Caffeine Addiction?
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Did a search on Yahoo! and came up with a really good, detailed website on Caffeine. http://coffeefaq.com/caffaq.html
For your convenience, here are excerpts :
How much caffeine is there in [drink/food/pill]?
The National Soft Drink Association has a fairly extensive list of soft drink caffeine contents.
By means of comparison, a 7 oz cup of coffee has the following caffeine (mg) amounts, according to Bunker and McWilliams in J. Am. Diet. 74:28-32, 1979:
Drip 115-175
Espresso 100mg of caffeine
1 serving (1.5-2oz)
Brewed 80-135
Instant 65-100
Decaf, brewed 3-4
Decaf, instant 2-3
Tea, iced (12 ozs.) 70
Tea, brewed, imported 60
Tea, brewed, U.S. 40
Tea, instant 30
Mate 25-150mg
The variability in the amount of caffeine in a cup of coffee or tea is relatively large even if prepared by the same person using the same equipment and ingredients day after day.
Reference Variability in caffeine consumption from coffee and tea: Possible significance for epidemiological studies by B. Stavric, R. Klassen, B. Watkinson, K. Karpinski, R. Stapley, and P. Fried in "Foundations of Chemical Toxicology", Volume 26, number 2, pp. 111-118, 1988 and an easy to read overview, Looking for the Perfect Brew by S. Eisenberg, "Science News", Volume 133, April 16, 1988, pp. 252-253. -
whats the drip?
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sooo.. how much is too much?
i'm getting headaches from not imbibing...
quitting caffeine is worse than quitting smoking.. quitting ciggies was easy.. this is near impossible! -
you know, the coffee machine thing? where you put coffee grounds in a filter thing, stick it in the machine and water in the other part.. the water is boiled and goes through the grounds and is collected in the coffeepot
Originally posted by s|nNeD:whats the drip? -
What happens when you overdose?
From Desk Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM-3-R (American Psychiatric Association, 1987):
Caffeine-Induced Organic Mental Disorder 305.90 Caffeine Intoxication
Recent consumption of caffeine, usually in excess of 250 mg.
At least five of the following signs:
-restlessness
-nervousness
-excitement
-insomnia
-flushed face
-diuresis (psst... this just means frequent urination)
-gastrointestinal disturbance
-muscle twitching
-rambling flow of thought and speech
-tachycardia or cardiac arrhythmia
-periods of inexhaustibility
-psychomotor agitation
Basically, overdosing on caffeine will probably be very very unpleasant but not kill or deliver permanent damage. However, People do die from it.
Toxic dose
The LD_50 of caffeine (that is the lethal dosage reported to kill 50% of the population) is estimated at 10 grams for oral administration. As it is usually the case, lethal dosage varies from individual to individual according to weight. Ingestion of 150mg/kg of caffeine seems to be the LD_50 for all people. That is, people weighting 50 kilos have an LD_50 of approx. 7.5 grams, people weighting 80 kilos have an LD_50 of about 12 grams.
In cups of coffee the LD_50 varies from 50 to 200 cups of coffee or about 50 vivarins (200mg each).
One exceptional case documents survival after ingesting 24 grams. The minimum lethal dose ever reported was 3.2 grams intravenously, this does not represent the oral MLD (minimum lethal dose).
Symptoms
Acute caffeine poisoning gives early symptoms of :
- anorexia
- tremor
- restlessness
- nausea
- vomiting
- tachycardia
- confusion
Serious intoxication may cause :
- delirium
- seizures
- supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias (It means you'll be experiencing very rapid and irregular heartbeats.)
- hypokalemia (A condition of low Potassium levels in the body.)[/orange]
- hyperglycemia [color=orange](High blood sugar levels.)
Chronic high-dose caffeine intake can lead to nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremulousness, muscle twitching, insomnia, palpitations and hyperreflexia. Blood concentration of 1-10 mg/L is normal in coffee drinkers, while 80 mg/L has been associated with death. -
right....Originally posted by the Bear:you know, the coffee machine thing? where you put coffee grounds in a filter thing, stick it in the machine and water in the other part.. the water is boiled and goes through the grounds and is collected in the coffeepot
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cool.. i can get away with drinking up to about 70 cups of coffee a day without dying
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Originally posted by Rhonda:
So, to achieve Death by Coffee, you'd have to drink a lotta lotta lotta coffee to OD (overdose) and die.
[b]What happens when you overdose?
Toxic dose
In cups of coffee the LD_50 varies from 50-200 cups of coffee or about 50 vivarins (200mg each).
[/b] -
Woah...Originally posted by the Bear:cool.. i can get away with drinking up to about 70 cups of coffee a day without dying -
What are the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal?
Regular caffeine consumption reduces sensitivity to caffeine. When caffeine intake is reduced, the body becomes oversensitive to adenosine. In response to this oversensitiveness, blood pressure drops dramatically, causing an excess of blood in the head (though not necessarily on the brain), leading to a headache.
This headache, well known among coffee drinkers, usually lasts from one to five days, and can be alleviated with analgesics such as aspirin. It is also alleviated with caffeine intake (in fact several analgesics contain caffeine dosages).
Often, people who are reducing caffeine intake report being irritable, unable to work, nervous, restless, and feeling sleepy, as well as having a headache. In extreme cases, nausea and vomiting has also been reported.
References.
Caffeine and Health. J. E. James, Academic Press, 1991. Progress in Clinical and Biological Research Volume 158. G. A. Spiller, Ed. Alan R. Liss Inc, 1984.
