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Death by Caffeine

by Wade Meredith on December 19th, 2006

I posted on all the things that go on when you have a Coke and a Smile, and before that I posted what’s it’s like to live “on” caffeine. It all sounds pretty bad, but the truth is that almost anything in moderation is harmless. I have a Coke every now and then. It tastes good and the sugar/caffeine dynamic makes me feel good, just like it’s supposed to. I just think it’s a terrible idea to drink one (or more) every day.

When it comes to something being harmful, it’s all about the dose. For instance, our atmosphere contains about 21% Oxygen, which is “just right”. But if that percentage were increased to, say, 50% it would be toxic to your lungs and damage them. (At normal atmospheric pressures, 50% Oxygen saturation is toxic. You can actually breathe 100% Oxygen, under the right pressure conditions, but that is beyond the scope of this article.)

The point is, that context counts and dose matters. In sufficient quantities, things we consume everyday can kill us.

Which brings us to this nifty calculator over at Energy Fiend.com: Death by Caffeine.

So, I pick my poison: Coca-Cola Classic

Enter my weight: 200lbs.

And it tells me how many I would have to drink to kill me: 401.47 Cans

So to say, that I could overdose on Coca-Cola Classic is probably not true. I’m sure I would be in some kind of blood-sugar coma before the caffeine got to me, were I attempting to drink this many Cokes. At that point a feeding tube could be introduced, I suppose, but then we run into stomach capacity problems.

The calculator also fails to mention any sort of time span, but caffeine would be at peak saturation in my blood after about 45 minutes and would wear off after 4 hours. So you would have to consume around 40 Cokes an hour. That’s a lot of smiling. Enough smiling, in fact, that I think Coke just wouldn’t cut it. Let’s move on to something stronger. All of these are considering that I weigh 200lbs.

Mountain Dew Code Red: 252.8 Cans (12oz. = 1 can.)

Red Bull: 170.63 Cans (Smaller can = 8oz.)

180 Energy Drink: 151.67 Cans (Same size as Red Bull.)

Drip Coffee: 94.14 Cups (Cups = 8oz.)

Starbucks Double Shot: 105 Cans (Can = 6.5oz.)

So it’s the naked mermaid’s brew if I’m looking to go to get carried to my grave by the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive substance . All of this is hardly scientific, but I’m not a scientist, I’m a blogger. And the fact that I can kill myself by consuming ~680 ounces is pretty interesting. (By the way, I would consider this dosage in the realm of consumable possibility. I’ve seen people kill an 86oz. Quick-Trip mega-soda-bucket in less than an hour, and I’ve got four hours to do this. I might need a catheter, but it could be done.)

So, has anyone ever actually overdosed on caffeine? Yes, but there are usually other factors at play as well. Things like anorexia or over-exertion are usually involved in a caffeine overdose. In other words, they probably didn’t round up 105 Doubleshots.

But, for fun, let’s say I get my catheter and feeding tube team together, and we have a go at it anyway. What are my last few moments on this earth going to look like?

From the Medical Encyclopedia at Medline Plus:

• Sleeping trouble
• Muscle twitching
• Confusion
• In and out of consciousness
• Urination - increased
• Increased thirst
• Death
• Fever
• Breathing trouble
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Irregular heartbeat
• Rapid heart beat
• Hallucinations
• Dizziness
• Convulsions

Expectations/Prognosis:

In severe cases, death may result from convulsions or an irregular heartbeat. Doubleshot indeed. Coke and the energy drinks can step aside. Starbucks is my dealer of choice.

Technorati Tags: caffeine, overdose, Starbucks, Coke, Coca-Cola, death

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POSTED IN: Death, Drink, Extreme, Food, How To, Your Body