Comments on: Caffeine knocking my ass into bed

Question: Caffeine knocking my ass into bed

zek — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 18:34:46 -0800

Has anyone heard of a caffeine tablet producing heavy drowsiness?

Coffee always wakes me up. Therefore I was surprised to get extremely sleepy after taking a caffeine pill. I figured it was a fluke, but after 3 more situations where I took a pill (the latest being tonight) and getting sleepy each time, it's obvious to me something is really hosed.

The pills in question are Kroger "Stay Awake" 200 mg caffeine expiring 06/09, bought in Texas. The tablets are in sealed foil pouches with the drug name printed on the outside of the foil packets. The pouches say "Distributed by Perrigo, Allegan MI". The tablets are yellow and are stamped L409.

What's the deal? Seeing as these are generics I distinctly get the feeling some Indian or Mexican dudes are having a laugh tossing barbiturates in the mixer and sticking it to the Yankees.

By: necessitas

necessitas — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 19:02:51 -0800

Same thing happens to me, even when I take a name brand "alertness aid" like vivarin (sp?). I take a dose and yawn! I kept trying it again and again, thinking that there was some variable I wasn't thinking of. Perhaps my allergy pill . . . maybe something else. Nope, in the end, each time, it was the caffeine tablet that was making me sleeeeeepppyy!!!

By: rkent

rkent — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 19:06:40 -0800

Sometimes this happens to me when I drink too much coffee... I'll be all fuzzy in the morning until I can have my cup(s), and then I'm clear and peppy for a few minutes before I get really tired. All I can think of is that I have little mini-withdrawals overnight and it wrecks my sleep, and then when I have some caffeine, it relaxes me and the tiredness rushes back in. I usually figure around then that I should back off the coffee and I switch to tea for a few weeks. Of course, am I not exactly a doctor so I don't have any medical explanation for this.

By: jak68

jak68 — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 20:18:35 -0800

for what its worth, if I have too much coffee in the afternoons, i get extremely sleepy. Some of my friends also report getting sleepy after caffeine. I've always wondered about this myself.

By: aceyim

aceyim — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 21:07:53 -0800

Yeah, I've heard this before and actually experience it often myself.
I believe it has something to do with caffiene releasing body stores of adenosine. I think the "caffiene nap" idea is related.

By: mwhybark

mwhybark — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 21:38:49 -0800

For years my parents would have a couple of cups right before bed to get sleepy.

By: fingers_of_fire

fingers_of_fire — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 21:58:28 -0800

I've been off coffee and caffeine in general for about 10 years, but someone recently gave me some VERY caffeinated tea as a gift. The few times I tried it, my almost immediate reaction was complete exhaustion - like falling asleep at my desk, have to stop everything immediately and take a nap...

By: owhydididoit

owhydididoit — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 22:07:14 -0800

One possible answer.

By: owhydididoit

owhydididoit — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 22:08:57 -0800

Sorry, I should have summarized: some people with ADHD have paradoxical reactions to stimulants, including caffeine.

By: spinifex23

spinifex23 — Wed, 16 Aug 2006 23:09:12 -0800

I get that.

A little caffeine, and I'm physically more hyper, but mentally calmer. A lot of caffeine, and it puts me to sleep. I always called it the 'ADD Kid Ritalin Effect'. Fast forward to 5 months ago, and sure enough, I have ADHD. So it literally works as a calming substance for me, enough so that I often drink low caffeinated tea throughout the day at work to keep my focus.

My old asthma medicine, Theophylline, would put me to sleep literally minutes after taking it. This puzzled my doc, who swore that it's a stimulant.

By: macdara

macdara — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 04:32:04 -0800

Once, I fell asleep 20 minutes after drinking a can of Jolt. I don't, however, have ADHD, so there must be something else about my physiology or brain chemistry that was counteracting the stimulant's effects.

I also remember a Simpsons gag where Marge refers to caffeine making some people drowsy -- so I don't think it's that unusual.

By: tdreyer1

tdreyer1 — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 08:17:24 -0800

I second the ADHD theory. I have ADHD and caffene either does nothing to me, or puts me to sleep.

By: macinchik

macinchik — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 09:58:00 -0800

Caffeine is known to cause the pancreas to release excessive amounts of insulin, thus causing hypoglycemia and drowsiness.