Anyone else continue to drink caffeine in the face of adverse side effects?

[Amused]

The key to benefiting from caffeine is moderation and timing. Anything over one or two cups of coffee's worth every 4 hours or so is too much. Try not to go over 300mg a day.

Yes, I know many people have built up a tolerance, but even the tolerance does not negate the negative effects. Too much caffeine actually has effects that are counter productive to what you intend it to do even for the people with the most tolerance.

Look at caffiene as you would any other drug and dose yourself accordingly.

Remember, the dose makes the poison.

And any stimulant of any kind is NOT recommended if you have palpitations or a murmur. Sudafed counts too.

 

[Red Dawn]

I can't seem to face up to the facts
I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax
I can't sleep cause my bed's on fire
Don't touch me I'm a real live wire

 

[Vidda]

The only time I drink coffee is when I'm home on break. I usually go with friends to a Huddle House and I alone drink 2-3 pots worth. It has stopped affecting me.

 

[eplebnista]

I have never really noticed any effects from caffeine. I am sure the effects are there but they are so subtle that they do not call enough attention to themselves for me to be aware of them. I tend to go through a cycle of times where I drink varying amounts of coffee, tea, cokes, and water.

 

[irishScott]

I drink it when I need to, but I don't get anything like what you describe. Worst case I get a withdrawal headache.

Also, caffeine can apparently help prevent Parkinson's and Alzheimer's if taken regularly in the right doses. Obviously an overload isn't desirable, but it's not all bad.

 

[Muadib]

I gave up coffee because of how it effected my stomach. I had acid reflux for years, and was taking meds for it.

A co-worker told me that he learned it was coffee that was giving him reflux, and convinced me to give it up for a week to see if it was the root of my woes too. After weening myself off the meds I was taking, I started the experiment.

Sure enough, my coworker was right. I couldn't stay off caffeine though, I just found another way to get my fix. Fate rewarded me for it too, by giving me an Xbox 360.

And what would this thread be without the really big caffeine database!

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Muadib
I gave up coffee because of how it effected my stomach. I had acid reflux for years, and was taking meds for it.

A co-worker told me that he learned it was coffee that was giving him reflux, and convinced me to give it up for a week to see if it was the root of my woes too. After weening myself off the meds I was taking, I started the experiment.

Sure enough, my coworker was right. I couldn't stay off caffeine though, I just found another way to get my fix. Fate rewarded me for it too, by giving me an Xbox 360.

And what would this thread be without the really big caffeine database!

Yep. Coffee is a major cause of chronic heart burn.

My poor father lived with heart burn his entire adult life. I have his same troubled stomach, but learned that the two main causes for my chronic heart burn were smoking and coffee. I still drink coffee occationally, but use it as a treat and limit it to no more than two cups a day at most. Most days I have no coffee.

Since I quit smoking I have very rare, occational heartburn and seldom need Prolosec unless my stomach is tore up from advil after an injury or sdome other medication. A munch out session with a box of Cheez-Its can give me a temporary roaring case too.

My dad never smoked, but my mom was a heavy smoker and the ETS in the house along with the coffee he drank constantly (probably 2-3 pots a day- decaf after 1975) was enough to give him fits. He ate Rolaids like candy. I doubt he ever figured out the coffee was a major contributer to his heartburn. He had my mother start cooking with no spices, especially pepper... but that didn't seem to help much.

I noticed after I quit smoking that my constant heartburn stopped. But would return just a little if I visited a heavy smoker for a length of time. It would also come back if I drank a lot of coffee.

Just a few years after my father died in 1986 they introduced the first acid reducers. I often wonder how that would have affected his disposition. He was a good man, no doubt about that... but often had the typical short temper of someone who was in constant pain.

 

[Crono]

I only get side effects when drinking coffee, or anything else that contains as much caffeine as coffee, too often. I prefer to drink tea (usually green or white), as it isn't acidic like coffee and doesn't cause a "crash". It's more of a calming drink than coffee. I still drink coffee 2 to 5 times a week, but sometimes I'll go a week or weeks without drinking any at all. I get mild withdrawal headaches, rapid heartbeat (sometimes) and heartburn if I drink too much coffee, so I moderate my coffee drinking.

 

[mrrman]

I have at least 3 espressos a day...no problems at all and it doesnt affect my sleep at all. I have my owm Magnifica machine in my house.

 

[moparacer]

I am bad....I used to hammer down Pepsi, Mtn Dew, Coke, untill it started giving me an upset stomach. So then, I switched to sweet tea and now I drink a gallon of it every two days. The bad thing about sweet tea is well, its loaded with sugar, imagine that....

Cant be good for anyone in the long run so I have tried to cut back but its really hard trying to get through the day and not carry a cup around to sip from constantly.....

Seriously I think trying to quit is going to be a problem......

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: moparacer
I am bad....I used to hammer down Pepsi, Mtn Dew, Coke, untill it started giving me an upset stomach. So then, I switched to sweet tea and now I drink a gallon of it every two days. The bad thing about sweet tea is well, its loaded with sugar, imagine that....

Cant be good for anyone in the long run so I have tried to cut back but its really hard trying to get through the day and not carry a cup around to sip from constantly.....

Seriously I think trying to quit is going to be a problem......

When I quit coffee, I briefly switched to soda too. Once I realized how many extra calories I was consuming, I started drinking diet drinks. Diabetes runs heavy in my family, and I don't want to be another statistic.

This is a tad off topic, but if you don't change your ways, you could be headed for a life with type 2 diabetes. I recently had a health fair at my job, and was shocked to learn that 25% of the people I work with have diabetes.

