Students using an abundance of caffeine for late-night study sessions might want to reconsider their actions.
Caffeine comes in many forms, ranging from coffee, pop, and tea to alertness aids like NoDoz, but mixing the forms can be hazardous.
Generally there are no problems with taking a caffeine pill as long as it is used with the guidelines
said ¥Dan Bond, a staff pharmacist at Fruth Pharmacy, 8972 Albany Road.
Students taking caffeine pills must be aware of other caffeine in their diets, he said. If a person is already an avid coffee drinker, or consider pop a part of the food pyramid, it may not be a good idea to take a pill too.
Bond said that students will want to watch out for other supplements, like diet aids, that contain caffeine.
I don't recommend caffeine for weight loss he said. Short-term use to stay awake is OK but I don't recommend long-term use.
There are no single-ingredient caffeine pills available by prescription, Bond said. There are some multi-ingredient products used for headaches that have caffeine in them, but nothing is marketed just as a caffeine pill.
There is a chance for an addiction
so to speak
similar to nicotine
he said. People addicted to caffeine may go through a withdrawal period if they try to stop taking the drug.
Side effects of the drug include anxiety, nervousness, jitteriness and the potential for an increased heart rate Bond said.
A normal heart rate is between 80-100
so anything above 100 is bad and can increase blood pressure
he said.
¥Nicole White, assistant manager at Perks said that she sees a definite increase in customers studying in Perks during finals week.
I notice more of an increase in the type of drinks purchased more than the quantity
she said. They quit fooling around.
