Forms of Caffeine and Problems
Billions of people drink coffee or tea so you’ll see many different tolerances and varieties but the main reason why I’m highlighting these things are the risks such as kidney failure, neurological or cardiac symptoms that people are generally not aware of.
You can also put the energy drinks in this category because people assume these common unregulated items are safe as well, but can still cause major issues.
Many people have problems with anxiety and palpitations when they probably need to evaluate their caffeine usage. Sending someone to the ER is expensive and possibly unnecessary if the person can just simply cut back from the energy drinks.
So I’m going to discuss a few risks and issues with these caffeine forms and supplements. Even CDC, NIMH, and SAMSHA don’t have particular sections. However, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) did have some key points:
According to scientists at the FDA, caffeine can be part of a healthy diet for most people, but too much caffeine may pose a danger to your health. Depending on factors such as body weight, medications you may take, and individual sensitivity, “too much” can vary from person to person.
How much caffeine is too much? For healthy adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams a day—that’s about four or five cups of coffee—as an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects. However, there is wide variation in both how sensitive people are to the effects of caffeine and how fast they metabolize it (break it down).
Certain conditions tend to make people more sensitive to caffeine’s effects, as can some medications. In addition, if you’re pregnant, trying to become pregnant, breastfeeding, or are concerned about another condition or medication, we recommend talking to your health care provider about whether you need to limit caffeine consumption.
The FDA has not set a level for children, but the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the consumption of caffeine and other stimulants by children and adolescents.
How do you know if you’ve consumed more caffeine than you can tolerate? Over-consuming caffeine can cause:
- insomnia
- jitters
- anxiousness
- fast heart rate
- upset stomach
- nausea
- headache
- a feeling of unhappiness (dysphoria)
Does caffeine pose a danger to your health? The FDA estimates toxic effects, like seizures, can be observed with rapid consumption of around 1,200 milligrams of caffeine, or 0.15 tablespoons of pure caffeine.
Pure and highly concentrated caffeine products present a significant public health threat and have contributed to at least two deaths in the United States in the last few years. (In April, the FDA took action to protect consumers from these products.)
These products, often labeled as dietary supplements, consist of pure or highly concentrated caffeine in powder or liquid forms and are often marketed in bulk packaging with up to thousands of servings per container, requiring the consumer to measure out a safe serving from what can be a toxic or even lethal amount of bulk product.
The risk of caffeine overdose increases as the concentration of caffeine in the product increases, meaning even small dosages of a highly concentrated product could lead to dangerous effects. Just one teaspoon of pure powdered caffeine can contain the same amount of caffeine as 28 cups of coffee, and a half cup of a liquid highly concentrated caffeine product contains the equivalent of more than 20 cups of coffee. These are toxic amounts that can have serious health consequences, including death.
Is it okay for kids to consume caffeine? We recommend you consult with your health care provider for advice regarding your child’s caffeine consumption.
–FDA
| Fluid Sizes/Tablet | Caffeine Amount |
|---|---|
| Coca Cola 12oz. | 34mg |
| Excedrin tablet | 65mg |
| Midol tablet | 60mg |
| Mountain Dew 12oz. | 55mg |
| Red Bull 8.3oz. | 80mg |
| Starbucks 12oz. | 260mg |
| Vivarin (caffeine tablets) | 200mg |
About Caffeine
Kids/Teens: I recommended it for a teen and know many parents who gave their kids a cup of coffee. The main concern is the “stimulant” effects such as weight loss, insomnia, and jitters/palpitations/heart risks. Little kids (before puberty) typically have huge amounts of energy and don’t need coffee but the same risks apply. Plus, with little kids be mindful, they may be at HIGHER risk for dehydration (caffeine is like a diuretic) or wetting the bed so it should probably be avoided. After puberty, a child’s body is similar to an adult’s internal body.
Risks with Several Forms of Caffeine
- Coffee: the above side effects are for overconsumption but there are other side effects. Even with moderate amounts my eye twitches so I can only drink so much. I tried to cut back and drink tea but with about 2-3 cups my hands were shaking and almost had a panic attack because it can get scary. Overall, I try to tell people if you’re not having a good response to anything or having difficult anxiety/panic, just try to cut back on caffeinated products. Now when I drink coffee, I usually stop when my eye twitches and that’s about a half cup of coffee since this is already embarrassing enough…
- Tea: I continue to love tea even though it hates me. I thought I’ll do better if I had caffeinated-free tea but that’s what made my hands tremble uncontrollably. Decaf and caffeinated-free STILL have caffeine in it just at lower amounts. In my post, I also reference reports of liver failure from green tea extracts and Massive Tea Consumption Linked to Kidney Failure by Reuters so with moderate or massive amounts, take precautions, especially with kidney problems. The man with kidney failure reportedly was drinking 16 nine-ounce glasses of iced tea each day, giving him more than 1,500 milligrams of oxalate per day, which is assumed the reason why his kidney shut down…
- Energy Drinks, Mountain Dew, Sugary-Caffeine Mixes, etc.: I generally avoid them but mainly because the crash is too big. Teens probably wouldn’t have this problem but children having sugary or caffeinated drinks may worsen their tics, mood/anxiety, aggression, agitation, etc. so these things may have to be limited. Plus, the sugar content is ridiculous and can make people susceptible to infections/illnesses and dental problems causing more behavioral issues.
