Too much caffeine?

[tennesseejed]

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Has anyone had symptoms of caffeine toxicity yet?

 

[dr.z]

No. I drink maybe one or two coffee a week at most. I'm a tea drinker.

 

[superdavykinz]

You know you always hear about residents needing the caff from coffee to keep going..for us tea drinkers, do they even have tea available in the break rooms?

 

[MedicineBird]

Mt Dew -- the golden nectar of the gods

 

[KiKat37]

Arrggg... I drink at least 4 cups a day... it's usually more like 5 or 6... My hands shake sometimes, and I get a horrible headache if I don't get my first cup with my breakfast. I'm totally addicted! 🙁

 

[Crake]

There is caffeine in tea, as well as coffee. . .

Anyway, I know a girl who had to be hospitalized after overdosing on No-Doze (10 pills in one night) in college. At least she says it was No-Doze, but I still suspect a bad reaction to coke/meth/adderoll, so who knows.

As for me, I go by the 1:1/7 rule for coffee: 1 cup per 1/7 of a can of coffee, 1 can a week. I get a little jittery in the morning, but it lasts all day--much better in my opinion than 3 or 4 cups throughout the day.

 

[Blake]

Nope. I haven't drank more than 3-4 cups of coffee in my whole life. I like to keep my addictions to a minimum.

 

[Winged Scapula]

You know you always hear about residents needing the caff from coffee to keep going..for us tea drinkers, do they even have tea available in the break rooms?

Break rooms? What are those? I think only nurses have those.

We have call rooms but we (lowly residents) aren't supplied with anything on a regular basis. Only things to drink or eat in there are things we have pilfered from the cafeteria after hours refrigerator or from various conferences.

 

[thackl]

More of a convenience for me. I drink it if it's around of if I'm studying at the coffee shop, but don't seek it out.

 

[doc05]

You know you always hear about residents needing the caff from coffee to keep going..for us tea drinkers, do they even have tea available in the break rooms?

tea is too weak. you'll need coffee to be a good resident.

 

[AJM]

Mmmmmm....... Coffee........ 😍

That sweet nectar has gotten me through my entire residency.

It's my medical opinion that you can never have too much caffeine in your system... 😉

 

[Mike59]

What are the most consecutive cups any of you have consumed while on call (in order to stay awake through the night?)

There are some nights where I think I'm gonna be fine, but then midnight rolls around, I start getting woozy, (usually get that annoying page to emerg for a consult around this time) then it's straight to the coffee machine for back to back (and sometimes another) coffees, I find each cup buys me about 1 hour when i'm really tired...

 

[AJM]

Break rooms? What are those? I think only nurses have those.

We have call rooms but we (lowly residents) aren't supplied with anything on a regular basis. Only things to drink or eat in there are things we have pilfered from the cafeteria after hours refrigerator or from various conferences.

Yes - I've never heard of these so-called "break rooms". They sound wonderful.

As Kimberli says, during residency we are reduced to being scavengers for hydration and nutrition.

Here's a clinical pearl: If you are friendly with the nurses, and they get to know and like you, they will often let you take coffee from their perpetually brewing pots. This saved me during my MICU rotations. You are, however, expected to bring in some coffee grounds at some point to replace what you've taken.

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
We have a surgeon's lounge that is supplied with freshly made coffee, tea (green and orange pekoe), sodas, hot chocolate, decaf coffee, soup and sandwiches 24 hours a day. I never touch the coffee with caffeine because it just makes me shaky operating under the scope. At one point, I was so cranky without my morning "cuppa joe" that I just decided that I had to stop drinking the stuff. I didn't want the monster caffeine withdrawal headache that comes with abrupt cessation of caffeine intake. I turned to hot chocolate and my problems are solved. Not only is theobromine more soothing, it takes care of that little hunger problem in the middle of the night and I can still nap. My only wish now is that I had snacked on carrot sticks instead of chips and salsa during my medical school study periods. I am working off those extra pounds that I gained.

If you truly love coffee, don't settle for the gross stuff that sits in the pot all day and turns black. Tea is not a good substitute and makes you more jittery. Try something like tomato soup or hot chocolate as an afternoon pick-up and eat raw veggies while you are studying. The fiber is good for your digestive system and you don't want to carry extra pounds during any residency.

njbmd 🙂

 

[RaistlinMajere]

That's a good suggestion. Almost every day I drink a cup or two of coffee in the morning, but hot chocolate and carrots are also among my favorites.

 

[quideam]

I'd say I drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day, plus 1-2 cans of soda a day (diet).... hmm, maybe that's too much?

Quid