Effects of Addictive Substances

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Caffeine Effects

 

The chemical name of caffeine is 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6,-dione OR 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine and is the most popular drug throught the world.

You can call it 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6,-dione OR 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, but what we are really talking about is caffeine. Caffeine may be the most popular drug in the world. We consume caffeine in coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, some soft drinks, and some drugs. The actual source of caffeine is the coffee bean, tea leaf, kola nut and cacao pod. Pure caffeine is odorless and has a bitter taste.

Effects on nervous system :

Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant.
In moderate doses, caffeine can:
* increase alertness
* reduce fine motor coordination
* cause insomnia
* cause headaches, nervousness and dizziness

In massive doses, caffeine is lethal. A fatal dose of caffeine has been calculated to be more than 10 grams (about 170 mg/kg body weight) - this is the same as drinking 80 to 100 cups of coffee in rapid succession - not an easy thing to do.

Caffeine enters the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine and can have its effects as soon as 15 minutes after it is consumed. Once in the body, caffeine will stay around for hours: it takes about 6 hours for one half of the caffeine to be eliminated.

Caffeine belongs to the xanthine chemical group. Adenosine is a naturally occurring xanthine in the brain that is used as a neurotransmitter at some synapses. One effect of caffeine is to interfere with adenosine at multiple sites in the brain including the reticular formation. Caffeine also acts at other sites in the body to increase heart rate, constrict blood vessels, relax air passages to improve breathing and allow some muscles to contract more easily.

Some studies show that caffeine causes physical dependence. One way to tell if someone "needs" that cup of coffee or bottle of Coke is to take it away from them and then see if they have any withdrawal symptoms. Typical withdrawal symptoms associated with caffeine are headache, fatigue and muscle pain. These symptoms can occur within 24 hours after the last dose of caffeine. One study has stated that the minimum consumption of caffeine for physical dependence is 4 cups of coffee per day. Other studies say that a few more cups of coffee are needed to develop dependence.

Caffeine can be found in many drinks, food and drugs. The following items all contain various amounts of caffeine:

DRINKS:

Item	Item Size	Caffeine Content (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
Jolt Cola	12 oz	100
Josta	12 oz	58
Mountain Dew	12 oz	55
Surge	12 oz	51
Tab	12 oz	47
Diet Coca Cola	12 oz	45
Coca Cola	12 oz	64
Coca Cola Classic	12 oz	23
Tab	12 oz	46
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 :

Item	Item Size	Caffeine Content (mg)
Ben/Jerry No Fat Coffee Fudge Froz. Yog.	1 cup	85
Starbucks Coffee Ice Cream	1 cup	40-60
Dannon Coffee Yogurt	8 oz.	45
Chocolate Bar	50 g	3-63
Chunky Bar	1 bar (40 g)	11.6
100 Grand Bar	1 bar (43 g)	11.2
Nestle Crunch Bar	1 bar (40 g)	10
Krackel Bar	1 bar (47 g)	8.5
Peanut Butter Cup	1 pk (51 g)	5.6
Kit Kat Bar	1 bar (46 g)	5
Mr. Goodbar	1 bar (50 g)	5
Raisinets	10 pieces (10 g)	2.5
Butterfinger Bar	1 bar (61 g)	2.4
Baby Ruth Bar	1 bar (60 g)	2.4
Special Dark Sweet Chocolate Bar	1 bar(41 g)	31
Chocolate Brownie	1.25 oz	8
Chocolate Chip Cookie	30 g	3-5
Chocolate Ice Cream	50 g	2-5
Milk Chocolate	1 oz	1-15
Bittersweet Chocolate	1 oz	5-35
Butterfinger Bar	1 bar (2.16 oz)	2
After Eight Mint	2 pc (8 g)	1.6

Non-prescription Drugs :

Item (1 tablet or capsule)	Caffeine Content(mg)
Dextrim	200
Vivarin	200
No Doz	100
Excedrin	65
Vanquish	33
Anacin	32
Midol	32
Triaminicin	30
Dristan	16