What's your favorite stimulant drug?

[valedictorian]

Of course, I'm talking about study drugs, not recreational drugs. I only included the ones that I know a lot of people in medschool use. I can think of a few others that could possibly be used but havn't heard of anyone using. Anyway, the poll is anonymous. As stimulants for studying are somewhat taboo I don't expect anyone to actually make a post supporting them. So maybe the posting section of this thread could be used by those of you who oppose the use of stimulants for reasons of honor or morality. I hope some one at least points out that these things aren't exactly healthy even though they're very effective. Never mind the ethics of future doctors misusing drugs - especially the ever popular ubiquitous black-market adderall. That's a whole nother topic in itself.

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[surrender903]

diet mt dew > coffee

 

[Darth Asclepius]

diet mt dew > coffee

I agree.

 

[thackl]

Does Ginsing work? I only drink green tea around test time..... really clears my head.

 

[unoriginal]

diet mt dew > coffee

i love mountain dew, but have had to switch to coffee. Coffee has 4-times as much caffeine!

 

[zinjanthropus]

i love mountain dew, but have had to switch to coffee. Coffee has 4-times as much caffeine!

i think diet mt. dew is a staple for a lot of people these days - you should have stuck soda/coke/pop on your poll

 

[Labslave]

i think diet mt. dew is a staple for a lot of people these days - you should have stuck soda/coke/pop on your poll

I can't believe this word is actually used in the civilized world.

 

[Callogician]

I try to avoid caffeine because I don't feel that it's a good long term solution. I haven't taken physiology/biochemistry yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the body upregulates phosphodiesterase to compensate for caffeine, promoting a cycle of dependency without improved mental function.

However, I do use caffeine when I am desperate due to past procrastination, and it has a profound effect on me.

 

[Callogician]

i think diet mt. dew is a staple for a lot of people these days - you should have stuck soda/coke/pop on your poll

It's strange. I didn't know that diet mt. dew was the paragon of caffeine rich sodas until I read this thread, but when I had to cram for an exam the other day, I instinctively purchased it.

 

[LT2]

I can't believe this word is actually used in the civilized world.

i was thinking the same thing!

 

[valedictorian]

Oops, I forgot about sodas. Let's just consider "others" to be sodas, along with red bull and other stuff like that.

 

[valedictorian]

Does Ginsing work? I only drink green tea around test time..... really clears my head.

Apparantly so. I know a few folks who swear by it.

 

[surrender903]

Apparantly so. I know a few folks who swear by it.

just had a class on herbal medications, jury is still out on ginseng, so it may work for you, but not work for someone else

 

[1SwtWrld]

Red Bull..........Must have one before every test. It gives me wings.

 

[Antigunner]

I try to avoid caffeine because I don't feel that it's a good long term solution. I haven't taken physiology/biochemistry yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the body upregulates phosphodiesterase to compensate for caffeine, promoting a cycle of dependency without improved mental function.

However, I do use caffeine when I am desperate due to past procrastination, and it has a profound effect on me.

uhhh... I don't know what all them fancy words mean... but I do agree - I drink very little caffeine on a regular basis, so when I "Do the Dew" it works wonders

 

[funshine]

I develop immunity to caffeine fast, but sudafed has worked wonders ...plus a side-benefit is that it helps relieve colds!

Actually, most nights I really do have to stay up, all it takes is knowing my job isn't finished. That's really all it should take, IMHO.

 

[subtle1epiphany]

where's the option for tea?

oh well...i voted "other," but I meant tea.

 

[Ross434]

Of course, I'm talking about study drugs, not recreational drugs. I only included the ones that I know a lot of people in medschool use. I can think of a few others that could possibly be used but havn't heard of anyone using. Anyway, the poll is anonymous. As stimulants for studying are somewhat taboo I don't expect anyone to actually make a post supporting them. So maybe the posting section of this thread could be used by those of you who oppose the use of stimulants for reasons of honor or morality. I hope some one at least points out that these things aren't exactly healthy even though they're very effective. Never mind the ethics of future doctors misusing drugs - especially the ever popular ubiquitous black-market adderall. That's a whole nother topic in itself.

wow at first i totally thought you were wanting to compare like, speed vs coke, etc. , but, totally amphetamines all the way. recreational and when studying !

 

[cfdavid]

I can't believe this word is actually used in the civilized world.

What? Doesn't everyone say pop, like us midwesterners??

