CAFFEINE AND TOXICOLOGY

Questions on Caffeine

1. Why caffeine can lead to addiction?
 Answer :
Because caffeine is a CNS stimulants! That's make you addict to it. You love it. It makes you become more aware, more confidents - because you stimulate the neourons in the brain. That's why people like to misuse and abuse of the caffeine.

2. What are toxicokinetics of caffeine in the body?
Answer :
Caffeine have higher absorption characteristics. Because caffeine is both water- and lipid-soluble. Because of this also, it readily crosses the blood–brain barrier that separates the bloodstream from the interior of the brain. Apart from that, Caffeine has pressor and mild diuretic effects.

In this case, in toxicokinetics, the parameters is what we need to consider. We can talk about the half-life. Half-life is the time of the [caffeine] to drop to half of it. If the caffeine have shorter half-life, it have better clearance. You faster you clear them, the more you eliminate them.

For caffeine, the half-like would be higher after you take them, and then it will slowly down after about 4-5 hours. That's why I advise you to take caffeine in the morning and not at the night. And also, take drinks water with caffeine. It would make concentration better. So that at 4 and 5 pm you already eliminate out most of the caffeine. Thus, at the night you will have a good sleep.

3. What effects of caffeine on pregnant mother and smoker?
Answer :
For cigarette smoker, they tends to addicts with caffeine. why? because cigaratte smoker will reduce the half-life of the caffeine. The half-life that actually about 4-5 hours will be reduced to less than that. When the half-life become lesser, the caffeine will eliminate out fast. When caffeine eliminate out fast, they will not happy. The stimulation not last long. Thus, they will tends to take the caffeine more.

To pregnant mother, the caffeine half-life will become 18 hours or more. It will not easily to be eliminated out and if the pregnant mother take caffeine on the next day, it will lead to accumulation of caffeine in the body. Accumulation of caffeine is very dangerous. Since it can pass through blood-brain-barrier, it can also pass through the placenta easily.

People who take oral-contraceptive will also longer the half-life of the caffeine in the body. It affects will same as the pregnancy mother.