Has anyone made it through premed without caffeine?

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Do you need caffeine on a regular basis to get work done?

  • Of course

  • Nah

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TempuraOreos said:
Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, this thread is reborn. Lol

Good luck. Biochem was one of the most draining courses I ever took as an undergrad. Are you drinking more caffeine now or less?
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Thanks man. Oh definitely more -- when I made this thread I did not take caffeine at all. I started drinking coffee regularly last semester when I had to write a ton of papers pretty much every week. Now I am at a point where I understand what withdrawal feels like.
 
Flying Penguin said:
Thanks man. Oh definitely more -- when I made this thread I did not take caffeine at all. I started drinking coffee regularly last semester when I had to write a ton of papers pretty much every week. Now I am at a point where I understand what withdrawal feels like.
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I always use this type of coffee analogy with people who don't seem to grasp the idea that being addicted to various drugs does not mean someone is bad a person. No one will bat an eye if you tell them you started drinking coffee during a tough time when you had a lot on your plate and never really was able to shake the habit after. Switch out coffee with any other drug and the reaction changes a little 😉
 
I can only drink coffee after drenching it in sweeteners and cream, but then it just tastes like a hot acidic mess with a very slight hint of chocolate. Some of Starbucks' fraps/lattes taste good but the sugar they add is ridiculous. I still remember their diabetes cocktail "rainbow frap" which made a ton of money from girls that spend too much time on instagram.
 
doctorcocter said:
I can only drink coffee after drenching it in sweeteners and cream, but then it just tastes like a hot acidic mess with a very slight hint of chocolate. Some of Starbucks' fraps/lattes taste good but the sugar they add is ridiculous. I still remember their diabetes cocktail "rainbow frap" which made a ton of money from girls that spend too much time on instagram.
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I cannot stand sweet coffee. Sugar free latte from my university cafe is my newfound source of love, life, and happiness.
 
Flying Penguin said:
Thanks man. Oh definitely more -- when I made this thread I did not take caffeine at all. I started drinking coffee regularly last semester when I had to write a ton of papers pretty much every week. Now I am at a point where I understand what withdrawal feels like.
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I imagine med school and beyond will cause an uptick in caffeine consumption for me and many others on here.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I really like the smell of some coffees. But the taste is nasty. Caffeine also doesn’t really do anything for me either.
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Exactly! I love the smell, hate the taste. I love to walk through a grocery store when people are grinding their own beans. I will stand in the aisle for several minutes taking in the glorious scents. But that taste...ugh! Nasty!
 
Toutie said:
Exactly! I love the smell, hate the taste. I love to walk through a grocery store when people are grinding their own beans. I will stand in the aisle for several minutes taking in the glorious scents. But that taste...ugh! Nasty!
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I don't like the taste of black coffee either, but add a gallon of steam milk and I'd be all over it.
 
speedwalker said:
I never drink coffee. I do not feel the need to engage in drug behaviors in order to feel stimulated. Caffeine is a psychoactive drug. I've seen many people become dependent on it. For example, "Don't talk to me until I have my cup of coffee". Or hordes of females walking into the classroom with coffee cups in their hands. Long term use of it has negative consequences. It contains terrible symptoms of withdrawal also. I find it odd that there is a double standard for caffeine compared to other drugs.
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Lol. What other drugs? This should be interesting...
 
Isoval said:
This is false.

I relied on alcohol to survive the application cycle.
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Wait until the Match. I remember I was so keyed up the night before, I took down a case of beer and was still wired throughout the night to find out if I matched or not.

Strangely though I did not drink coffee until my ICU rotation as resident. To show you how old I am, I was an intern during the swine flu epidemic as it was hitting it's peak I hit the ICU. On top of that, my seniors all became pregnant so I had to carry the load. Kept downing cup after cup of coffee, sugar and cream be danged!
 
jurassicpark said:
Wait until the Match. I remember I was so keyed up the night before, I took down a case of beer and was still wired throughout the night to find out if I matched or not.

Strangely though I did not drink coffee until my ICU rotation as resident. To show you how old I am, I was an intern during the swine flu epidemic as it was hitting it's peak I hit the ICU. On top of that, my seniors all became pregnant so I had to carry the load. Kept downing cup after cup of coffee, sugar and cream be danged!
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The military match results come out at midnight (at least they’re supposed to). I will be totally wrecked the next day haha.
 
Putting this out there to see if anyone else is the same. I drink plenty of coffee just because I like it but it does absolutely nothing to me, doesn’t keep me awake or give me jitters. Only thing it can do sometimes is take away my appetite.

Don’t think it’s a tolerance thing because it’s always been this way.
 
