dunkin Doughnuts coffee over Starbucks.

It rocks.

Oh, an aside: I have no hair and am a dude, so from the time I roll out of bed to the time I walk out the door, it takes about 20 mins. By the time I drive to school (about 30 min if traffic cooperates) I am still groggy and out of it. On my 8 am test days, I wake up at 6 and kick it at home with some coffee til I wake up. I have found this helps.

 

[Jolie South]

Coke Zero or fresh ground coffee made in a French Press. Making my own is cheaper than buying the liquid crack at the coffee shop at school. That stuff is so strong I swear I get palpitations after drinking it.

I drink my coffee with fat free vanilla CoffeeMate and a little sugar.

 

[MilkmanAl]

I'm with njbmd. Water and exercise are the way to go.

 

[Jolie South]

I'm with njbmd. Water and exercise are the way to go.

I tell myself this, but can't help drinking 1-2 caffeinated beverages a day. 😳

I guess I like the taste too.

 

[Mattabet]

Cold water, and get enough sleep. I'm with the caffeine minimalists above.

Though I'll have a can of coke now and then. I love the smell of coffee and it's derivatives, but I can't stand the taste.

 

[meister]

I drink a lot of cold water, have a cup of coffee in the AM, and if I'm studying late for a test I'll have another cup of coffee or possibly a red bull.

Too much caffeine can be bad the night before a test though, when it's 2AM and you can't sleep.

 

[J ROD]

Go Green!!! I do the "Dew".

Mountain Dew that is!!

I love the taste of it and I cant quit. I have tried many times with no luck!!

I also drink alot of water too!

 

[ILikeFood]

Red Bull. I tried getting off the Bull for awhile and ended up getting headaches and sleeping alot so now I drink one a day. Sounds healthy, doesn't it? If I find I need more caffeine later on, I usually go with a coffee.

 

[reedman]

FTW!!!l

 

[meister]

FTW!!!l

200mg of caffeine is like 3-4 cups of coffee. No thanks, I like having a pulse under 120.

 

[Jolie South]

200mg of caffeine is like 3-4 cups of coffee. No thanks, I like having a pulse under 120.

Seriously, I took these once on a really long drive to stay awake. (I'm the first to admit that was a bad decision). I got to my destination and proceeded to vomit and sweat profusely for a couple of hours.

 

[p30doc]

water

 

[J ROD]

200mg of caffeine is like 3-4 cups of coffee. No thanks, I like having a pulse under 120.

When I feel really sluggish, I have popped 1/2 tablet before. It made me pee too much for me to use regularly.

 

[Mace1370]

I have a cup of coffee everyone morning to get going (I am not a morning person). That's typically all the caffeine I have, unless I am staying up late the night before an exam to get an extra couple hours of review in. Then I'll drink a rockstar on the way to class in addition to the coffee. Rockstar > Red bull because of the taste, IMO.

 

[ZagDoc]

Coffee. Those energy drinks give me palpitations. Its hard to write when you're that jittery.

 

[coldweatherblue]

I'm a daily coffee drinker but I actually cut down on caffeine during exams because my memory and concentration is better when I'm decaffeinated. I usually make the switch from coffee to green tea about a week before exams start.

 

[450med]

Coffee. Those energy drinks give me palpitations. Its hard to write when you're that jittery.

Green tea for studying and a single cup of coffee if it's an 8 am exam and I can't drag myself out of bed. Starbucks Skinny green tea mistos are great though: not too expensive, low cal, great tasting, with only a bit of caffeine!

 

[studentologist]

Monster was my caffeine of choice for a year, but I've switched to coffee the past few months. I feel safer drinking something natural, plus it's supposed to reduce your risk for Alzheimers! Really. Look it up. Google-scholar.

 

[hrandani]

I do whatever it takes.

I boil milk + coffee + splenda for a late night, slam redbulls until my desk looks like a landfill to change things up, black tea to take the edge off of a long day, shotgun hot black coffee in the morning. Green tea in the afternoon to relax.

