Caffeine Pills Dangerous to Desperate College Students

(U-WIRE) GAINESVILLE, Fla. -

It’s midnight. There are nine hours until the exam and 20 chapters left to be read.

This is when some students turn to caffeine pills.

University of Florida freshman Ryan Click said he has taken the pills to stay awake and study but afterward felt shaky.

“They give you a noticeable energy boost for a couple hours at a time,” Click said. “When I tried to work my hands would shake.”

Even with warnings from manufacturers and health officials, many students turn to caffeine pills and other similar supplements to give them extra energy to focus on academics, said Linda Gabel, a nurse at Health Central Hospital in Orlando, Fla.

One caffeine pill contains 200 milligrams of caffeine, which is equal to the amount in two cups of coffee; however, many students take numerous pills at a time, said Dr. John Briggs, who has a private practice in Fort Lauderdale.

There are other long- and short-term side effects associated with these so-called harmless pills. Not only are these pills highly addictive, but they can cause other health problems, according to the health warning on the widely used caffeine pill Vivarin.

Some of the short-term effects listed on the label include nervousness, irritability, sleeplessness and rapid heartbeat.

“These pills increase your heart rate,” Briggs said. “This alone can cause long-term effects such as heart problems, insomnia, chronic muscle tension and nervousness.”

Freshman Paula Andrade took the pills during finals week this past Fall to gain extra study time.

“My hands started to shake, and my heart was beating like crazy,” Andrade said. “I hated the way I felt. Once they wore off, I felt sick and wanted to sleep.”

Each person is affected differently depending on his or her size and weight, so while the pills might not affect some people, they could affect others, Briggs said.

Although caffeine is one of the most widely used drugs in the world, the body can become dependent on it, and the pills cause more harm than good, Briggs said.

“It’s just not worth the damage it does to your body,” Briggs said. “There are many other ways to increase your energy without the use of caffeine.”