Caffeine and Adenosine: Exploring the Science Behind Coffee Addiction

[jaydnul]

I've been performing a little experiment on my self lately. I would routinely drink 1-2 cups a day, so I decided to give it up to see what would happen. Even after two weeks of letting my body forget about the addiction, I feel much more unmotivated and tired. Then I started thinking about how caffeine works. It not only blocks out certain chemicals (adenosine) in the brain that signal sleepiness, it actually stimulates the adenosine detectors in the process. So I've reasoned that even if my body becomes immune to the stimulation effects of caffeine, it will still help block the adenosine that would have normally been detected without it.

Does this reasoning sound logical? They say that given a long enough use, you will need caffeine just to feel "normal". Is that entirely accurate given your experiences with drug?

 

[Pythagorean]

That's an interesting thought. Can you cite any sources about how caffeine "stimulates" adenosine detectors? Presumably it's the same receptors they act as an antagonist for?

They say that given a long enough use, you will need caffeine just to feel "normal". Is that entirely accurate given your experiences with drug?

This is often explained by homeostasis. For example, the less adenosine your body thinks it's getting, the more receptors it will make. Then you have too many receptors and, without coffee, you're getting too much adenosine. I don't know if that's the case for caffeine.

 

[Evo]

I've been performing a little experiment on my self lately. I would routinely drink 1-2 cups a day, so I decided to give it up to see what would happen. Even after two weeks of letting my body forget about the addiction, I feel much more unmotivated and tired. Then I started thinking about how caffeine works. It not only blocks out certain chemicals (adenosine) in the brain that signal sleepiness, it actually stimulates the adenosine detectors in the process. So I've reasoned that even if my body becomes immune to the stimulation effects of caffeine, it will still help block the adenosine that would have normally been detected without it.

Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, so more receptors may be produced,

They say that given a long enough use, you will need caffeine just to feel "normal". Is that entirely accurate given your experiences with drug?

Please do not post without linking to approved articles that explain and back up what you post. It seems you have no need to worry.

The good news is that, compared to many drug addictions, the effects are relatively short-term. To kick the thing, you only need to get through about 7-12 days of symptoms without drinking any caffeine. During that period, your brain will naturally decrease the number of adenosine receptors on each cell, responding to the sudden lack of caffeine ingestion. If you can make it that long without a cup of joe or a spot of tea, the levels of adenosine receptors in your brain reset to their baseline levels, and your addiction will be broken.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scien...ted-to-caffeine-26861037/#6T6oqXe5hFUfTcZq.99

 

[Pythagorean]

They say that given a long enough use, you will need caffeine just to feel "normal". Is that entirely accurate given your experiences with drug?

Who says this? Please post the peer reviewed studies you read that conclude this.

This is a typical symptom of addiction and caffeine is an addictive substance, so I don't think it's that out of line.

 

[Evo]

Lol Pyth, we're posting basically the same thing on top of each other. The Smithsonian article I posted explains it all in simple terms, feel free to add others if you have them.