- Caffeine Pills: The biggest problem with supplements is who knows what’s really in them especially online. They list ingredients but why is one green and the other brand or the next version is brown?? OTC supplements also don’t necessarily make them safer so I tell people to try new things over the weekend or wait until the kid or family is off to do trials. People still assume OTC has no major risks, which is true most of the time but take precautions. Take the recommended dose or half it (at first) to make sure there’s no reaction. Also, note that “caffeine pills” are usually marketed as diet pills, and green tea supplements, not for “energy” technically.
Some Alternatives to Avoid Overconsumption
- Vitamin B: this is usually OTC and non-habit forming with minimal side effects. My only issue with Vitamin B is that I have to take more than the recommended dose and would rather just have a small cup of coffee so I’m not eating gummies all day. However, this does help if you’re not eating meat, cold climates, have rough menstrual cycles, and/or frequently tired.
- CARBS: yes this is very important! stop neglecting carbs if you keep getting tired and weak. Try to avoid carbs in the evening/night hours. Carbs are your energy source. Sometimes I tell people to stop the KETO diet before someone ends up in the hospital.
- Making Your Own Drink (make your own rules): it’s easier to control the caffeine amount such as just drinking 1/2 a cup, using decaf, or limiting the sugar. I try to drink tea once a week or make hot water and put mint leaves and lemon in it…It’s not “tea” or caffeinated but can still enjoy a similar taste.
- Limiting the Days/Time of Caffeine (make your own rules): try taking a break over the weekend, sometimes I feel like when I take breaks and drink coffee again it’s more tolerated. I’m very sensitive to caffeine and I give myself a rule to drink it before 8am or I would literally be up for 2 days. Not everyone is conventional, if you have poor sleep and other issues like me try to give yourself limits. Overconsumption can seriously become problematic and make you feel more tired.
Other Risks
- Kidney Failure/Disease: The average recommendation to drink tea is 1-3 cups/day but I would probably just avoid caffeine (since I’m more sensitive) or limit it. My co-worker thinks a person just needs to avoid orange/citrus because of the potassium levels and others say it’s safe/beneficial… but caffeine makes the kidneys work harder. Sometimes you can see the difference in the urine and kidney patients can’t just drink a copious amount of water to flush it out. Plus, some liquids like black tea and coffee can cause kidney stones and green tea may interfere with the blood thinner Coumadin (warfarin). Coco-Cola is high in phosphorous so it should be avoided. It’s not just about a renal diet, these things can also make a person more prone to being thirsty and risk drinking too much water, which isn’t good. Quick side note, sorry for the lack of references but complementary treatments don’t have much analysis since they can’t take a major stance on “cures”, treatments, or just suggest, talking to your doctor so this is primarily based on my experience (standard resources are below)…
- Heart Problems vs GERD: do a trial or limit the caffeine. If there’s pain or similar symptoms, I tell people to avoid caffeine and carbonated drinks. In addition to it increasing the heart rate, jitters, palpitations, etc., I’m also concerned about heartburn. For people with GERD, I tell them to avoid these products because they’ll make the pain worse. Coffee and carbonated drinks are acidic but you can make liquids/food more tolerable (information below). Basically, add more neutralizing agents (water, milk/creme, salt, etc.). You may also be able to avoid the GERD if you chase it with a lot of water but some people really need to give up certain things so they won’t keep going to the ER.
- Tics, Seizures: some anticonvulsants will make a person tired and sleepy so if they drink a lot of coffee it can worsen the symptoms…the FDA information above suggested; toxic effects, like seizures, can be observed with rapid consumption of around 1,200 milligrams of caffeine, or 0.15 tablespoons of pure caffeine. So I tell people to just avoid, trial, limit, or take precautions. Seizures are scary enough and people probably don’t think much about their caffeine habits.
In Conclusion
For most people, caffeine has no major red flag but how many people are normal? Not me or millions of others. I’m not sure why my hands shake just with tea or my eye twitches but I’m not trying to stroke out in the middle of a shift. I’m still pro home remedies but as with everything, take precautions. Here are some standard resources for supplements:
- Consumer Lab: provides independent results, reviews, ratings, and comparisons of vitamins, supplements, and nutritional products to consumers & professionals. MOST of the information requires a membership so I’m not a member but at least it’s affordable. I usually check out their recall area.
- FDA: dietary supplements section and how to report a problem since some products truly cause damages. Caffeine is not considered a “supplement”.
- Linus Pauling Institute’s Micronutrient Information Center: educates about the roles of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals (plant chemicals that may affect health), and other dietary factors, including some food and beverages,
- U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP): verifies the quality of ingredients from different suppliers, manufacturers can refer to the USP verification program and refer to ingredients that have been verified through this program available here.
Additional Resources
- Diet and Nutrition Information with Kidney Disease –Neph Cure
- National Inst. Of Diabetes & Digestive, Kidney Disease (NIDDK)
- Kidney Information for Professionals -NIDDK
Decrease the Acid in Coffee:
Other ways to decrease the acid in coffee -HomeGrounds
