Caffeine pills :P

[Nick R]

So again I work at a big box store famous for electronics, computers, etc. Last night, I closed (which means I leave at 10PM). Today I had to be in at 7 AM for inventory (I get up 2 hours before my shift). So,understandably exhausted, my co-worker had some caffeine pills (non-Rx), he offered one to me. Figuring it would help me get through the first part of the day, I accepted thinking, "what the heck?" And just.. Wow..

Now, I don't drink coffee. Never acquired the taste for it, and I don't drink much soda, so I don't get much caffeine in my diet. That thing almost literally knocked me on my rear end. I didn't feel BAD, but I was like "oh my god I'm gonna die..." ya know, the kind that you can't really describe. I had tons of energy, had a hard time keeping a coherent train of thought. My hands shook a bit. I had to make a supreme effort to talk at a normal speed. It felt surreal, it's hard to describe, almost like being in a dream-haze. Later in the day it wore off and I was simply exhausted. I asked him, and he said each of those is equivalent to around 3 cups of strong coffee. I only took 1! Never again!! Maybe it's because I don't get exposed to much of it, but caffeine seems to have an amplified affect on me. Just a warning to y'all, you might want to avoid these little buggers. Anyone else have a similar experience with these things?

 

[saberz]

Thats how I was the first time I took one. I actually went out and walked a couple of miles to get it out of my system. hard to concentrate and it made me lose time than gain it because all i could focus on was the fast feeling. I drink coffee but a caffine pill is an instant rush.

 

[asiancivicmaniac]

They work fine for me. Of course it takes three cups of coffee for me to function well. Should try drinking a Rockstar. Drank one when I only had 2.5 hours of sleep and needed to make a 2 hour drive home because I was moving out. I was bouncing off the walls. Felt good.

 

[Nick R]

I would also compare it to the feeling you have where you've been awake for 30 hours straight (flying from Hawaii to Ohio with an hour layover in houston), and you are at the point that you are so tired... You don't feel tired anymore. Where it feels like nothing is real, and you have energy that you shouldn't have (only in this case you should), if that makes any kind of sense

 

[L_Sludger]

haha, lightweights, all of you!

 

[Nick R]

Apparently spiders have a hard time concentrating on what they are doing when hopped up on caffeine too!

 

[Kuato]

Too much caffeine will do that, especially if you're not used to it.

Next time, check the amount of caffeine in the pill before you take it. A Diet Coke has about 45mg of caffeine; if you drink colas then that's how much you are used to having.

[see: http://wilstar.com/caffeine.htm ]

I've used caffeine pills before, and mixed them in with gatorade or something else with flavor - they're bitter in water.

 

[daves87rs]

Tried one....never again....couldn't sleep right for a few days...

 

[mrsilv04]

I'll use the regular "No-Doz" pills, where one is supposedly the equivalent of one cup of coffee... but that's the only ones that I'll use.

Some of those are simply too strong and unpredictable.

 

[robshelton]

In the early 1990's my father sold to stuff to convenience stores including a stimulant pill called "357 Magnum." I gave a bottle of them to a friend who took about 10 of them at one time. Said it was the worst feeling he had ever had! Guess it poisoned him. But yes, he stayed awake. I can't remember what was in those pills but it had to be strong! Anybody remember those pills?

 

[greenaccord02]

Some people are more sensitive to it than others, but if it hits you that hard all I can say is stay away from any harder drugs!

 

[XS650]

Sometimes I use them if I'm getting drowsy on a long drive and don't want to stop for coffee and the later used coffee stop.

I drink 4 or 5 cups of coffee a day, so am getting about the caffeine I am used to when I take the generic no-doze pills. A standard 200mg no-doze is roughly equivalent to a 16 oz coffee which can run 140 to 330mg according to the chart I saw.

 

[crinkles]

just don't do it. with that amount of sleep you should be perfect for clear thinking at work. with time it will come. try having kids... 3 under 3, even then i wouldn't take that pill.

 

[Shannow]

Back in my uni days, mech eng end of year exams were typically 12 exams in two weeks.

I wasn't much for cramming, wanting to actually be an engineer, but it was a heavy schedule.

From the second Monday onwards, at about 7:30, it was 2 No-doze plus, a tablespoon of instant coffee, washed down with a coke. That would last until 1AM on Monday, midnight Tuesday, and maybe 9PM Thursday.

It was funny seeing all the mech engers at the uni bar being the last to finish exams, and therefore last on campus.

We'd be hanging out for our celebration, and generally had trouble staying awake to complete the first at 4PM in the arvo.

The feeling of your brain literally freewheeling (think dipping the clutch while accelerating full throttle) was the most amazing feeling/rush.

That being said, caffeine and I don't get on as well as we used to. A "relaxing" cup of coffee can be instant anxiety.

 

[hardcore302]

I work 6pm to 2am, sometimes 7 days a week, and wake up at 730 daily with an hour nap if im lucky.. sometime have to work until 7 am due to the nature of work.

i make redbull IV's, if anyone is interested...

 

[The_Jeff]

Caffeine has a half-life of around 18 hours, so even if you have a bunch first thing in the morning there's a lot in your system to mess with you at bedtime.

You need to sync caffeine with your excitement level. If you're standing still at a cash register all day it might be a bit much... but running around the floor, less so. This is the curse of old school stimulant "diet pills": people take them but don't increase their exercise and feel jittery.

I drink two pints of coffee a day but try to dry out on the weekend. Have the distinct impression if I drank any more it would start wreaking havoc on my body.

 

[StevieC]

I'm a coffee drinker and enjoy drinking lots of coffee in my day. I have tried these caffeine pills in the past when I haven't had access to coffee and I find they are more like being doped up on drugs than on caffeine. Maybe because there are other compounds in coffee that add to the natural alert effect that these pills don't have? I don't know but I won't be buying them again.

5 Hour energy drink on the other hand works amazing, I find myself clear minded and focused and full of energy without the crashing or jitters that other "Boost" products give you.

Give that a try next-time.

 

[Kestas]

Nick, next time take half a pill.

 

[addyguy]

Years ago, when I wasn't drinking nearly as much coffee as I do now, I did try one of these 'no-doze' caffein pills to keep me alert during a rough school/work period.

Took one, and it made me feel jittery and sick..it was horrible. Threw away the rest of the pack, and started drinking more coffee with classmates in the morning.

Now I dring 2-4 cups of coffee a day, and have no problems sleeping, either. To be truthful, I am curious about how those energy drinks perk you up, and have wanted to try one for a while, but I'm hesitant, b/c I don't wat to get jittery and nauseated again.....LOL!

 

[StevieC]

The 5 hour energy drink isn't like other drinks and it actually contains about the same caffeine as a cup of coffee, it's all the other "goodies" in it that perk you up without feeling jittery or like crashing later on.

Good stuff and everyone that needs this perk should try this one.

http://www.5hourenergy.com/