Favorite caffeinated beverage (or other stimulant)

[mnms]

just wondering what you guys thought was the most effective, least addictive, best tasting, smooth and non-jittery source of caffeine (or wakefulness) you've sampled or count on for staying awake.

i usually only need caffeine to keep me awake for a few hours longer just before exam week. otherwise, i don't consume large amounts of caffeine.

my vote goes to Dr. Pepper as the tastiest, smoothest, least-jittery source of caffeine.

i tried Mountain Dew Amp and found it to be not as effective, weird, acidic tasting, and caused extreme jitteriness 20 minutes after intake.

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[timerick]

Have you studied pharm yet? Caffeine in any form is an addictive stimulant with a three day withdrawal, like heroine. When taken in doses the individual is not accustomed to, no matter what the form the drug is in, it will cause symptoms like the ones you described.

 

[Kalel]

I really like the diet caffeinated stuff these days. I don't feel guilty for drinking them at all because I don't think that they are associated with as many cavities as the regular stuff is and they won't provide you with all of those empty calories. The jittery feelings you get with some of the sodas may just be from their high sugar content. I still add sugar to my coffee, but whenever possible, I choose the nutra-sweet stuff there too.

 

[phllystyl]

Originally posted by timerick
Have you studied pharm yet? Caffeine in any form is an addictive stimulant with a three day withdrawal, like heroine. When taken in doses the individual is not accustomed to, no matter what the form the drug is in, it will cause symptoms like the ones you described.

Thats why there are so many caffeine junkies in prison right? Poor comparison with regards to withdrawal.

The side effects of high doses of any xanthine will cause jitteriness, diuresis, cerebral vasoconstriction, etc. It isnt the sugar that does it. However, there is little if any evidence that long term caffeine ingestion is in any way harmful.

I enjoy a good cup of coffee over soda/energy drinks any day. And if necessary, Ill get a red eye which is a cup of coffee plus a shot of espresso poured it. At 9 pm after studying for 16 hrs/d for several days, that will get you over the hump 😉

I try not to use any after 9pm unless i absolutely have to, i def. sleep worse if I do.

 

[Adcadet]

Originally posted by timerick
Have you studied pharm yet? Caffeine in any form is an addictive stimulant with a three day withdrawal, like heroine. When taken in doses the individual is not accustomed to, no matter what the form the drug is in, it will cause symptoms like the ones you described.

Kinetic and dose factors might come into play. I love white mochas and will drink a 20 ouncer in 15 minutes. 20 ounces of regular black coffee will take me 30 minutes to drink minimum. Also, I'm sure you could think up a few creative ways to slow absoprtion -i.e.- drink coffee only with meals vs. on an empty stomach.

 

[QuothTheRaven]

actually, the carbonation is what's really bad for your teeth, not necessarily the sugar. also, i don't think you have to worry about withdrawl or "heroin like" symptoms with caffeine. just keep it reasonable. you'll get a better effect if you use it when it counts. my choice: coffee. especially when it's cold like it is right now.

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by QuothTheRaven
actually, the carbonation is what's really bad for your teeth, not necessarily the sugar.

It's both. The carbonation reduces the oral pH, which directly results in dissolution of the crystalline enamel in the short term. If given the opportunity, saliva will remineralize the enamel in a few hours. But the syrup will coat the teeth with a sugar-rich film for bacteria to attach to and ferment, which we all know also leads to cavities.

 

[Kalel]

Originally posted by aphistis
It's both. The carbonation reduces the oral pH, which directly results in dissolution of the crystalline enamel in the short term. If given the opportunity, saliva will remineralize the enamel in a few hours. But the syrup will coat the teeth with a sugar-rich film for bacteria to attach to and ferment, which we all know also leads to cavities.

So is the diet stuff ok? My dentist told me to cut sodas out of my diet all together, but it's a difficult habit to kick cold turkey.

 

[DrMom]

I get my caffeine through diet Pepsi and chai lattes 😀

I figure that a bad caffeine habit isn't too bad of a thing to leave med school with, considering available options. 😉

 

[remedy]

I like the taste of Diet Dr. Pepper. Pepsi One's a good choice also. I try to limit daily caffeine intake to ~100 mg (about 2 sodas or 1 12-oz coffee).

 

[DrMom]

Originally posted by remedy
I like the taste of Diet Dr. Pepper. Pepsi One's a good choice also.

I don't like Diet Dr. Pepper, but Pepsi One is my favorite. Unfortunately, they no longer make it in the 24 oz bottles I drink all of the time, so I rarely have it anymore.

 

[Blade28]

Though caffeine doesn't really seem to affect me (wish it did during college 🙁 ), I just like the taste of all Mountain Dew types...regular, diet, Code Red, and that Orange one.

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by Kalel
So is the diet stuff ok? My dentist told me to cut sodas out of my diet all together, but it's a difficult habit to kick cold turkey.

It's better, yeah. The acid pH can still be an issue, but it can be marginalized if you restrict your soda intake to when you're already eating (meals, etc). A few isolated pH drops, no matter how substantial, is much less harmful to your teeth than if you sip all day non-stop and don't give your saliva a chance to remineralize the damage. As for the bacteria, it's another story. Most diet soda nowadays is sweetened with aspertame, which is non-cariogenic. I'm a Diet Pepsi fiend, myself.

