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Caffeine use disorder

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Re: Caffeine use disorder

#121

Post by CptJamesCook »

InclinedPlane wrote: post #93
mdip wrote: post #39

I discovered that if I only consumed caffeine when I had a Migraine headache, that it was the most effective medicine I could take provided I didn't already have a tolerance built up so I gave up caffeine in my 20s. Frankly, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was plagued with minor but persistent headaches for almost a month and was exhausted most of that time since I was used to grabbing a cup of coff…

The funny thing is that if you asked people how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee vs a can of redbull I'd bet a lot of people would say the redbull. But a single cup of coffee actually has, on average, maybe twice as much caffeine. People don't realize how much caffeine coffee has, it's a ridiculous amount. Pretty much the only beverages you can get at starbucks that has significantly less caffeine than an 8oz redb…

In addition to 80 mgs of caffeine, a redbull has 1000 mgs of a stimulant called taurine.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#122

Post by InclinedPlane »

phonon wrote: post #116
InclinedPlane wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've mostly switched to caffeine pills when I need caffeine (which varies, usually I try to go caffeine free). For me I find 100mg is a good amount, though if I could find 50mg pills I would try that. My preferred source is "jet alert" since I couldn't really find anything else that wasn't just 200mg. Also, I always use an L-theanine supplement when I take caffeine, it's amazing how much it changes things. Instead of…

Exactly this. You can buy them combined at http://www.powdercity.com/products/l-theanine-caffeine-capsu... It's night and day compared to caffeine only.

This is awesome! Thanks for this.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#123

Post by stordoff »

joslin01 wrote: post #104
strlen wrote: post #101

Personal suggestions: 1) Dark roast coffee has less caffeine and is (in my subjective opinion) tastier. So if one wants the taste of coffee without less of the effects, consider an espresso or a Turkish coffee. The latter is just called "coffee" in much of Eastern Europe, one can pick up a beautiful cezve on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3D... 2) Yerba Mate is 75 mg of caffeine per…

> I've never experienced withdrawals I don't believe you. How long have you gone without it? When did you start drinking caffeine? What's your definition of withdrawal?

Different people react differently. For a variety of conditions, I take moderate doses of opioids (tramadol 50mg qds or codeine 60mg qds) and benzodiazepines (tamazepam 20mg daily), both of which are well-known to cause dependence. I've abruptly stopped both a number of times (strongest example - going without the tramadol for three months, after taking that dose for over six months) without any ill effects or withdrawal (other than the original conditions returning to about the same as they were before treatment).

Edit: with -> without

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#124

Post by InclinedPlane »

CptJamesCook wrote: post #121
InclinedPlane wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The funny thing is that if you asked people how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee vs a can of redbull I'd bet a lot of people would say the redbull. But a single cup of coffee actually has, on average, maybe twice as much caffeine. People don't realize how much caffeine coffee has, it's a ridiculous amount. Pretty much the only beverages you can get at starbucks that has significantly less caffeine than an 8oz redb…

In addition to 80 mgs of caffeine, a redbull has 1000 mgs of a stimulant called taurine.

Taurine is not a stimulant. Unless you have some research to prove otherwise?

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#125

Post by strlen »

joslin01 wrote: post #104
strlen wrote: post #101

Personal suggestions: 1) Dark roast coffee has less caffeine and is (in my subjective opinion) tastier. So if one wants the taste of coffee without less of the effects, consider an espresso or a Turkish coffee. The latter is just called "coffee" in much of Eastern Europe, one can pick up a beautiful cezve on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3D... 2) Yerba Mate is 75 mg of caffeine per…

> I've never experienced withdrawals I don't believe you. How long have you gone without it? When did you start drinking caffeine? What's your definition of withdrawal?

> What's your definition of withdrawal?

Headaches (the most frequent symptom my wife experiences, as do my friends), excessive sleepiness, exhaustion, shaking hands, etc...