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Isoval said:
This is false. I relied on alcohol to survive the application cycle.
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I am personally keeping Diet Coke #1 on all charts... just ask the semi that arrives to my house on a daily basis :laugh:

I'm guessing if I do well on the MCAT, I'll revert back to 1982 and my not-so-pleasant experiences with lime vodka + 1800 Cuervo + JD (like I said, I made some really bad choices back then):vomit:
 
Sad, addicted boy here: unfortunately, I started drinking coffee at an office job I had when I was 16 because I was bored and under-stimulated from the monotonous tasks assigned. Now if I don't have tea or coffee in the mornings, I get a headache. I love the diversity of coffees and teas, though, so there aren't too many ugly sides of the dependence -- although, if given no other option, I would do a jig for a cup of earl grey if it ever came to that.

Side note, I had an anatomy professor who said he drank an average of 24 cups of coffee per day in college. Twenty-four.
 
I drink coffee to get through rough weeks/months, then quit and go through withdrawal headaches for a week, swear it off forever, then pick it back up when times get tough again.
 
I drink 3-4 cups a day.

I'm conflicted - they say coffee can add years to your life, reduce chances of heart disease, etc., but my adrenal glands are probably suffering from it.... *sips coffee anyway*
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I think that might be a slight exaggeration.
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I know it's hard to believe, but if you met him you would know he's serious. He was not a sarcastic person, nor did he give any hint of exaggeration. He talked about his addiction and how he cut down to one cup at beginning of class when he brought up an article about coffee consumption.
 
the shretiology said:
I know it's hard to believe, but if you met him you would know he's serious. He was not a sarcastic person, nor did he give any hint of exaggeration. He talked about his addiction and how he cut down to one cup at beginning of class when he brought up an article about coffee consumption.
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I mean, was it decaf? The average cup of coffee has around 100mg of caffeine. It seems like the safe upper limit for consumption is around 400mg, plus or minus. You're saying he was drinking 2400 mg every day for 4 years? 6 times that amount?
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I mean, was it decaf? The average cup of coffee has around 100mg of caffeine. It seems like the safe upper limit for consumption is around 400mg, plus or minus. You're saying he was drinking 2400 mg every day for 4 years? 6 times that amount?
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Wow. This probably should have killed him if your math is right.

I believe the lethal amount is in the realm of 30-35 cups of coffee over a period of time (lower if, for example, you chug three Monsters in three minutes). Getting close every day for four years? That's bound to break you eventually.
 
Isoval said:
Wow. This probably should have killed him if your math is right.

I believe the lethal amount is in the realm of 30-35 cups of coffee over a period of time (lower if, for example, you chug three Monsters in three minutes). Getting close every day for four years? That's bound to break you eventually.
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No idea. I did a quick search and found a couple sources saying 400mg is when you start to have negative effects on health. 2400mg daily for four years seems like it would really mess someone up, which is why I figured it was an exaggeration.
 
Matthew9Thirtyfive said:
I mean, was it decaf? The average cup of coffee has around 100mg of caffeine. It seems like the safe upper limit for consumption is around 400mg, plus or minus. You're saying he was drinking 2400 mg every day for 4 years? 6 times that amount?
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Well, I’m just the messenger. He insinuated he was drinking caffeinated coffee - the discussion revolved around consumption of caffeinated coffee. Over a 16 hour period a veteran caffeine user probably wouldn’t keel over consuming above 400mg. I worked with an ED attending who, during an 8 hour shift, drank two 20oz (venti or whatever) starbucks coffees, and filled his empty cup with more hospital coffee. A venti coffee from starbucks is over 400mg. Mind you, the lecturer who boasted 24 cups was a PhD student in the A&P field. I am a pro-skeptic myself, but if he’s lying to entire lecture hall of people I can’t be held accountable :laugh:
 
doctorcocter said:
I can only drink coffee after drenching it in sweeteners and cream, but then it just tastes like a hot acidic mess with a very slight hint of chocolate. Some of Starbucks' fraps/lattes taste good but the sugar they add is ridiculous. I still remember their diabetes cocktail "rainbow frap" which made a ton of money from girls that spend too much time on instagram.
Click to expand...

LOL I feel like I take coffee with my sugar instead of sugar with my coffee
 
Anyone here drink energy drinks? Red Bull or Monster? I LOVE those!!
 
Nope, it's water all the way for me. I drink coffee maybe once or twice a year when I'm REALLY tired, and I usually am not a big fan because my tolerance is low so it makes me kind of antsy.
 
I remember drinking coffee a couple times a day before exams (a very small amount). This way I don't build a tolerance.
 
Isoval said:
They usually spike my heart rate into an uncomfortable range so I stopped drinking them often.
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Yeah, I felt all over the place. I was doing everything but actually studying. lol
 
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