Do something now, before it's too late.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: moparacer
I am bad....I used to hammer down Pepsi, Mtn Dew, Coke, untill it started giving me an upset stomach. So then, I switched to sweet tea and now I drink a gallon of it every two days. The bad thing about sweet tea is well, its loaded with sugar, imagine that....

Cant be good for anyone in the long run so I have tried to cut back but its really hard trying to get through the day and not carry a cup around to sip from constantly.....

Seriously I think trying to quit is going to be a problem......

When I quit coffee, I briefly switched to soda too. Once I realized how many extra calories I was consuming, I started drinking diet drinks. Diabetes runs heavy in my family, and I don't want to be another statistic.

This is a tad off topic, but if you don't change your ways, you could be headed for a life with type 2 diabetes. I recently had a health fair at my job, and was shocked to learn that 25% of the people I work with have diabetes.

Do something now, before it's too late.

Do people with high sugar diets who stay slim have a higher rate of type 2 diabetes? Or is it only people who are signifigantly overweight?

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Muadib

Originally posted by: moparacer
I am bad....I used to hammer down Pepsi, Mtn Dew, Coke, untill it started giving me an upset stomach. So then, I switched to sweet tea and now I drink a gallon of it every two days. The bad thing about sweet tea is well, its loaded with sugar, imagine that....

Cant be good for anyone in the long run so I have tried to cut back but its really hard trying to get through the day and not carry a cup around to sip from constantly.....

Seriously I think trying to quit is going to be a problem......

When I quit coffee, I briefly switched to soda too. Once I realized how many extra calories I was consuming, I started drinking diet drinks. Diabetes runs heavy in my family, and I don't want to be another statistic.

This is a tad off topic, but if you don't change your ways, you could be headed for a life with type 2 diabetes. I recently had a health fair at my job, and was shocked to learn that 25% of the people I work with have diabetes.

Do something now, before it's too late.

Do people with high sugar diets who stay slim have a higher rate of type 2 diabetes? Or is it only people who are signifigantly overweight?

I don't know all of the facts, but obesity is the main reason it is on the rise. I found this list of factors online that sounds like what my doc told me:

# I have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes.
# My family background is Alaska Native, American Indian, African American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
# I have had gestational diabetes, or I gave birth to at least one baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
# My blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg or higher, or I have been told that I have high blood pressure.
# My cholesterol levels are not normal. My HDL cholesterol??good? cholesterol?is below 35 mg/dL, or my triglyceride level is above 250 mg/dL.
# I am fairly inactive. I exercise fewer than three times a week.
# I have polycystic ovary syndrome, also called PCOS?women only.
# On previous testing, I had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG).
# I have other clinical conditions associated with insulin resistance, such as acanthosis nigricans.
# I have a history of cardiovascular disease.

One of my pals at work found out he had it last year. He's slim, & was a gym rat. He met 2 of the factors though. His mom has it, and he's Hispanic.

 

[Anubis]

<- about 12 cups a day for the past 8 years
still going strong

 

[Lurknomore]

Gastric ulcers? check
Racing heart? check
Acid reflux? check
Gonna quit anytime? you gotta be kidding me.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Muadib

One of my pals at work found out he had it last year. He's slim, & was a gym rat. He met 2 of the factors though. His mom has it, and he's Hispanic.

Yikes!

My father had it, but he was obese. None of his brothers or his father had it, but they all stayed fairly slim.

Oh well, I basically use sugar as a tool for instant energy while lifting, skiing, etc and the occational treat.

 

[Whisper]

If I drink more than one espresso or cup of coffee + 1 or 2 diet sodas/day, then I'll start feeling some of the adverse side-effects (very mild stomach cramps and restlessness/agitation). Drinking a bottle or two of water does wonders to make it go away, though. Nonetheless, I try never to drink more than 16 oz.

 

[Eli]

Try eating something before drinking so much coffee, it should help with the stomach problems.

Coffee is actually good for you - It's the #1 source of antioxidants in the US.

 

[Eli]

Also, comparing coffee to caffeinated soda isn't really analogous.

Even Mt. Dew only has 55mg of caffeine in it, barely 1 shot of espresso.

A cup of medium drip coffee should have at least 120mg in it.

 

[Jeff7]

Cut back on the dose.

If I want caffeine, which isn't often anymore, I go with No-Doz type tablets. They're 200mg each, and if you want to be precise, you can get a pill cutter - or else just dice them up with a knife. I try not to take more than 50mg at a time.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Caffeine is bad for you but there are much worse stuff out there. That's how I look at it. You could be an alcoholic or could be a burn out.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Cut back on the dose.

If I want caffeine, which isn't often anymore, I go with No-Doz type tablets. They're 200mg each, and if you want to be precise, you can get a pill cutter - or else just dice them up with a knife. I try not to take more than 50mg at a time.

NoDoz, in my experience, is much harder on your stomach than coffee.

I can drink 200mg of caffeine in liquid form no problem, but if I take a 200mg NoDoz, my stomach does not like me.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Eli
NoDoz, in my experience, is much harder on your stomach than coffee.

I can drink 200mg of caffeine in liquid form no problem, but if I take a 200mg NoDoz, my stomach does not like me.

Maybe that liquid is the issue then.
Try a 200mg NoDoz with 8oz of some other liquid.

I think my heart would implode if I downed 200mg of caffeine at once. I've had 100mg at once, and that's bad enough.


I've never had any stomach discomfort from it though.