Do You Get Too Much Caffeine?

Too much caffeine is Part 7 of a 7-part series on green tea caffeine and the effects of caffeine.

Are you worried about getting too much caffeine?

Recently, people have become concerned about their caffeine intake.

While small amounts of caffeine from natural sources, spread throughout the day, have helped people for thousands of years, there are now many modern sources of concentrated caffeine that can become dangerous when abused. Abuses with caffeine tablets have caused deaths from overdose, and new high caffeine “energy” drinks have increased hospitalizations due to excess caffeine.

There are even so-called “natural" energy drinks with added caffeine. One green tea energy drink has 100 milligrams of caffeine per serving. That's as much as a cup of coffee.

But with new commercial products, you must read the label to find out how much is in each product, and keep track of your own intake to know if you’re getting too much caffeine daily.

Here are recommended upper limits for caffeine

• healthy adults should stay below 300-500 milligrams daily

• pregnant women must stay below 150-200 milligrams daily

• children should stay below 50 milligrams daily (parents–check those soft drinks! A study by Dr. Pollak in 2003 found some middle school children can get a very hazardous 800 milligrams of caffeine daily.)

When does too much caffeine become an overdose?

For healthy adults, amounts exceeding 700 milligrams of caffeine can be dangerous. Smaller amounts can be fatal with children.

Of course, an overdose will depend on individual differences like age, weight, caffeine adaptation, or health conditions like liver diseases.

Hospitalizations can usually resolve the rapid heartbeat and nausea of a caffeine overdose. The most concentrated overdoses can be fatal by causing cardiac arrest.

Please call your doctor if you ever experience a medical emergency.

What if you take medication?

The number of people in the modern world who are taking prescription drugs is unprecedented in human history. There is no question that prescription drugs can be helpful, and even life-saving. But exactly how each drug will interact with all the other drugs, or with natural sources of nutrients like food and herbs, cannot be determined for individual people at this time.

There are simply too many possibilities.

Even the time-tested use of daily green tea with low caffeine may need to be modified with some medications.

If you have questions about your medications and any source of caffeine, you must consult with your health care provider for specific information.

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Related articles:

How much caffeine in a cup of green tea?

Which green tea has more caffeine?

How to choose your green tea caffeine level

21 tips for choosing green tea caffeine levels

What about decaffeinated green tea?

Effects of caffeine on your body: positive and negative

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