It's possible, however, that I may have been slightly more tired, but beyond the threshold of noticing this; or slightly slower reaction times. This isn't a scientific study.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#126

Post by TACIXAT »

cosmolev wrote: post #109

I would argue that the most commonly used drug is not caffeine, but sugar.

I've cut out a ton of foods in my life to fix various issues with my body. Sugar is one that remains because it causes me no ill effect. Caffeine was giving me withdrawal headaches if I slept in and missed my schedule.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#127

Post by jrapdx3 »

Just a few thoughts to add. Living in the Pacific Northwest, home of Starbucks and a bunch more vendors, caffeinism is nearly a way of life. Around here it's pretty easy to find examples of the effects of overdoing caffeine intake, so my comments are based partly on observation as well as "standard" practice.

Caffeine, like all drugs affects people differently and can cause an array of side-effects. , Besides interfering with sleep, a few are worth mentioning.

Caffeine can cause increase in gastric reflux or other GI conditions. Anyone who needs "acid reducers" is well-advised to avoid caffeine. Caffeine is also notorious for increasing anxiety symptoms, those prone to panic attacks may be more vulnerable. Cardiac effects are also a potential issue, as caffeine can contribute to abnormally rapid heart rhythms. Naturally as always mileage varies, universal rules don't really exist.

If a person has such conditions, no harm in reducing or avoiding caffeine for a while. If the problem improves, then you know what to do, if not, well, resolving the problem is going to require at least a bit more investigation.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#128

Post by thrownaway2424 »

randallsquared wrote: post #30
bryanlarsen wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's because you're addicted. You're dependent on it to wake up, and when you don't use it, you get withdrawal headaches. You may need to go about a month caffeine free to see the benefits

If it takes longer than a week to be completely free of withdrawal symptoms, there's something else wrong, I'd think. Two or three days is a more normal recovery time.

That wasn't my experience. I had body pains, headaches, chills, and a profound feeling of fatigue for two weeks when I kicked caffeine (at first by accident, and then I ran with it).

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#129

Post by capnrefsmmat »

rodionos wrote: post #87
capnrefsmmat wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This fallacy is known as "pseudoreplication": the erroneous belief that multiple samples (or a long measurement) of dependent data (i.e. the same person year after year) is equivalent to getting many independent samples. If you measure the same two people year after year, you just measure their genetic predispositions and personal habits more and more precisely. You cannot distinguish them from the results of your co…

In case of caffeine addiction tests, I would argue that a life-long trial of fewer people over a short-term trial of many people would produce more statistically significant results because the impact is accumulative over a long period of time. Consider asbestos or even smoking. Compare the results of 10 lifelong smokers vs 1000 smokers who tried it just once. Anyways, did you read the article on wikipedia? The priso…

The goal of a trial is to eliminate other possible explanations for the phenomenon in question. You take a large sample, and randomly assign people to groups, so all the idiosyncratic variations average out.

With only one person per group, you can't eliminate many possible reasons for their differing life spans: one may have caught a disease the other was not exposed to, they may have had different nutrition, different amounts of exercise, different habits, a zillion other things.

After all, do other twins die at exactly the same time? No. They die years apart for many other reasons. Unless this twin experiment could eliminate all those possible reasons, it shows us nothing about coffee specifically.

Re: Caffeine use disorder

#130

Post by zues »

hellbanner wrote: post #106
mdip wrote: post #39

I discovered that if I only consumed caffeine when I had a Migraine headache, that it was the most effective medicine I could take provided I didn't already have a tolerance built up so I gave up caffeine in my 20s. Frankly, it was a lot harder than I thought it would be. I was plagued with minor but persistent headaches for almost a month and was exhausted most of that time since I was used to grabbing a cup of coff…

Try massaging yourself with heated sesame oil when you have a migraine. It's worked for me 4 times now.

I'm not sure if I should lol or thank you.
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