Recommended Dose of Caffeine Pills
Caffeine pills are available without a prescription for a number of indications. Most commonly, they are used to promote wakefulness. Your doctor may tell you to take these pills for more specific health or psychological conditions. Talk to your doctor to learn more about how caffeine use can affect your health.
Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant naturally found in coffee, tea and cocoa and added to many sodas. Caffeine also is available in caffeine pills, typically to help prevent drowsiness. Many headache medications also contain caffeine, as caffeine has been shown to have benefits for tension and migraine headaches.
Pills
Ephedrine Vs. Caffeine
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Caffeine pills are sold under popular brand names and a number of generic labels. Your doctor may tell you to take caffeine pills to counteract the drowsiness effects of antihistamines or other medications. Caffeine pills also sometimes are marketed as weight loss pills; however, the use of caffeine as a diet aid is controversial.
Doses
It is generally recommended that healthy people consume no more that 200 to 300 mg of caffeine per day. This is about 2 to 4 cups of coffee. Caffeine pills for wakefulness typically contain 200 mg of caffeine, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Drugs.com notes that these pills should not be used more than once every 4 hours. MayoClinic.org warns that doses of caffeine above 600 mg per day can causes side effects such as insomnia, nervousness and muscle tremors. Your doctor may recommend that you use more caffeine for certain conditions. In these cases, you may be told to take as much as 1,000 to 1,600 mg of caffeine in a 24-hour period.
- It is generally recommended that healthy people consume no more that 200 to 300 mg of caffeine per day.
- In these cases, you may be told to take as much as 1,000 to 1,600 mg of caffeine in a 24-hour period.
Recommendations
Caffeine Pills for Weight Loss
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Talk to your doctor to learn more about the benefits and risks of using caffeine pills for any condition. If your doctor has directed you to take caffeine pills, follow the dosing directions carefully. Let your doctor know about any other prescriptions you may be taking, as certain drugs such as antibiotics can interact negatively with caffeine. Also, tell your doctor if you have a history of any cardiovascular or psychological conditions.
- Talk to your doctor to learn more about the benefits and risks of using caffeine pills for any condition.
- Let your doctor know about any other prescriptions you may be taking, as certain drugs such as antibiotics can interact negatively with caffeine.
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References
- Drugs.com: Caffeine
- Center for Science in the Public Interest: Caffeine Content of Food & Drugs
- MayoClinic.com: Does Caffeine Help With Weight Loss?
- MayoClinic.com: Caffeine: How Much is Too Much?
- Meredith SE, Juliano LM, Hughes JR, Griffiths RR. Caffeine Use Disorder: A Comprehensive Review and Research Agenda. J Caffeine Res. 2013;3(3):114-130. doi:10.1089/jcr.2013.0016
- Richards G, Smith AP. A Review of Energy Drinks and Mental Health, with a Focus on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression. J Caffeine Res. 2016;6(2):49-63. doi:10.1089/jcr.2015.0033
- Brunyé TT, Mahoney CR, Rapp DN, Ditman T, Taylor HA. Caffeine enhances real-world language processing: evidence from a proofreading task. J Exp Psychol Appl. 2012;18(1):95-108. doi:10.1037/a0025851
- Koppelstaetter F, Poeppel TD, Siedentopf CM, et al. Caffeine and cognition in functional magnetic resonance imaging. J Alzheimers Dis. 2010;20 Suppl 1:S71-84. doi:10.3233/JAD-2010-1417
- Harrell PT, Juliano LM. Caffeine expectancies influence the subjective and behavioral effects of caffeine. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2009;207(2):335-42. doi:10.1007/s00213-009-1658-5
- Lucas M, O'reilly EJ, Pan A, et al. Coffee, caffeine, and risk of completed suicide: results from three prospective cohorts of American adults. World J Biol Psychiatry. 2014;15(5):377-86. doi:10.3109/15622975.2013.795243
- Abdel-Hady H, Nasef N, Shabaan AE, Nour I. Caffeine therapy in preterm infants. World J Clin Pediatr. 2015;4(4):81-93. doi:10.5409/wjcp.v4.i4.81
- American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th edition. Washington DC; 2013.
- Turnbull D, Rodricks JV, Mariano GF, Chowdhury F. Caffeine and cardiovascular health. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2017;89:165-185. doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.07.025
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alcohol and Caffeine. Updated October 23, 2018.
- Alsunni AA. Energy Drink Consumption: Beneficial and Adverse Health Effects. Int J Health Sci (Qassim). 2015;9(4):468-474.
- Lyngsø J, Ramlau-Hansen CH, Bay B, Ingerslev HJ, Hulman A, Kesmodel US. Association between coffee or caffeine consumption and fecundity and fertility: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis. Clin Epidemiol. 2017;9:699-719. doi:10.2147/CLEP.S146496
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Pure and Highly Concentrated Caffeine. Updated September 21, 2018.
- National Institute on Drug Abuse. Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction. Updated July 2018.
Writer Bio
Chad Stone is a medical scientist based in the Pacific Northwest. Since 2003, Dr. Stone has has published high-profile articles on the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and cancer in journals such as Blood and the Journal of the American Heart Association. Dr. Stone is a specialist in blood biology as well as cancers of breast, colon, kidney and other tissues.