Human beings are endlessly creative. Their quest for innovation is ceaseless. Inquisitive minds toil endlessly in garages and basements to invent the next big thing. Fortune and fame may be around the corner for the tinkerer who develops an ingenious product. Especially if it appeals to young people, a principal engine of economic activity.
A recent innovation may be making the inventors and producers wealthy, but it is more likely to make them infamous than famous. That invention is caffeine powder. I first heard of caffeine powder a couple of weeks ago in reading about a young man who died from an accidental overdose of this product.
Caffeine powder is a highly concentrated formulation of caffeine. It is increasingly popular, especially among young people, as a way to quickly boost energy and enhance various kinds of performance. Athletes use it to augment their workouts or game-day abilities. Students will use it to facilitate all-nighters.
People of any age can buy it easily. It is sold through health food stores and on the internet. A quick search for “caffeine powder” on a large internet retailer’s site shows scores of available products. Interestingly, it also turned up a very attractive license plate holder containing the words “Addicted to Caffeine.” In the interests of full disclosure, I am an inveterate coffee drinker. The stronger and darker the brew, the happier I am. I have to say I love that license plate holder, but caffeine powder? My first thought is why? For Pete’s sake, why forego the supreme pleasure of sipping a nice hot cup of joe to consume caffeine as a powder?
Labelled a food product or supplement, caffeine powder is unregulated and unmonitored, so the concentration can vary from one product to another. Typically, one teaspoon contains as much caffeine as 25 cups of coffee. The recommended “dose” is 1/32 to 1/16 of a teaspoon. The last time I bought measuring spoons the smallest available measure was 1/4 teaspoon, so it must be challenging to measure one dose of caffeine powder correctly. The powder is mixed into any nearby liquid (water, beer, vodka, whatever happens to be available), then imbibed.
The physiologic effects of caffeine, especially in high doses, are well known to clinicians, often from personal experience. Tachycardia, tremors, jitteriness. Clearly, if one were to inadvertently shake a little too much caffeine powder into one’s beverage, say half a teaspoon, one could become very ill. And it is not surprising that even a healthy young person could die after consuming too much caffeine powder.
We primary care clinicians toil endlessly, trying to guard the public’s health and shepherd our charges safely through life. Sometimes I feel we’re playing whack-a-mole. No sooner do we quash one threat than a new one arises to challenge our wits, our patience, and our patients. The new kid on the block is caffeine powder. If your patient happens to ask about it, recommend a good strong cup of French Roast instead. More enjoyable, less risky.
As I wind up this post, I’m still debating whether to spring for that license plate holder.
Richard Fleming, MD