Anyone drinking coffee or taken caffeine pills and if so any side effects?

I'm starting a new job on night shift. I will need caffeine pills or coffee with spender to help stay awake to adjust to new hours.... Is anyone drinking coffee or caffeine drinks and if so any side effects? I remember during meets before surgery be told, you shouldn't drink coffee because it can cause stomach unclers..Thank U

I have one cup of coffee a day with no ill side effects so far, it was OK'd buy my Dr. SO check with yours ... GL

I don't do caffeine. If I have coffee it's decaf (I know, it still has some caffeine, but not as much). My surgeon recommends decaf products. Caffeine can cause stomach ulcers -- it's a common concern with normal size stomachs too. Caffeine blocks the absorption of calcium in the diet -- we already malabsorb calcium in our altered intestines, I don't want to contribute to the problem any more than necessary. Caffeine has been known to be a diuretic which can cause dehydration if consumed in large quantities. Definitely check with your doctor before doing large doses of coffee -- and especially caffeine pills. Pam

I drink one cup of coffee a day and have no problems.

I drink a large coffee every day with no problems. I've also, on occasions, taken No-Doze with no bad effects either.

Caffiene also affects your water levels. I drink one cup of coffee in the AM. I do not count it in my daily water intake and seem to be having no issues with it.

Sounds like you're talking about large amounts of caffeine, either way. Whether you use pills or drink coffee, you're putting yourself at risk for ulcers. As you read, most people don't go over the one cup a day. I used to be a "pot a day" person as a pre-op. Now, I use a little decaf instant coffee to flavor my morning protein shake, and coffee is a special once-in-a-while treat. Please be careful. It would really stink if you developed an ulcer. I've had them in my life and believe me, they are serious (and painful).

I have 1 (rarely 2) cups of full-caffeine coffee in the AM. I'm not one to excessively demonize caffeine, but if you need more of this in a day to stay awake, it might have some adverse effects (mainly GI issues; caffeine can stimulate stomach acid secretion and increase the risk of developing ulcers.) You might try taking it with an acid blocker like Pepcid or Zantac or Prilosec OTC. If one 100mg/200mg caffeine pill (or its equivalent in coffee) doesn't help sufficiently, you might ask your MD for a brief course of Provigil (modafinil) while you're getting used to the night shift. It's a non-amphetamine stimulant approved for just the kind of thing you're worried about. My sleep doc prescribed me a few weeks of it to prevent daytime sleepiness due to sleep apnea until I could get settled in with my new CPAP machine. Provigil is a controlled substance, but it really isn't a whole lot of "fun"; in that regard, it's more similar to caffeine than amphetamine. In fact, I think I still have some pills from a year or so ago which I never finished! /Steve