Boy, am I glad that at age 14, when I saw how my parents couldn't function in the mornings until they had their morning cuppa, I resolved not to ever become addicted to coffee. Now, decades later, I'm still holding on strong to that resolution! -
So I am safe.Originally posted by Rhonda:So, to achieve Death by Coffee, you'd have to drink a lotta lotta lotta coffee to OD (overdose) and die. -
i think i'll just go ingest more caffeine to ward off these headaches
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i'm notOriginally posted by DeadPoet:So I am safe.
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Ah, this website is also kewl too... http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/caff.html
Yet another list of food and drinks and their caffeine levels :
Drink, Serving Size, then Caffeine level in mg
Coffee 150 ml (5 oz) 60-150
Coffee, decaf 150 ml (5 oz) 2-5
Tea 150 ml (5 oz) 40-80
Hot Cocoa 150 ml (5 oz) 1-8
Chocolate Milk 225 ml 2-7 hmm... like 150mls of decaf coffee's caffeine level
Mountain Dew 12 oz 55
Diet Coca Cola 12 oz 45
Coca Cola 12 oz 64
Coca Cola Classic 12 oz 23
Pepsi Cola 12 oz 43
Cherry Coca-Cola 8 oz 23
7-Up 12 oz 0
Mug Root Beer 12 oz 0
Sprite 12 oz 0
Food Listed as Item name, Serving Size, and Caffeine Content in mg
Ben/Jerry No Fat Coffee Fudge Froz. Yog. 1 cup 85
Chocolate Bar 50 g 3-63
Nestle Crunch Bar 1 bar (40 g) 10
Kit Kat Bar 1 bar (46 g) 5
Chocolate Brownie 1.25 oz 8
Chocolate Chip Cookie 30 g 3-5
Chocolate Ice Cream 50 g 2-5 Wah... this means can eat a lotta lotta Chocolate Ice Cream!
Milk Chocolate 1 oz 1-15
Bittersweet Chocolate 1 oz 5-35
After Eight Mint 2 pc (8 g) 1.6
Jell-O Pudding Pop
Chocolate 1 bar (77 g) 2 -
As with all else, drink with moderation!!
Better still if you can stay away from this and prevent developing a Caffeine Addiction with nasty withdrawal symptoms. -
could i have a 46-uple expresso?
but seriously, a short-black is something lovely to drink
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From yet another interesting website, http://www.abc.net.au/quantum/poison/caffeine/caffeine.htm
some more interesting info :
"Don't drink, smoke, or do drugs? Think you've got no vices? Think again. If you drink coffee, tea, cola or indulge in the occasional piece of chocolate, then you're using a drug. Believe it or not, caffeine has the same pharmacological effects on the body as many of the substances we associate with doing harm. Of course, coffee is so well integrated into our culinary culture that we barely give its health effects a second thought.
"Apart from being highly addictive and causing unpleasant withdrawal symptoms if we stop drinking it suddenly, research shows that even a little bit of coffee may reduce fertility by damaging sperm. It's also bad news if you're pregnant. Caffeine seems to affect the amount of time the baby spends resting, which could lead to abnormal behaviour later on.
"Caffeine is absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream from the gastro-intestinal tract. It reaches maximum concentration within about an one hour. The blood distributes it throughout the body. It even manages to pass through the blood-brain barrier.
"The half life of caffeine in the human body varies between 3 to 7 hours. Throughout the body it increases metabolic rate by around 10%. Females metabolise caffeine 20-30% more quickly than males. However, it will take women on "the pill" twice as long to metabolise caffeine as women who are ovulating.
"In the brain it constricts the cerebral blood vessels. If you're used to drinking several cups of coffee a day but then you quit, those blood vessels will dilate, maybe enough to give you a powerful headache. It's one of the best known withdrawal symptoms.
"Many people know that caffeine is a strong diuretic - it makes you urinate more than usual. Apparently this is due to increasing the blood flow through the kidneys.
"It can produce insomnia - delaying the onset of sleep and reducing total sleeping time. It has a small effect on respiration by increasing blood flow through the lungs and increasing the supply of air by relaxing bronchiolar and alveolar smooth muscle. That's why it's proving effective in treating the breathing problems of some prematurely born infants.
"Some people experience tremors after drinking coffee and tea. That's thought to be due to over-activation of the central nervous system. -
I know not the pleasure... and I choose to remain ignorant of that, in case I start developing an addiction for it after trying it.Originally posted by the Bear:could i have a 46-uple expresso?
but seriously, a short-black is something lovely to drink -
do you drink tea or eat chocolate?
if you do, you already know of suchOriginally posted by Rhonda:I know not the pleasure... and I choose to remain ignorant of that, in case I start developing an addiction for it after trying it. -
Coffee is something that I use as a last resort to stay awake when I really really need it.
As a result of me not choosing coffee as my poison, when I actually drink it, I get good 'results'. Coffee's very effective in perking me up and keeping me awake.
I intend to keep it that way. Very helpful aid in times of emergency! -
Yeah, but look at the list... the levels of caffeine in tea, and especially in chocolate, is nowhere near that of brewed coffee's!Originally posted by the Bear:do you drink tea or eat chocolate?
if you do, you already know of such -
coffee is good
heck.. eat enough chocolate, you'll get the level of caffeine a cuppa gets you -
I need one coffee to kick start my day, otherwise i am liken to a sleep walker.
Instants don't work for me. -
Alamak so scary.
Back at college, I was always very stressed and stayed up alot to cram for exams and finish up essays. In the end I kept drinking alot of coffee, like, one before school, one at school, and one or two at home...
Maybe it plays a part in giving me all that panic attacks.
Grrr when I start school I'm nuuuuttt going to drink so much coffee anymore!
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no wonder...so its proven?
i will kanna headache if i dont drink coffee in the morning...
im so addicted.