r/caffeine

So, I really loved energy drinks growing up. I never touched coffee until I was 22 and outside of Coca Cola, NOS and Monster were my access to higher levels of Caffeine. I would drink it while I worked and felt really good. I wasn't aware at the time how big of an effect Taurine had on preventing the jitters and anxiety associated with Caffeine. As I got older, I came across the MicroCenter exclusive Super Meat Boy GFuel which I thought tasted delicious. When I would go to the bagel shop/deli, I'd score a Monster and be vibing all day.

Around this time, I tried coffee for the first time. I enjoyed it but it made me very anxious. I did some research as to why, and found that the difference was the Taurine. So, I bought some Taurine capsules and started taking a gram of it (a single capsule) with my coffee. It felt great.

Then, one day, I foolishly decided to take 2 or 3 grams of Taurine in one day, which isn't considered crazy by the standards of the supplements subreddit. I found that 8-12 hours later, I would get a really uncomfortable level of heart palpitations. I thought "Hey maybe it the Caffeine" so I avoided Caffeine for a while. I found that the Taurine helped with just regular everyday anxiety previously, so one day I decided to take a single capsules just to help with that. And then, on a day where I consumed ZERO caffeine, on that night, I got the Tachycardia again. I thought "maybe this is a bunk batch of Taurine" so I avoided both Caffeine and the capsules for a while. Then, a few weeks later, I tried a regular can of Monster, and AGAIN my heart was acting up that night.

Since then, I've consumed TONS of medium-roast coffee and NEVER get the palpitations. Then, a year since consuming Taurine, I tried a Monster again. Same damn problem. Somehow, I unmasked a genetic predisposition to not handling Taurine like others do after I took a lot one day. I looked into it, and it seems that after enjoying the dip in blood pressure from the Taurine, as I level out, it spikes after it wears off and that's what I'm feeling at night.

I continue to be a big fan of Caffeine, I just get a bit of anxiety with it and can't consume Energy Blends anymore.

Are there any Energy Drinks that DON'T have Taurine in them? For fun, I googled it and found only really obscure brands that I don't associate a reputation with.

Also, are there any supplements/nootropics that have a similar calming effect that opposes Caffeine like Taurine has? I enjoy magnesium glycinate for going to sleep and for muscle soreness, and I enjoy Ashwagandha for anxiety sometimes. L-Theanine helps but it has a smoking-cessation effect that neutralizes the effects of Nicotine which is a quality-of-life issue for me as I enjoy consuming Nicotine.

I would just keep drinking coffee, but the sugary creaminess makes me rather nauseated after a while and I find black coffee unnapetizing.

I'm hesitant to try Caffeine capsules or pills (unless I got really low-dose ones) because I don't want it to hit me too quickly to where I get too anxious, or too slowly to where I'm still stimulated once I'm trying to go to sleep.

If you say "bro the Caffeine is what made you feel weird", please read the whole post 🙏 I've done quite of bit of control/experimental testing and I am very resilient to stimulants, Taurine just makes me feel weird these days.

I am prescribed Vyvanse, for context, but I try to avoid taking it EVERY day as to keep my CNS Stimulant tolerance lower, so I fill in the gaps with Caffeine to help with my intense ADHD.

So I had 430mg of caffeine maybe 12 hours ago because i thought WHY NOT DRINK 2 DOUBLE SHOT ARCTIC COFFEES?? It is now 5.45 am and I havent slept all night, I proceeded to drink a further 2 double shot arctic coffees, I have mental conditions severe enough to be in a psychiatric hospital...I should definitely sleep before staff start doing checks, thank fuck night shift dont bother, but im also sad that this means I am now down to my last iced coffee

UPD: Yeah I ended up just passing out

UPD 2: I had more and the nurse has banned me from caffeine

How much caffeine would you guys like to see in a 12oz energy drink. I'm trying to find my sweet spot for how much I should have when I'm buying energy drinks at gas station

Is there anyone else out there who wishes there was a drink that tasted like an energy drink but didn't have caffeine in it?

I saw they were new and on amazon so I ordered them. They are 200mg but its extended release. It releases 100mg the first hour and the other 100mg over the next week hours. Its been great for me and does really feel smooth. I usually only take 100mgs at one time but I can handle this because it doesn't release all at once. Anyone else tried them?

I’ve had 530mg in the first 3hrs this morning and tbh I feel like another coffee boosting it to 630mg (I weigh my coffee out so Ik the milligram content)

I see a lot of ppl consume this amount but it’s much more spread out, is it worse if I’m consuming such large amounts in a shorter span of time?

I am looking for a coffee alternative and am having trouble finding one. I've tried matcha but the caffeine content doesn't compare to coffee. I also would rather not drink a redbull at 5am lol

If I only have 6 hours of sleep, my mind is tired. It doesn’t WANT to do work. I can just sit at work and kill time. However, if I need to work or push myself, I’m capable of high level work.

Today I tried coffee in the morning (instead of getting it at lunch like I usually do).

The coffee made me lose the tired and lazy feeling, but it also made me dumb. People say something to me as they’re teaching me something and I cannot remember what they said (as I’m writing my notes).

Does anyone else have that experience with coffee?

I think at this point my bloodstream is 40% caffeine and poor financial decisions.

I’m a student founder at Tetr (at home for the summer), so the current daily schedule was basically building stuff, random client calls, late night idea spirals, pretending sleep is optional, etc. And somehow White Monster became the unofficial operating system.

What scares me is I’ve stopped buying it for “energy” and now buy it because my brain associates the can opening sound with productivity 💀

What is your story with Monster Drink?

So, I have a story. I have good memory and know a lot of dates, but anyway. March 18th, 2024. I just got out of the mental hospital and my grandma took me to Starbucks to celebrate. I got a caramel frappuccino. as I was doing the homework I missed, my ears started ringing. I ignored it, but it kept getting worse.. I don't know how to describe this, but it felt like a big fluffy cat was rubbing against my forehead. I was tingly, ears ringing very loud, and my vision turned into static. like I could barely see anything.

I didn't feel hungry, tired, or thirsty for exactly 9 days after that. It was like my body stopped needing things. nothing was real and I could only think that I was in a dream. I stayed up that night, and I remember my grandma telling me to take my medication. I was so out of it, I just stared at her. I kept getting in and out of reality, and each time it came back, it was getting less intense until I could function again, if that makes sense. I still don't know what happened to this day tho, but it kinda felt good. I've took multiple caffeine breaks to get side effects again, but it never worked. and I've had that drink multiple times since, but.. It never happened again. this event is just a mystery.