Nicotine And Caffeine (The Taboo Bad Boys)

[Cala]

OK here we go. I'm not wanting everyone to spew their bad habits here LOL I was just curious to know the way these two drugs affect others.

I was/am(sometimes) a smoker. I discovered that once I developed Dysautonomia that quitting smoking was not a challenge or even a second thought. Which shocked me as I'd tried several times in the past to quit unsuccessful and painfully. It's something I can do or not do. Now...before you chew on me for something bad let me explain LOL

Smoking raises my blood pressure. Sometimes when everything else fails. I usually opt for a pack of the nicotine gum instead now days but early on a quick cigarette would do it fast. On a more dangerous note..it also spikes your heart rate. So don't think I'm suggesting starting puffing LOL don't! I'm just telling you what it did to me.

Caffeine, I can't function without actually. The doctor knows I'm running on it and he doesn't "suggest" it because well...he's a doctor LOL but he's fully aware what's keeping my blood pressure just above pacemaker speed. At least that's my observation.

What's everyone else's views on the bad boys? Ex smokers like me? Did you have problems quitting? Does nicotine bump blood pressure if you still smoke? How about that Java? :-D

[Confusedguy]

I stay far away from any and all Energy drinks due to the high level of caffeine and the fact that they are just bad for you. The only Caffeine I do take is a pre workout prior to the gym. The only reason for that is I burn through it based on the intensity of my workout. Otherwise Caffeine has a poor effect on my system. Luckily I don't smoke.

[kayjay]

I've never been a smoker but I have chewed nicotine gum. It is a vasoconstrictor and helps with cognitive function.

It's being researched for use in Parkinson's treatment as well althzimers.

I don't seem to get addicted to anything so I can't speak to that. I do know that nicotine is bad for reynaulds. I no longer chew it becuase i started provigil. I used to when driving.

I talked to my dentist about it and a few of my doctors. They didn't have an issue with except one suggested the patch. I prefer the idea of the gum because its easy to spit out.

Two side notes- chewing gum can be a habit in itself so I always had regular gum as well. As for caffeine, coffee is a diruretic. I did a bit better on caffine pills.

[Dizzysillyak]

Add me to the bad girls club. ; )

I've probably only smoked 1 pack of cigs in my life but I experimented with both cigarettes and nicotine lozengers recently and

found that cigs were more effective at calming me while at the same time

made my thinking clearer. The losengers made me jittery but also

improved my thinking. I stopped because I already have lung scarring and noticed that I sweat profusely after smoking. I didn't try the gum, patch

or chewing it.

The coffee sozo makes me less jittery than any other coffee I'd ever tried but caffeine pills work better and don't make me jittery. I have to take extra sleep meds and supplements if i use caffeine but I don't mind. I've only tried the Leader brand caffeine pills and I break them into quarters.

[corina]

I'm an ex-smoker (quit before we tried getting pregnant!) and drink coffee on a daily base. Like others, I really seem to need the caffeine

[Becia]

Never really smoked, except for a tradition I have on my brothers death date and birth date, which is to go to his grave, smoke a few , and leave the rest if the pack on his stone (he died when I was young, I remember him smoking and started that when I was of age), and as for caffeine, used to drink a lot of it, but have been off of it for a year, except in cases of severe migraines, when I will have one can of pop with my meds to help with the effectiveness (sometimes this works, sometime it doesn't). They both make me jittery, and pop really makes my hr go up. I sometimes drink tea, mostly decaf, but every once in a while I get some that isn't, but the tea doesn't raise it much.

[RichGotsPots]

Nicotine is a parasympathic activator that's why it has a calming affect if anything it should lower blood pressure so if cigs raise yours then its probably an added ingredient.

Caffeine is a mild sympathetic stimulant that's why it raises blood pressure. There have been studies on it and actually decaf coffee raises blood pressure aoutnthe same so they think there is another chemical besides caffeine at play. Also what's interesting is that habitual coffee drinkers decaf or not become immune to the blood pressure raising affects. The only caffeine I drink is white tea.

[Tachy Phlegming]

It doesn't seem to be 100% one way or the other.

What I always think I've seen is in a fair number of studies is that it raises it during and immediately after but that smokers can have lower bp than others. Even that might not be a causal relationship because how would anyone figure out if people with lower pressure decide they want to keep smoking whereas others don't?

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/crp/2011/264894/