 

[dinesh]

I usually just take a run

My tolerance for caffiene is high, even if I drink 3 cups of coffee I can drop asleep my usual time.
At any rate, coffee stains your teeth ...

 

[Gimlet]

What? Doesn't everyone say pop, like us midwesterners??

Whoa, whoa, whoa...not all Midwesterners are weird and call it pop. Here in Milwaukee it's soda all the way. (Although we do drink out of "bubblers" instead of water fountains.)

 

[Dr.Dijlah]

Green tea works for me...
And it’s proven beneficial in increasing concentration. As well as the red tea but
Green tea is relatively better...but in general I develop tolerance fast, and it doesn’t matter what I drink I want to sleep I'll still sleep!
So what I do I stay away from coffee till I really need it and then have it works! But at times I just become hyperactive but can't focus
I use add some herbs to my tea that are known to increase concentration it works too...
I take Centrum multi-vitamins I guess it works on the long run, because it contains Zinc and all.

Psychological factors definitely play the major role here!

 

[njbmd]

Hi there,
Get some regular aerobic exercise (a brisk walk) and leave the chemicals behind. It is amazing how being in good shape can help you more with long hours than coffee, Mountain Dew or anything else.

Thirty minutes of sweat at least three times a week can do wonders. You can even listen to study tapes but it's better to just let your mind wander. You come back to your studies refreshed, stress free and ready to hone in.

njbmd

 

[thackl]

Hi there,
Get some regular aerobic exercise (a brisk walk) and leave the chemicals behind. It is amazing how being in good shape can help you more with long hours than coffee, Mountain Dew or anything else.

Thirty minutes of sweat at least three times a week can do wonders. You can even listen to study tapes but it's better to just let your mind wander. You come back to your studies refreshed, stress free and ready to hone in.

njbmd

Agreed! I do cardio (b-ball, other games) and wieghts 4x/wk each. I study well, sleep better and feel good.

 

[OSUdoc08]

1. Sleep
2. Green Tea Extract
3. Multivitamin
4. Healthy Diet
5. Sleep

 

[yellowcat322]

I agree that nothing can beat getting solid sleep on a regular basis. I try to get at least 7.5-8 hrs a night (yes even the week before exam blocK) so I don't feel the general burn out like a lot of my classmates do. Of course, I also don't go to most lectures so I have plenty of time to study during the day.

 

[werd]

has anyone else noticed that this poll will close on march 16, 2007, at precisely 9:34am? i find that to be amusing . stimulating even.

 

[akpete]

Whoa, whoa, whoa...not all Midwesterners are weird and call it pop. Here in Milwaukee it's soda all the way. (Although we do drink out of "bubblers" instead of water fountains.)

Hold up Andy, not all of WI says soda and "bubbler" (which I've never understood). It's good old pop in the Western part of the state and I think most of the North. Madison and Milwaukee say weird things. Bubbler...you guys are crazy.

 

[marimiyaz]

i don't think i could have gotten through block exams last week (3 exams) without red bulls. I was downing like 2-3 a day-holy! i bet that's really bad for you....

 

[brightblueeyes]

At my school there are more coffee distributers than soda distributers. And the default coffees types are espressos and cappuccinos rather than American style coffee. This is definitely a coffee culture. Even the gyms have coffee distributers.

Adderall sounds interesting but I can't help but hope that most Parisians stay away from it...they're already wired enough.

 

[DianaLynne]

How do people even find stuff like black market adderall? I'm so naive.

I'm pretty much equal opportunity caffiene girl. Coffee, soda, tea. Though I stay away from No Doz, too much jittery for me.

 

[DieselPetrolGrl]

i drink 8liters of diet coke a week at home (= only through 5 evenings) plus a few cans throughout the day

i want to sell my tounge to the coca cola corp so they can pay me to do quality control taste tests on their bottling plants


if anyone knows a hookup into that line of work....

 

[starwisher]

I'm assuming people would get blackmarket adderall from someone with a perscription for it that doesn't take it but instead sells it to students to make money. It isn't that difficult to get diagnosed with ADHD to get the perscription if you know the symptoms and can fake it. Not that I recomend this, I've taken ritalin for supposed ADD (I didn't fake the symptoms, I have them although I'm not convinced that I have ADD) and don't find it helps me, I just stick with the caffeine myself. When I was on it my sister stole some of my ritalin and afterward told me that when she took it she felt as if she was on cocaine, she took like five times a normal dose or something like that though.

 

[drhobie7]

i drink 8liters of diet coke a week at home (= only through 5 evenings) plus a few cans throughout the day

Can I be your dentist?

