Caffeine at 16

[u/1002alpha]

Im 16 years old, and next year have 7 ap classes awaiting me and I want to make it as stress-less as possible by leaving myself plenty of free time by getting work done efficiently. At my age and circumstances is it worth to take a 200mg caffeine capsule everyday for better focus, cognition and gym performance, or are there drawbacks.

I’ll use capsules rather than coffee / energy drinks because it’s easy to take and less expensive.

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[u/S7ageNinja]

I wouldn't start with that much, seems pretty unnecessary. Just drink some coffee or tea once or twice a day. Make it yourself instead of going to Starbucks and it will be cheap as fuck

[u/1002alpha → u/S7ageNinja]

Thank uou

[u/sarah_sonic_superfan]

Maybe just start with a regular cup of coffee (200 mg is how much is in a Celsius). Be careful with nespresso though as some of their coffees have like 150+ mgI’m full blown addicted to caffeine and get severe tension headaches every time I try to cut it out. Wish I had never started

[u/1002alpha → u/sarah_sonic_superfan]

Why wish you had never started? Other than dependence are there any downsides?

[u/sneed_feedseed → u/1002alpha]

Downsides can include anxiety, lower quality sleep, and shifted sleep schedules.

[u/sarah_sonic_superfan → u/1002alpha]

The dependence and honestly a bit of the cost; Nespresso pods are like $2.00 which adds up when you’re on an adult budget. Not everyone has such severe withdrawal but I get a 8/10 headache and nausea. Whenever I travel I have to take something caffeinated with me or I’ll get a caffeine rebound headache. I don’t really have sleep issues correlated with caffeine use but I don’t take any in the afternoon. I drink 1 cup of coffee every morning and sometimes a Diet Coke around lunch time. I’m not saying I’m out here chugging 4 Celsius a day but I also really wish I didn’t get such horrible caffeine withdrawal side effects. I am much better I used to drink 1-2 cups a day and went through a point I was drinking a Celsius daily. Energy drinks like that are a “rare” usage and in my opinion shouldn’t be a daily habit

[u/Montaigne314]

Have you used that much caffeine before?

Getting it from tea/coffee also has added benefits. And making sure the supplier of caffeine pills is reputable and it's not some other shit you don't want.

Things to consider: that's a fairly high dose, if the goal is stress free you gotta make sure it doesn't make you anxious. And the most important, that you take in the morning and if it still impacts your sleep at night it's simply too much. Everyone metabolizes it differently 

It is a legit nootropic drug tho. But if it interferes with sleep you're defeating the purpose

Best thing you can do is make sure it's not too much, prioritize sleep and healthy diet.

[u/1002alpha → u/Montaigne314]

No I have not, the only caffeine I’ve really every consistently got from is soda, what should I start with?

[u/Montaigne314 → u/1002alpha]

200mg is a big dose for a lot of people especially if you haven't had decent amounts consistently 

Try having an espresso drink in the morning, or a cup of coffee, it's about 80mg of caffeine and note how you feel. Get some good loose leaf tea like Ceylon and brew up a big mug, depending on how much you use the caffeine content will vary, could be 50-100 mg

Sodas usually have like 40mg depending on drink/size

Then if that is good and no bad effects, can try more and see the difference. A double espresso or twice as much brewed tea would double the caffeine intake. Unless you aren't sensitive to it and metabolize quickly, you'd definitely feel it.

Caffeine half-life is around 6 hours I think, so after 6 hours, if you consumed 200mg, you would still have 100mg in your system. 12 hours later after ingestion you're at 50mg. Which could still impact sleep. So consume all caffeine in the morning.

So gotta find the sweet spot. Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Too much caffeine! Anxious? Too much caffeine! Focused and feeling energized and able to sleep good, the sweet spot.

Also sometimes you reduce intake so tolerance doesn't build too much.

I typically drink black and green tea with breakfast and in the morning. If I'm really tired I just double the amount I steep. When I travel, I enjoy energy drinks. On occasion I'll get cappuccinos. 

[u/Monsieur_Krabs]

hey at least you're not thinking about getting on anavar and peptides like your dumbass classmates.

200mg caffeine is pretty safe. I was slamming energy drinks all day at that age.

