I forgot about this but now remember what I wanted to ask about. I read in a newspaper that a local girl had drank 7 cups of concentrated coffee. The result was that she had tremors, a low temperature, and a elevated heartrate. She was rushed to the hospital. They said it was caffine poisioning.

Question

I forgot about this but now remember what I wanted to ask about. I read in a newspaper that a local girl had drank 7 cups of concentrated coffee. The result was that she had tremors, a low temperature, and a elevated heartrate. She was rushed to the hospital. They said it was caffine poisioning.

I'll admit a similar incident happened with me as well. I drank about 2 cans of starbucks coffee. I think I poisoned myself personally. I drank the coffee to stay awake to study biology for a test the next day. Well it worked...I didn't get to sleep at ALL.. I went try to sleep at 5am started shaking and was really cold...Well I went and took that test anyways (Basically if you studied 6 chapters that you just finished in lecture 2 days previously you'd want to take that test too..especially if you'd finished studying 98% of the material)
Well I saw the doctor and he seriously didn't know what was wrong with me b/c I was fine after that....

Well enough about that..my question is how can caffine poison the body?
And why can some people drink alot and not come down with this condition?
Is it uncommon or does it happen to just a few people? (b/c I haven't heard of it EVER)

THANKS =D

Check these sites for a lot of interesting information. (Btw, I Googled caffeine poisoning to find them.)

http://psychologytoday.com/conditions/caffeine.html

http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=21162

Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. This may have to do with the old adage "too much of anything is not good!" Caffeine is very bad for dogs and cats:

1. http://www.provet.co.uk/petfacts/healthtips/caffeinepoisoning.htm

2. http://www.doctoryourself.com/caffeine_allergy.html

3. http://caffeineweb.com/?cat=1

4. http://health.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=21162

5. http://museum.gov.ns.ca/poison/holly.htm (some plants containing caffeine)

Hm..but according to the sites...
I found that 250-300mg of caffine is alright and since they say that about 40-180mg is in a cup..then I consumed about 360mg?...That wouldn't be too much of a overdose right?

From the other site from Ms.Sue I found that caffine poisoning is extremely rare and you would have to consume 80 cups of coffee (I only had about 2 If I consider 1 can a cup)

SraJMcGin:

1. Why did you go and send me to a pet site for caffine poisoning info??..I don't think I'm closely related to my pets and I don't feed my pets coffee either..that would be crazy.

2. I'm lucky I'm not psychotic though I am a tad hyper I admit...but I haven't drank a cup of coffee in a month.

5. And about the caffine containing plants..I don't think I'll be a brewing some Holly leaves anytime soon but thanks anyways...

Christina, the sites also say that the reaction to caffeine varies greatly from person to person. The term "poisoning" is not used much in these sites. From personal experience, I've also found that the amount of caffeine I can comfortably tolerate varies from time to time.

The message is that you find the amount of caffeine you can tolerate and try not to exceed it.

Actually I just don't drink starbucks coffee anymore but rather the instant mix which according to one of those sites actually contains less caffine but I find it keeps me awake just the same...I don't know what my tolerance level is for that but apparently I think I would have to drink a whole lot more since the canned starbucks coffee was very strong...

Thanks Ms.Sue =D

You're welcome, Christina.

I read here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

that the lethal dose is estimated to be somewhere in the range 150 to 200 mg per kilogram of body mass. So, you really need to ingest several grams of caffeine to do serious harm to your body.

For intoxication effects you only need a few cups of coffee. But then, you wanted to stay awake...

Hm...interesting

Yep I did want to stay awake but not up for 24 hrs straight though...

Thanks for posting what you found Count Iblis =)

Answer 1

Caffeine can poison the body when it is consumed in excessive amounts. Caffeine acts as a stimulant to the central nervous system, and when consumed in large quantities, it can lead to symptoms such as tremors, low body temperature, and elevated heart rate. This is known as caffeine poisoning.

The amount of caffeine that can cause poisoning varies from person to person. Some individuals may be more sensitive to caffeine and may experience symptoms with smaller amounts, while others may be able to consume larger quantities without adverse effects. It is important to note that caffeine tolerance can vary and may change over time.

Caffeine poisoning is considered to be relatively rare. According to some sources, it would require consuming an extremely large amount of caffeine, such as 80 cups of coffee, to experience severe poisoning. However, it is still possible to experience symptoms of caffeine intoxication with smaller amounts of caffeine, especially if consumed over a short period of time.

To determine whether a particular amount of caffeine is safe or not, it is helpful to know the caffeine content in the beverage or food consumed. Different types of coffee or energy drinks may contain varying amounts of caffeine. It is also important to be aware of personal caffeine tolerance and to avoid excessive consumption.

If you suspect caffeine poisoning or experience severe symptoms after consuming caffeine, it is recommended to seek medical attention. A healthcare professional can provide the appropriate diagnosis and treatment.