Chapter 8

Question 1

What is the world’s most popular drug?

Answer 1

Caffine

Question 2

Where are Caffeine and other methylxanthine alkaloids from?

Answer 2

occur naturally in over 60 plant species.

Question 3

How long have humans used caffeine?

Answer 3

Humans have used it in beverages since ancient times—possibly dating back to the Stone Age

Question 4

How many people in the world use caffeine and how much?

Answer 4

The estimates we do have shows caffeine in some form
is used regularly by 90% of the world’s population with an average of about 70 mg per capita per day (The US is around 170 mg per day)

Question 5

What is caffeine’s method of action?

Answer 5

The blocking of adenosine receptor sites. Adenosine is a major inhibitory transmitter. (The antagonism of adenosine receptors)

Question 6

What are the processes blocked by caffeine?

Answer 6

Behavioral sedation, regulation of oxygen delivery to cells, dilation of cerebral and coronary blood vessels

Question 7

What is the absorption of caffeine?

Answer 7

rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal
tract and distributed throughout the body. Quickly reaches the brain because it passes the blood brain barrier easily

Question 8

What are the peak levels of caffeine?

Answer 8

15 to 45 minutes after ingestion (but can depend on the source)

Question 9

What is the half-life in blood of caffeine?

Answer 9

from three to seven hours (varies widely among people)

Question 10

What is the distribution of caffeine throughout the body?

Answer 10

equally throughout the body’s water and passes through the placenta

Question 11

Where does the metabolization of caffeine happen?

Answer 11

primarily in the liver

Question 12

Where is the excretion of caffeine?

Answer 12

almost entirely in the urine with
less than 10% in pure form

Question 13

Caffeine is unique in that it has the reverse picture of withdrawal and tolerance than most drugs:

Answer 13

it induces dependence without tolerance

Question 14

What is the most common withdrawal symptoms of caffeine?

Answer 14

Headache and fatigue

Question 15

What are the symptoms of caffeine abstinence?

Answer 15

Depression, Decreased alertness, Less contentment and relaxed mood, Decreased activity and energy, Greater sleepiness and drowsiness, Increased irritability

Question 16

What is the tolerance of caffeine?

Answer 16

develops to renal function, sleep, blood pressure, and heart rate. However, little tolerance develops to caffeine’s stimulant and behavioral effects

Question 17

What are the acute (short term) effects of caffeine?

Answer 17

diuresis (the need to pee) , heart stimulation, relaxation of smooth muscles, and gastric acid stimulation

Question 18

What are the behavioral and performance effects of caffeine?

Answer 18

Mood: CNS-stimulation action of caffeine elevates mood
• Feeling associated with moderate doses of caffeine: energized, creative, efficient, confident, alert
• Performance: range of caffeine effects is wide; impairs decision-making part of a task but improves the motor component

Question 19

What are the world’s three most popular drugs?

Answer 19

Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol

Question 20

What are the interactions of alcohol and caffeine?

Answer 20

key findings show mixing them reduced the perception of physiological changes, but not the actual changes, and did not reduce alcohol effects on motor coordination and reaction time

Question 21

What are the acute toxic effects of caffeine?

Answer 21

Lightheadedness, tremulousness, breathlessness,
headache, and irregular heartbeat

Question 22

What happens if you reach above 1000 mg of caffeine daily?

Answer 22

muscle twitching, rambling flow of thought and speech, cardiac arrhythmia, psychomotor agitation, also possibly ringing in the ears and seeing flashes of light

Question 23

What is a lethal dose of caffeine?

Answer 23

10 g for adults (about 75 cups of coffee), 100 mg/kg for children

Question 24

What are the chronic effects of caffeine use?

Answer 24

Moderate symptoms like indigestion, tremors, palpitations, and insomnia may be linked (but at higher doses). No other associations on long-term health effects. No effects on reproduction have been found.

Question 25

What are the potential health benefits of caffeine?

Answer 25

frequent coffee drinkers have
a lower risk of dying from a variety of diseases:
diabetes, heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke,
and infections

Question 26

What are the therapeutic uses for caffeine?

Answer 26

Caffeine: It is a part of the treatment for many illnesses.
• Other methylxanthines also have therapeutic value.
• Example: caffeine is used in cold remedies to counteract depressive side effects of primary medications.