 

[Nittany Lion]

Hold up Andy, not all of WI says soda and "bubbler" (which I've never understood). It's good old pop in the Western part of the state and I think most of the North. Madison and Milwaukee say weird things. Bubbler...you guys are crazy.

It's "pop" in Pittsburgh, too. But go anywhere east in Pennsylvania and you get yelled at for calling it anything but soda... boooo

 

[OSUdoc08]

It's "pop" in Pittsburgh, too. But go anywhere east in Pennsylvania and you get yelled at for calling it anything but soda... boooo

Pop is something that corn does when you put in the microwave.

Soda is what you put in your fridge to absorb moisture.

It's a coke.

 

[Nikki2002]

diet coke and starbucks

 

[inthe4cast]

*sniff* Afrin works for me

 

[Rendar5]

Pop is something that corn does when you put in the microwave.

Soda is what you put in your fridge to absorb moisture.

It's a coke.

coke is a company, and one of its products. I never got the use of coke to be all-encompassing of sodas.

Yeah, i'll have a pepsi-coke. no, make that a rootbeer coke. hmm...maybe a sprite coke? or an orange coke? gah, that just sounds so silly.

 

[starwisher]

coke is a company, and one of its products. I never got the use of coke to be all-encompassing of sodas.

Yeah, i'll have a pepsi-coke. no, make that a rootbeer coke. hmm...maybe a sprite coke? or an orange coke? gah, that just sounds so silly.

I say coke when I mean any kind of cola, but not other sodas, I agree that sounds silly. I hate it when I order coke at a restaraunt and they feel the need to ask if pepsi is okay, I prefer coke but come on if I want a cola and all you got is pepsi I don't care that much. I don't know why it bothers me that much, seems a bit irrational.

 

[drgolytely]

Forget that adderall crap.

I chew qat leaves from Yemen. It also induces a mild euphoria!

John
www.gmedicine.com

 

[Gregg]

So, in the practice of Epidemiolgoy, some poor slobs got to research what people call soft drinks around the country. See link for a good county by county map. Although, if you look at southern NH and northeastern MA you'll see that 50-80% call it "soda", the rest (uncounted, like myself growing up) call it "tonic". Yes, some people have too much time on their hands.
PopVsSoda map
PS - I still call it a "bubbler" even though I haven't lived in New England for 13 years!

 

[OSUdoc08]

So, in the practice of Epidemiolgoy, some poor slobs got to research what people call soft drinks around the country. See link for a good county by county map. Although, if you look at southern NH and northeastern MA you'll see that 50-80% call it "soda", the rest (uncounted, like myself growing up) call it "tonic". Yes, some people have too much time on their hands.
PopVsSoda map
PS - I still call it a "bubbler" even though I haven't lived in New England for 13 years!

That's awesome

 

[banana k]

man, i'm screwed unless i can have my 625 ml bottle of diet coke at least once a day, and preferably shore that up with a cappucino or two. this in addition to jogging. gross, huh? i think i must have spent at least $300 on soft drink machines while i was writing my thesis.

 

[lil pook]

amphetamines make yer hair fall out

 

[humuhumu]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned modafinil (Provigil)....

 

[Rendar5]

I say coke when I mean any kind of cola, but not other sodas, I agree that sounds silly. I hate it when I order coke at a restaraunt and they feel the need to ask if pepsi is okay, I prefer coke but come on if I want a cola and all you got is pepsi I don't care that much. I don't know why it bothers me that much, seems a bit irrational.

haha, yeah, i agree. always annoying, "sorry, we only have pepsi." Then get me the damn pepsi!

 

[odrade1]

coke is a company, and one of its products. I never got the use of coke to be all-encompassing of sodas.

Yeah, i'll have a pepsi-coke. no, make that a rootbeer coke. hmm...maybe a sprite coke? or an orange coke? gah, that just sounds so silly.

People in the deep south refer to carbonated beverages as cokes, but we would never use the term the way you described. It's more like:
Mom: are you thirsty?
Kid: Yeah, I'll have a coke.
Mom: What kind?
Kid: Dr. Pepper.

Never: that's a Dr. Pepper coke, or sprite coke. Someone here might say oarnge coke, though.

 

[odrade1]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned modafinil (Provigil)....

Have you talked your doctor into giving you a prescription for it?...I'm Jealous.

 

[humuhumu]

Have you talked your doctor into giving you a prescription for it?...I'm Jealous.

Nope. Haven't tried.