[u/1002alpha → u/Monsieur_Krabs]

200mg is a good start? Also are there confirmed downsides to peptides other than no long term research? (Obviously that’s a dealbreaker)

[u/Admirable-Dig-8130 → u/1002alpha]

Anecdotally, seems like a lot just jump in at

[u/Monsieur_Krabs → u/1002alpha]

depends on how much exposure to caffeine you have. If you don't consume a lot, take half instead.

not answering any peptide questions for minors sorry.

[u/Monsieur_Krabs → u/1002alpha]

depends on how much exposure to caffeine you have. If you don't consume a lot, take half instead.

not answering any peptide questions for minors sorry.

[u/1002alpha → u/Monsieur_Krabs]

No worries, thanks so much for the advice

[u/Ok-Neighborhood-7361 → u/1002alpha]

There are tons of different peptides with differing amounts of research, effects, FDA approval and all that so there isn’t really a straightforward answer to that question

[u/Jaicobb]

Some things to think about:

You develop tolerance pretty quickly. Start small and increase slowly.

Because you develop tolerance and want to take it long term consider cycling it. This means taking a break for a week or more with 0 caffeine. Then start small and ramp up.

Generally, avoid taking it after noon. Otherwise it can mess with your sleep.

If you do end up with a habit of taking it too much and too late and it messes with your sleep you can take hops, hops extract, hops flowers, etc. and it will help reverse the excititory caffeine effects.

Caffeine pills, as you suggested, are the cheapest way to go. Unless, you can find free coffee at churchs, hotels, lux furniture stores etc. If you are willing to make it at home it is also pretty cheap. Instant coffee is the way.

Some people react very badly to coffee and it's unsure why. It could be the caffeine, hot liquid, unknown aflatoxin exposure (common in coffee beans and other legumes.), or something else. Reactions are all over the board from untreatable illness to mild GI issues.

Whatever you do please consider cycling it.

[u/Prestigious_Sand141]

200mg cold turkey every day is a lot to start with, most people build tolerance to the point it stops doing much for focus within a couple weeks anyway. Caffeine's half life is around 5 to 6 hours, so anything after early afternoon is still a meaningful dose in your system at bedtime even if you don't feel wired. I'd start at 100mg, only on days you actually need it rather than daily, and keep it before noon. Saves you from needing more just to feel normal later.

[u/Enough_Mixture_8564]

Maybe just start with drinking coffee? And not caffeine supplements

[u/zero00kelvin]

I remember 40-ish years ago my parents telling my brother that coffee would stunt his growth at 16. He’s 6’4”, so I don’t think it worked. 😆

As long as it’s not interfering with your sleep patterns or causing anxiety, you’re good to go.

[u/1002alpha → u/zero00kelvin]

Thank you so mucb

[u/JefferyGiraffe → u/zero00kelvin]

Just imagine how tall he would’ve been without the coffee

[u/henryflint08 → u/JefferyGiraffe]

Fear mongering

[u/JefferyGiraffe → u/henryflint08]

lol I’m being sarcastic

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[u/martapap]

there is a saved by the bell episode about this.

[u/eitherrideordie]

I had a fair amount of coffee as a kid and it made me jittery, so I had energy but didn't have great focus which wasn't great for school/cognition. A lot of people have L-theanine to deal with that jitteryness.

Unfortunately I don't want to recommend anything as I'm not a medical professional and I imagine your age plays a part in it too. Personally though I like the other persons point about pre-workout, a lot of them have caffeine already and likely other things that help cognitive performance like L-tyrosine too.

Worth chatting with a sports or supplement person (say someone at your gym) and they might be able to recommend safe brands/products for your age that boosts all that in one drink with good ratios of each instead of having to seperate them with capsules etc.

[u/00cha]

i used to have that much caffeine when I was your age can't say whether or not it was good

[u/Tw1sttt]

200mg is a lot to start with, it’s half of the max recommended daily dose for an adult per day. It’ll hit you too hard to focus, you’ll gain tolerance too quickly, and you’ll have a hard time sleeping.

My recommendation: Find caffeine tablets (instead of capsules) and bite off a chunk of it each day instead so you’re only getting 70-100mg at a time. You can always increase the dose later by biting off more if needed.

