4.6a Coffee ----Secrets of Caffeine

4.6a Coffee (14 Aug. 2021)

Coffee is the most popular beverage in the U.S.A and, possibly the World.  For good reason. Its caffeine; it’s the caffeine!  One or 2 six-ounce cups, cans or containers of brewed coffee contains 50 to 150 mg caffeine, and drinking it increases feelings of well-being, alertness, energy, concentration, sociability and motivation to work, whether it be on a novel or in a factory. The caffeine is a bi-cyclic carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen bi-ketonic oxide, an antagonist of the neurotransmitter Adenosine; it works by blocking adenosine's  receptor sites.  Adenosine is an anti-anxiety, sleep-making neurotransmitter, explaining caffeine's sleep-diminishing effect in high dose and its alerting affect in moderate dose and anxiety effect in overdose. Caffeine  at higher doses (>300 mg) also releases Dopamine, the neurotransmitter of pleasure and addiction, in addition to dopamine’s important deficiency in Parkinson's Disease.  Also at higher doses it releases epinephrine and norepinephrine, which perhaps explains its reported tendency to mildly elevate blood pressure and mildly relieve asthma attacks.

Incidentally, it is the only psychoactive drug we allow kids to use.

List of beverages with caffeine dosage per usual drink. (Note, there are more: look on the can or container where it is listed.)

Beverages & foods (5 to 6-oz) Caffeine (mg)
  Fresh drip coffee, brewed coffee               90-140
  Instant coffee                                            55-100
  Tea (leaf or bagged)                                  30-100
  Cocoa                                                           5-50
  Decaffeinated coffee                                    2-4
  Chocolate bar or oz of baking chocolate    25-35
Blendy’s cylindrical pack                         55. - 110

   Soft drinks (8-12 oz)
   Pepsi. Coke, Tab, Royal Crown Cola,         25-50
      Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew

   Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Caffeine-Free         0
      Coke or Pepsi or Tab, 7-Up, Sprite,
      Squirt

Prescription medications                              Per Pill
    Cafergot, Migralam                                    100
    Anoquan, Asper-code, BAC, Darvon,      32-50
    Fiorinal

OTC analgesics and common cold preparations
   Excedrin                                                       60
   Aspirin compound, Anacin, B-C powder,   c.30
   Capron, Cope, Dolor, Midol, Nilan,
   Norgesic, PAC,Trigesic, Vanquish              c.30
   Advil, aspirin, Empirin, Midol 200, Nuprin     0

OTC stimulants and appetite suppressants
     Caffin-TD                                                 250
     Vivirin, Ver                                              200
     Quick-Pep                                            140-150
     Amostant, Anorexin, Appedrine,            100
         Nodoz, Wakoz

The half-life of caffeine in humans 3 to 10 hours and peak is 30 to 60 minutes.
  So a cup of caffeine coffee is good. (But I am not advising it as a habit.) The problem is that it is mildly addicting with withdrawal symptoms and easy overdose.  Also its habitual lifetime daily use depletes one’s bank account eventually.  Basically the problems are for persons who drink >300 mg (more than 3 or 4 six-oz cups brewed coffee a day) every day and then suddenly stop. The main withdrawal is high anxiety and headache. Overdose usually takes 600 mg or more a day and consists of high anxiety, tremors, hyper-talk and hypomania (objectionable hyperactivity but below manic level).  Treatment is easy once the addiction or withdrawal is recognized.  Simply cut down to less than 300 mg a day.
   Here is a typical history: Ms C went for consultation due to anxiety attacks occurring mid- to late-afternoon when she got restless, nervous, and easily excited and sometimes noted to be flushed, sweating, and talking a mile a minute. To her consultant Ms C admitted  to drinking 6 to 7 cups of coffee each day before the attacks occurred.

I use coffee as a good mind stimulant and not as an anti-sleepy drug.  And I know its dose limits.

   So I drink my morning cup just after awakening to get me going for the day. I do not usually use creme or sugar in it because I want the pure caffeine sans calories. I drink it first-off on an empty stomach before breakfast to get the maximum absorption.   I may have a 2nd cup of coffee at the office when starting to work but only rarely do I exceed 3 cups.  I may drink extra coffee or caffeine-containing food socially on occasion but I don’t worry about too much or too little caffeine. If I desire an extra beverage with lower caffeine I drink tea or just water. Sometimes I sprinkle the powder coffee on my ice cream or other cream food. (And see the 1.4 Japan - C'mon a My House chapter.)

For next chapter click on:4.6 Alcohol, Secrets of a Drinker Doc

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