Caffeine pills?

[it]

So my work schedual is the sort that can leave me 3 days off and then 3 days of double-shifts with no sleep... Which I kind of like, but it has lead me to increase the amount of caffeine I am consuming by a lot.

Between coke, energy drinks and coffee with milk and sugar, all of which I make sure to equip the fridge at work with,these have become my biggest source of extra calories.

I thought of caffeine pills, and realized the main problem I have with them is tremendously stupid - growing up on 80s and 90s kid shows where "a very special episode that tries to talk about drugs without actually saying the name of drugs", they often used caffeine pills as a replacement, which my inner child brain has taken quite literally - I have no problems with weed but am still experiencing a lot of hesitation with caffeine pills. Realistically, a pill (usually 200-220mg) has less caffeine then what I am currently consuming in fatty sugary forms every 2-3 hours, and it seems it would be a lot more economical too.

Do any of you have experience with caffeine pills? Any thoughts?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Damn, Amazon doesn't sell bulk caffeine any more, only pills. But Business Insider bought a bag, 500 grams (50% natural, 50% synthetic) on the net for $30.
I was surprise by...

That 500g bag contains as much caffeine as is in 2,500 to 5,000 cups of coffee — or the same as 15,625 cans of Coca-Cola (or 11,904 Diet Cokes).

I should think people who buy Diet coke, would want more caffeine than regular Coke drinkers.

[Sundae]

IF you buy caffeine pills, just be very careful about the exact amount you take.
Generally, they give you a higher dose of caffeine in a concentrated burst.
So over the course of a day, you might be getting the same hit, but if you're getting it in 2-3 pills, that's a lot for your system to cope with.

I'm not the best person to ask because although I have taken caffeine (or caffeine based) pills, I found out I was actually quite sensitive to it when I was in my 30s. The pills made me extremely nauseous. If I can equate it to drinking, it was the difference between slowly sipping a glass of wine and drinking the equivalent in shots - one is introduced to the body slowly, the other all in one go. It is the same AMOUNT of alcohol, but you will feel very different very quickly.

I'm not saying don't take them. I'm just saying maybe start on half tablets.

[it]

I did not consider that... It's a good point. I'll see if I can get tablets with a middle slit to easily break into two. Thank you.

[Gravdigr]

[orthodoc]

The FDA has just put sellers of bulk caffeine on notice that they have to produce evidence of how they will SAFELY sell the stuff, because selling it as they used to will kill you. Sold as a powder, you can easily take enough to induce life-threatening/fatal dysrhythmias, or abnormal heart rhythms. That would be the reason Amazon isn't currently selling it, I would imagine.

The pills can still kill you if you swallow too many. Sundae's analogy is very apt; it's rather like slamming shots. Once the stuff is in your system you can't get it out, so be cautious.

[xoxoxoBruce]

But where's the fun of that. Why would you want a measured dose from the pharmacy when you can get mystery, and adventure from the guy in the alley?

One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And ones from the pharmacy
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall



Yours truly, Doorknob

[it]

Ok, so I took my first a few hour ago...

I tried slicing it but without a slit in the middle my dexterity disagreed with that approach... So I more or less took 80% of one.

Initially I did feel my heart rate go up quite a bit, but after that I felt fantastically energetic... I definitely feel more alert then after just drinking coffee or energy drinks.
.
...And then I did a stupid mistake at work which I have no idea if to associate with the pill even though I normally don't do stuff like that but I am pretty sure all I've done is made myself look stupid which I can live with, just hoping it isn't my general state of mind under more caffeine then I am used too, or if it is, that I can mitigate it.

Overall, this is kind of a nice state to be in.

[fargon]

Careful there, that shit can get out of hand.

[it]

...I may have forgot to check if there's a minimum amount of time you need to wait between pills.

[glatt]

I took no-doze, or whatever it's called, once. I hated it. I was super drowsy, but jittery and jumpy at the same time. Couldn't focus. Lasted for hours.

YMMV

[DanaC]

Ah man - that's my experience of taking cafeine pills too, glatt. Took some to get me through an exam after I'd staye dup all night studying. Most unpleasant. Very different to chain drinking coffee which I also have done (and continue to do so at times). Just one dose of concentrated caffeine did for me.

[Gravdigr]

Too much (or a proper dose, even, if you're not used to it) will tend to make you jittery, and causes lapses in judgement/decisions.

What Fargon said goes. Easy, there, big fella. Go easy til you figure out how you're going to react.

Definitely familiarize yourself with dosages/directions.

[it]

So far I am calling this experiment a success.

I feel more energetic, seem to be able to keep it under control, and probably loosing weight without all the junk I used to drink along side caffeine. My actual coffee cup intake (with sugar and milk) is now just the one in the morning rather then what I used to do - which was drinking coffee almost as if it was water.

This is working really well for me. Thank you all for the advice - sundae in particular about slicing them in half - It's useful not only to avoid the heartbeat-shot but also to extend it longer and without the lapses in judgement - which seemed to have followed pattern of always appearing in the first hour after taking a full one. So now I follow the half/half regime and during work shift I seem to work better overall if I take half a pill (100mg) every two hours rather then a full one every four hours.

[monster]

You couldn't just drink less calorific versions of your usual fayre? Or work out more in your days off? Pills are bad mmmkay? I know you don't give a crap what I think, but why in the fuck are you doing this? Is the job really worth it? Three days on (on caffeine), three off (how does the body handle the lack of caffeine then ...or is there no real lack of caffeine?) Is a recipe for a medical disaster down the line. Trust me, I'm a Dr.