Caffeine Pills: Benefits & Cautions

Have you ever hit a mental or physical wall? Is there something you have to do, but you can’t focus? You may have to finish a project, stay alert while driving, or get through a workout to meet your fitness goals.

Sheer willpower may not push you through, but a dose of caffeine could up your game.

Effects of Caffeine

Caffeine stimulates the central nervous system and provides a whole host of benefits beyond simply helping you stay awake. Caffeine aids improved cognitive and athletic performance, helps reduce pain, and may promote increased metabolism. Some research studies find daily caffeine intake may help reduce the risk of type II diabetes and stroke.

Caffeine Pills (Capsules)

Caffeine is naturally found in coffee beans, green tea, cocoa nuts, and kola nuts. Caffeine can also be synthetically made. Regardless of the source be it natural or laboratory, the caffeine structure is the same and provides the same benefits. 

Depending on the dosage, caffeine pills (capsules) or caffeine supplements often contain about the same amount of caffeine as drinking a cup or two of coffee. 

Caffeine pills (capsules) are not bulk caffeine powder that has been marketed in the past as a caffeine supplement. In 2018, The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deemed pure or highly concentrated caffeine as potentially dangerous. 

Rapid consumption of high doses of caffeine can result in caffeine overdose. Roughly 0.15 tablespoons of pure caffeine can be lethal. Bulk packaged pure caffeine requires precise measurements with laboratory equipment. The caffeine in pills (capsules) contains pre-measured amounts of caffeine.

Safe Caffeine Consumption

For healthy adults, the FDA deems 400 mg per day of caffeine does not generally cause dangerous side effects. Pregnant women, children, and teens should limit caffeine intake. For children under the age of twelve, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry advises against any caffeine consumption. For teens ages 12-18, they advise limiting caffeine to 100 mg per day.

Possible Side-Effects of Excessive Caffeine Consumption

According to the FDA, the side-effects of overconsuming caffeine include trouble sleeping, anxiousness, fast heart rate, headaches, jitters, and regularly feeling unhappy. 

If you suffer from arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat, are overly anxious, or deal with high blood pressure, you may need to limit or avoid caffeine altogether. Seek appropriate medical advice before taking caffeine supplements. 

Daily caffeine consumption builds the body’s tolerance to the effects of caffeine. Once a caffeine tolerance has developed, higher doses are required to realize the same performance benefits. You can reset a caffeine tolerance by going off of caffeine for a month. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms include irritability, lack of concentration, drowsiness, and headaches.

Advantages of Caffeine Pills or Capsules

There are numerous economic and health advantages of caffeine taken in pill or capsule form over energy drinks, coffee, or caffeinated sodas. 

Health Benefits

If you are using energy drinks or caffeinated sodas to power your day, you are getting unhealthy ingredients, too. These less than “good for you” ingredients include artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Depending on your preference for original, zero, diet, or lite drinks, you're also picking up significant amounts of sugar (extra calories) or artificial sweeteners.  

Excess sugar increases the risk of heart disease and obesity. Carrying excess weight or belly fat is associated with type II diabetes. The effects of artificial sweeteners on gut microbiota health are not completely understood at this time. Some studies raise the concern that artificial sweeteners may also contribute to developing heart disease, obesity, and type II diabetes. 

With its antioxidants and essential nutrients, black coffee may be a health benefit. Do you take your coffee black, or do you add sugar and cream? The most popular coffee drinks lattes, Caffe mochas, Cappuccinos, and Frappuccinos are loaded with excess sugar and fats. 

Economic Benefits

A caffeine pill costs a fraction of energy drinks, sodas, and commercially available house-made coffees costs. These drinks cost between $1.50 and $5.00 per serving. Name brand coffee K cups run between $0.25 and $0.70 per serving.  

The least expensive caffeinated drink option is brewing your own coffee or tea. Per serving, brewing your own coffee costs about the same as a caffeine pill or capsule. 

Convenience Benefits

Having caffeine pills on hand is convenient to give you the boost you need when you need it. There is no mixing involved, or keeping a drink hot or cold, or making a run to a convenience store or coffee shop. You simply take a pill and feel the wall crumble.

SOS Caffeine Capsules

The Supplement Outlet Store (SOS) conveniently carries two different caffeine capsules. Our 180 mg caffeine supplement costs $6.59 for 90 capsules. That is 180 mg of caffeine for $0.07 per serving. 

Our 200 mg Caffeine Citrate capsule delivers approximately 100 mg of caffeine. For $4.99, you get 100 capsules. That is roughly 100 mg of caffeine for $0.05 a serving. 

Discover the benefits of caffeine capsules today! You get all the benefits of caffeine without the extra calories, chemicals, or cost of caffeinated drinks.  SOS’s caffeine capsules can help you hurtle your mental or physical walls.

These statements on caffeine supplementation have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Seek appropriate medical advice before starting any supplement.

The content of SOS’s website is for information only, not advice or guarantee of outcome. Information is gathered and shared from reputable sources; however, SOS is not responsible for errors or omissions in reporting or explanation. No individuals, including those taking SOS products, should use the information, resources or tools contained within to self-diagnosis or self-treat any health-related condition. SOS gives no assurance or warranty regarding the accuracy, timeliness or applicability of the content.

Sources

• “Caffeine Pills: Are they Bad for You?” Healthline. 2019. https://www.healthline.com/health/caffeine-pills
• Jiang, Xiubo et al. “Coffee and Caffeine Intake and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.” Springer Link. 2013. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-013-0603-x
• Larsson, Susanna C. and Orsini Nicola. “Coffee Consumption and Risk of Stroke: A Dose Response Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies.” PubMed. 2011. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21920945/
• “Pure and Highly Concentrated Caffeine.” Food and Drug Administration. 2021. https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplement-products-ingredients/pure-and-highly-concentrated-caffeine
• “Spilling the Beans: How much Caffeine is too Much?” Food and Drug Administration. 2018. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/spilling-beans-how-much-caffeine-too-much 
• “Caffeine and Children.” American Acadamy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2020. https://www.aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Caffeine_and_Children-131.aspx 
• Ruiz-Ojeda, Francisco Javier et al. “Effects of Sweeteners on the Gut Microbiota: A Review of Experimental Studies and Clinical Trials.” Advances in nutrition. 2019. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363527/