Used to do the high sugar drinks, tons of Dr. Pepper + Mt. Dew; Monster and Bawls at LAN parties, etc. But I've moved on to stuff that's relatively easier on my body these days.

Don't really understand the sentiment that caffeine is somehow an evil drug. I've gone months without it, sure but I just can't seem to buckle down and memorize without it. Maybe I'm just self-medicating. I heard dexedrine was all the rage back in the day, whatevs.

 

[MossPoh]

I'm with njbmd. Water and exercise are the way to go.

A little bit of caffeine before the exercise increases performance. 😉 I go WAY over that little bit, but I also have a very high tolerance. I used to drink near 2 POTS of coffee a day. Evidently, it was my self treatment for ADD.


The absolute best energy drink on the market is Spike. It isn't even close compared to the others in my opinion. 0 Calories, enjoyable (enough) taste, and 300 mg of caffeine in an original red bull sized can. It also has less of the jitters than near anything else. Just be careful with it. I made the mistake of drinking an entire one before a workout and I couldn't even put my key in the ignition in between my dry heaving from my HR being so high.

Oh, and I've never pulled an all nighter my entire life.

 

[FrickenhugeMD]

I'll have an occasional mocha (I have an espresso machine) or red bull in the early afternoon if I am having an after lunch lull and need a kick in the pants.

I don't know why some people think red bull is loaded with caffine, it only has 80 mg in the normal sized can. That is around the amount of a normal cup of weak coffee (70-120mg depening on if it is instant, how it was brewed, ect.)

 

[dizzfire]

TEA TEA TEA and MATE MATE MATE!!!!!!

 

[khadija]

1 cup of coffee (with cream and sugar) with dinner to help me stay alert while i study during the night. eating makles me sleepy 🙂

 

[Nikki2002]

you might think those Starbucks double shots are wimpy but try drinking 4 of them during the mcat!!! HOLY CRAP I WAS SO JITTERY! Those really work...but maybe stick to just drinking one. made for a kick ass verbal score tho.


Amp tastes great--way better than other energy drinks i've had. But i'm not a big energy drink person....

I prob drink @ least 4-5 cups of (home brewed) coffee a day. That's my drug of choice. rite now i have pumpkin pie creamer.....mmmmmm that's the sheet!


if i'm trying to sound like everyone else on here then....."I only drink decaf natural organic fair trade green tea. and if i'm feeling really naughty I might watch the sound of music until I fall asleep"

 

[MossPoh]

I'll have an occasional mocha (I have an espresso machine) or red bull in the early afternoon if I am having an after lunch lull and need a kick in the pants.

I don't know why some people think red bull is loaded with caffine, it only has 80 mg in the normal sized can. That is around the amount of a normal cup of weak coffee (70-120mg depening on if it is instant, how it was brewed, ect.)

Don't you know, B vitamins are miracle works. 😛

 

[ruralmd]

if i'm trying to sound like everyone else on here then....."I only drink decaf natural organic fair trade green tea. and if i'm feeling really naughty I might watch the sound of music until I fall asleep"

 

[MossPoh]

I couldn't watch the sound of music to fall asleep. I get too excited when they start singing.

 

[waitwhat]

RedBullRedBullRedBullRedBullRedBullRedBullRedBullRedBullRedBullRedBullRedBull.

Head, Neck, and thorax was insane.

 

[MossPoh]

Get spike. Two flavor choices. Cost slightly less than redbull and a lot more caffeine. The sugar free isn't repulsive either.

 

[Nikki2002]

I couldn't watch the sound of music to fall asleep. I get too excited when they start singing.

well then i guess you don't need any energy drinks!


i'm going to make some coffee right now.

i think there should be a thread with the best drinks to make you go to sleep and/or make you do things you might later regret.

 

[halekulani]

i never drank vault until i got to med school
it's pretty good.