The Doctor is IN!

Caffeine and the Body: A Medical Perspective

Here's a cool fact: did you know that both the words "caffeine" and "coffee" are derived from the Arabic word qahweh (pronounced "kahveh" in Turkish)? I find it interesting that even in our language the basis for these two words are intertwined. Many of us likewise think of coffee as a caffeine-delivery system. (Which, of course, is refuted by the decaffeinated drinkers- however, that is not the point of today's commentary)

As a pharmacist, I have been interested in caffeine as a drug for many years. First, because it actually got me through pharmacy school (loved my cup of Joe, long before I loved my Dave). Second, because I was completely surprised the first time I got a prescription for caffeine sent to the hospital pharmacy where I was practicing. Yes, you would be interested to know that there is an intravenous (i.v.)
form of caffeine. No, we don't have it available through the Cobblestone Coffee website.

While I think coffee is the most delicious way to get the caffeine, sometimes it is needed medically. Very rarely, and usually in dire circumstances, it may be used to help newborns breathe and may be used in cases of refractory headaches. The latter was the use for the prescription I received as a pharmacist, from a special neurology critical care unit. Since caffeine can elevate metabolism, breathing, and heart rate, it is used very cautiously in medical circumstances.

Now back to the more fun way of getting caffeine into your body: Drinking it. After a typical hot coffee beverage, it takes about 30 minutes for the "peak" caffeine levels in the blood to occur. Caffeine prefers to be in the brain, and the liver likes to get rid of it, so blood levels of caffeine start to drop after 30 minutes, and about half is gone in 4 hours. It takes quite a few hours for the caffeine to be completely removed from the body. Depending on how much coffee you drink, the effects of the caffeine are most likely to be felt for 8 hours after your last cup. (That should be validation enough for all those coffee-lovers who say they have to stop drinking (caffeinated drinks) at noon or they can't go to sleep at night!) If you smoke, your liver is better at getting rid of the caffeine, so these times are shorter for you. If you have problems with your liver, then these times will be longer for you.

Most avid coffee drinkers experience the phenomenon of tolerance. This is a well established occurrence with caffeine: first one cup would do for you, then two- now three. Typically if you drink less than 3 cups of coffee a day, you may experience tolerance but can stop the coffee at any time. More than 3 cups, you may become physically dependent
on the caffeine. Yes, I need my coffee in the morning too. The good news here is that the worse that might happen to you if you miss a day of coffee is a headache, crankiness and fatigue. This, of course, can be cured with a cup of coffee.

A cup of brewed coffee is about 100mg of caffeine; espresso 80mg, tea 40mg, most soda-pop 40mg. One over-the-counter "stay awake" pill is 100mg (approximately =1 cup coffee).

Article by Jami, Pharm-D and Co-Owner, Cobblestone Coffee Roastery, LLC.

(c) Copyright 2007 Cobblestone Coffee Roastery, LLC. Reprint by permission only.