 

[gwyn779]

Originally posted by timerick
Have you studied pharm yet? Caffeine in any form is an addictive stimulant with a three day withdrawal, like heroine. When taken in doses the individual is not accustomed to, no matter what the form the drug is in, it will cause symptoms like the ones you described.

Umm, kind of....At one point last year I decided I was drinking too much caffeine when I was up to at least 4 cups of coffee a day. So I quit cold turkey. I did have withdrawal in the form of migraines for 3 days, but that hardly compares to heroine withdrawal (not that I've experienced it personally). Anyway, I'm back to my usual 2 cups a day now, which does not produce withdrawal symptoms.

Oh yeah, can't stand aspartame, Dr. Pepper, Mt. Dew, or a lot of others. Coffee (no sugar) is just fine for me.

 

[burton117]

Fellow caffine addicts, I salute you!

Mountain Dew worked the best for me when I had to pull numerous all-nighters in my undergraduate days. My roommates would always look at the number of cans of Dew (usually between 4-8) on the table and they could tell how long the night had been for me. It was by far the most productive hours of my college career paper-writing wise. I tried coffee, but it was too acidic for me and always gave me heartburn. Plus, I never got to be a straight coffee drinker. Always had lots of sugar and cream. The "alternative" forms of Mountain Dew I never did like very much because they were too sweet for me.

I did try one of those caffine pills one, and I will NEVER do that again! It was hard enough trying to concentrate with my heart pounding for the six hours or so I spend finishing my homework. Then, I went to bed and lay there with my eyes open until my eight o'clock class the next morning. I was seriously destroyed for the next couple of days. I admit its not good to do the caffine thing, but I knew a guy who was addicted to the caffine pills, so I resolved to stick to doing the Dew and no crazy stuff. (I guess that statement is relative but I mean no DEA Schedule I - V drugs. That stuff just isn't worth it!)

Check this out:

Mountain Dew's Caffeine content compared with other Soft Drinks.

Beverage Amount of Caffeine (mg)
Jolt 100.0
Afri-Cola 100.0
Mountain Dew 55.0
Diet Mountain Dew 55.0
Mello Yellow 52.8
Tab 46.8
Coca-Cola 45.6
Diet Cola 45.6
Mr. Pibb 40.8
OK Soda 40.5
Dr. Pepper 39.6
Pepsi Cola 37.2
According to the national Soft drink association.

http://www.brinksmarket.com/dew/info.html

So, for what its worth, my vote is for Mountain Dew all the way!

 

[Adcadet]

I always wondered why the FDA requires pop manufacturers to specify how much protein is in their product, but not how much of an addictive, psychoactive drug.

 

[dave262]

I've got to mention the phosphoric acid containing colas do far more damage to teeth and can increase serum phosphate. (which facilitates bone resorption)

Mountain dew doesnt have any, but most cola's do

Besides how can you pass on a cola for which the acronym is MD?
Or diet coke (DC for the chiro folks)
or Diet mountain dew (DMD for the east coast dental schools)

 

[Neuronix]

Woohoo, I'm up to 8 cups (8oz each or so) of coffee per day. I drink most of it straight.

 

[confewshz]

Starbucks Frappucinos are real good. Especially the coffee and mocha flavors. I have not tried the Vanilla or Caramel flavors though.

 

[ewing]

Originally posted by dave262
I've got to mention the phosphoric acid containing colas do far more damage to teeth and can increase serum phosphate. (which facilitates bone resorption)

Mountain dew doesnt have any, but most cola's do

Besides how can you pass on a cola for which the acronym is MD?
Or diet coke (DC for the chiro folks)
or Diet mountain dew (DMD for the east coast dental schools)

Moutain Dew is Brominated. That #$^ gets absorbed into your fat cells and stay there forever. Cute acronym, though.

 

[emedCleo]

A couple of years ago I was crossing the street and a speeding car almost hit me. Automatically, I dove out of the way.

Within 3 seconds the entire incident was over, but over the next few minutes I had the most amazing feeling of alert calmness. That quick jolt of neurotransmitters gave me the best feeling of awakeness w/o even a hint of jitteriness.

Averting a near death experience may have created the best high of my life, but still I prefer coffee in the relative safety of a coffee shop.

 

[heldicus]

Originally posted by emedCleo
Averting a near death experience may have created the best high of my life, but still I prefer coffee in the relative safety of a coffee shop.

Yeah, whenever I'm bogged down with anatomy I like to wave toy guns at police officers...if you can manage to outrun 'em, you'll be amped for the rest of the night.

 

[Pilot]

Behold - fellow coffee drinkers - just read a synopsis of an article in Annals of Internal Medicine today which stated "In multivariable analyses that were adjusted for potential confounders (e.g. BMI, physical activity level, smoking), relative risk for diabetes decreased significantly as daily caffeinated coffee consumption increased...."

Ann Intern Med 2004 Jan 6; 140:1-8