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Thursday, March 9, 1989 / University Daily Kansan
Caffeine's boost can backfire easily
by Courtney Eblen Special to the Kansan
Caffeine - it's regarded as Ameri co's jump-start substance.
From coffee to soft drinks to potent caffeine pills, the drug is one of the most used over-the-counter stimulants in the United States. It helps many people stay alert and pull the occasional all-nighters, especially during midterms.
Although caffeine is readily available in coffee and soft drinks, it also present in caffeine pills, which contain nearly pure doses of the
Julie Cornwell, Omaha, Neb.
freshman, popped a few caffeine pills last week to help her study for a slew of tests.
"They kept me awake to study," she said.
This week, she has two papers due and must take a geography test. She said she might take a few tables to study the geography I tired enough to need that extra boost.
"It's not harmless if you use it a lot, but it's OK once in a while," she said.
Too much caffeine, however, can hurt both body and mind, health officials said.
Grant Watts, Leawood junior, learned about caffeine addiction the hard way during his senior year at Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park. Every morning for nearly three months, his wake-up regimen included swallowing four caffeine-laced tablets.
Watts used No-Doz, an over-the-
counter stimulant, to remain awake through school and work. He said he took them regardless of whether he had gotten sleep, then supplemented his morning dose with up to six more nills during the day.
"It it just seems silly, now," he said.
"At the time, it was the easiest way to keep going."
Watts had become addicted to caffeine through his overuse of the product. He said he followed directions on the box when he first began taking it. But the recommended dosage grew, he began taking the pills to excess.
No-Doz has been a Bristol-Myers product since 1970. Directions on the back of the box state that the product "is non-habit forming."
"That's a lie," Watts said. "I think it's been proven that caffeine is habit forming."
Fooling the brain
Caffeine, a methylkanthine, is an odorless, bitter-tasting alkaloid found in coffee, tea, cacao and some other plants. A 1986 study at the Johns Hopkins University Medical School in Baltimore shows that the aroma of coffee is similar to that of adenosine, a chemical that occurs naturally in the brain.
Adenosine acts as a suppresson on brain cells, inducing a feeling of fatigue and signaling to people that they need to rest.
bottle. It blocks the normal flow of adenosine, resulting in a false feeling of energy. The mind will be tired, but signals sent from the brain will render the body wide-wake, according to the study.
Xanthine, a chemical part of caffeine, is so similar to adenosine that it acts as almond to make it fit a
Another widely used caffeine pill is Vivarin, which packs 200 milligrams of caffeine in each tablet — twice that of No-Doze. A spokesman for Vivarin, manufactured by Beecham Products since 1982, said in a telephone interview last week that Vivarin was not addictive when used properly.
But Charles Yockey, chief of staff at Watkins Memorial Health Center, said that concentrated caffeine was habit-forming.
"One pill is like two cups of strong coffee," he said. "Coffee can get you into trouble, too."
Taking these substances, especially the pills, frequently sets a person up for addiction, he said.
"When used in excess, they defin-
nately are dangerous," he said.
"They just need to be avoided."
Yockey said that around midterms and finals, students came into Watkins with symptoms of caffeine overeating. The program also uses Vasirgin, No-Dog or coffee.
Caffeine overdose
In a caffeine overdose, the patient's heart rate jumps drastically above the normal 70 beats a minute. This activity and panic attacks, he said.
beats per minute," Yockey said.
Because each person has a different tolerance to caffeine, the average amount that can cause an overdose cannot be measured. You need Physio's advice, and are usually the warning signs: insomnia, restlessness, excitement, ringing in the ears, muscular tremors, blurred and spotty vision, stomach pain, an increased discharge of urine and a rapid heartbeat, according to the 1986-47 Facts and Comparisons Manual, an annual pharmaceutical publication.
"We've had to admit people who have had heart rates of 150 to 160
Rick Wood, Leawood sophomore, said he quit using Vivarin and NoDoz because the stimulants made him too littery to study.
"I wouldn't have much concentration because I was so hyper," he said. "It woke me up. That's all it did. There was no increased desire to be a good little student."
Jump-starting America Our addiction to caffeine
Whether it's a cup of coffee, a can of soda pop or a pill, caffeine is one of the most-used over-the-counter stimulants in the United States.
Product Amount Caffeine content
Vivarin 1 tablet 200 milligrams
No-Doz 1 tablet 100 mg
Coffee
Regular 5-8 oz. 40-180 mg
Instant 5-8 oz. 30-120 mg
Tea
Brewed 5-8 oz. 20-110 ng
Instant 5-8 oz. 25-50 mg
Soft Drinks
Mountain Dew 12 oz. 54 mg
Pepsi 12 oz. 38.4 mg
Diet Pepsi 12 oz. 36 mg
Cocoa 5-8 oz. 2-50 mg
Milk chocolate 1 oz. 1-15 mg
After Watts stopped taking No-Doz, he said he was almost immediately plagued by headaches, a symptom of withdrawal. He said that even after he stopped taking No-Doz, his metabolism was so messed up that it was difficult to sleep.
'Running on empty'
"When you came down, you came down hard," he said. "You're fine, you're awake, then all of a sudden, you're very sleepy and dull, and it usually happened in the middle of an outburst, was more than running emily."
Wood said the worst thing about caffeine was its after-effect, which he called a caffine hangover.
Source: 1986-87 Facts and Comparison Manual, Pepsi Bottling Co.
Stephen Kline/KANSAN
He said he had gradually lessened his dependence on stimulants by replacing No-Doz with coffee. He said coffee made him less jittery, and he didn't feel as queasy the morning after a late night.
An admitted procrastinator, Watts said he wrote all of his work the night before they were due. He said late hours were best to work in because few people were awake to distract him.
Pills are quicker and more convenient than coffee." he said. "After more than one night, I get to the point where I just can't drink any more. I can't drink nothing. But I prefer the coffee."
Watts was the No-Doz/Vivarin trap was easy to fall into.
Yockey said that every semester, he heard about students who stayed up several nights in a row studying for midterms or finals and then because their bodies could no longer take the strain of losing so much sleep.
"It does no good at all to study for 24 hours at 10 percent efficiency year after year for 5 hours at 90 percent efficiency," the best not to get into that situation.
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