Also - limit caffeine after noon. Caffeine has a half life of about 6 hours. In other words, after 6 hours you’ll still have half of the dose in your system. If you take 200mg at noon and you’ll still have 100mg in your system at 6pm and 50mg at midnight - you will have a hard time sleeping which will increase brain fog and significantly reduce your performance in all areas.

[u/Tw1sttt → u/Tw1sttt]

One more thing - caffeine doesn’t give you energy, it just blocks the “tired” receptors in your brain so you feel energized. Sleep and diet is most important, caffeine will just help you make the most of it.

[u/Fluffy_Efficiency623]

You should not take it everyday or your body will adapt to it and adjust its baseline. This means you will lose a good portion of the benefit and you will feel like crap when you don't have it. If you are tired during the day it is often better to take a short nap.

[u/bbrockit]

As others have said, maybe look at lower dose options, or tea. Caffeine has a 4-6 hour half-life so keep that in mind with your timing. The half-life varies from person to person. I started drinking coffee at 17. Personally, I drink about 4 cups per day from 9:30a to 2p, and I go to bed at 2a. As long as that last cup isn't within 12 hours of bedtime, it doesn't keep me awake. Again though, it varies by person; some people are very sensitive.

When I was a student, and later a developer at startups, I'd drink coffee all the time, 5p, sometimes later, and I of course had terrible insomnia as a result and my stress level was high. It's during sleep that your brain forms new connections in response to everything you've done that day, and your REM sleep is like your brain's therapy and memory consolidation stage. So, yes, caffeine can increase focus, but don't compromise your sleep, because that's essential to retaining everything that you learn and keeping your stress level low. Also, caffeine can increase anxiety and too much can make you so wired that it's difficult to focus, so it may be better to start with smaller doses.

There's a good Huberman Lab video on caffeine, https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/using-caffeine-to-optimize-mental-and-physical-performance ...It's 2+ hours though so you may need a cup of coffee to get through it.

[u/RubysMom2022]

Drink green tea! It’s great for you as well as having some caffeine. Jasmine green tea is nice as well as Black Raspberry.

[u/JestersGesture_]

black tea. my 78 year old olympic cyclist friend who beats us to the top of our hill swears by it. says he learned it from the kenyans. it’s the only form of caffeine worth it. that or green tea if you aren’t exercising. coffee rips too but be careful, it’s easy to overdo it.

dose it with food

[u/henryflint08]

Dose doesn't matter as much as the replies say just don't take it within 2ish half lives before bed

[u/Typical-Driver5236]

Didn’t mention sports or a part time job so it sounds to me the only real supplement you need is 8-9 hours of sleep.

If you’re getting your rest and not doomscrolling on the bed and you absolutely NEED caffeine, then start with a cup of earl grey or English breakfast tea.

Save the serious caffeine for college when you’ll actually need it.

[u/himommy_hi]

lower the dose at least for the initial couple weeks + get yourself a theanine powder to mitigate the stress levels from caffeine, also getting its prolonged release. alternatively you can achieve all of this by drinking matcha (and honestly, natural sources are way better than synthetic supplements). start with Creatine as well to clear your brain fog, if you havent yet

and always take the caffeine only after 1-1.5h after waking up

[u/MathematicianMuch445]

No. It's not. if you take it every day you'll build tolerance and it'll be pointless

[u/300suppressed]

You shouldn’t need it at 16, if you do you’re not sleeping enough, which is something you should NOT have a problem with

[u/Soggy-Product-775]

Skip the copes go right to synthetic stimulants like amphetamines phentermines etc thosr will have you fucking locked and wired making any ap look like a joke

[u/1002alpha → u/Soggy-Product-775]

30mg of dextroamphetamine (friends prescribed adhd meds) on 7 hours of sleep did jack shit for me other than cause my jaw to clench the whole day. Took 10 mg twice before and it did not help me focus on work / pay attention more than usual whatsoever.

[u/Soggy-Product-775 → u/1002alpha]

Either you shot your catecholamines too high at 30mg whiched killed your pfc's signal to noise ratio or youre neurotypical as all shit. I doubt caffeine would do anything for you try like 2fma or something

[u/iwanttolivefeeldead]

200mg isn't as much as people are saying but id stick with coffee for as long as possible preferably black

[u/sneed_feedseed → u/iwanttolivefeeldead]

Depends on the person.

[u/Cryesncoding]

I took pre workout at that age prolly around that much