Is Caffeine Poisoning Common?
Although caffeine poisoning can have some very serious consequences, if you drink 2 or 3 cups a day, and have never suffered any serious effects, you are unlikely to do so in the future. Caffeine is a drug, an overdose of it can lead to problems, and a large overdose, in other words caffeine poisoning, could lead to far more severe problems. It's really a matter of what the body can tolerate, and once we get into the coffee drinking habit, or eat or drink other food items containing caffeine, our tolerance for caffeine grows.
And You Thought Oxygen was Safe - The oxygen we breathe is in point of fact a poison. Oxygen is essential to life itself, we all know that. The percentage of oxygen in the air is not really very high however, we mostly breathe in nitrogen and hydrogen, but enough oxygen to keep us going. If we were to breathe pure oxygen for a time, it would poison us to the extent that death would eventually occur. We'd have to inhale a lot of oxygen over an extended period of time for that to happen though.
It's the same with caffeine. You may drink more coffee than is really good for you, and show symptoms such as jittery nerves as a result. But this isn't really a case of caffeine poisoning. Poisoning is brought about by an acute overdose, which means ingesting a large amount in a short time, something difficult to do, though probably not impossible, when drinking coffee.
Intoxication vs. Poisoning - Caffeine is a stimulant, and taken in moderate amounts can be very beneficial at times. We can fight off sleepiness, though only temporarily (caffeine won't absolutely prevent sleep), and often find ourselves more alert. Having a cup or two of coffee above and beyond what we normally have may bring about a bout of nervousness, restlessness and irritability. We may become flushed in the face and find ourselves having to urinate more frequently, and may even experience a more rapid or even irregular hear rate. These signs are more those of mild caffeine intoxication and not caffeine poisoning. A couple of cups of coffee will generally yield on the order of 25 milligrams of caffeine. 300 milligrams is often defined as the dosage constituting a caffeine overdose, often leading to a rather severe case of caffeine intoxication. Higher dosages, consumed in a relatively short time would lead to what is generally regarded as caffeine poisoning.
Symptoms Of Caffeine Poisoning - As we've noted, it can be difficult to drink enough coffee in one sitting for caffeine poisoning to occur. Supplements based on caffeine, or containing significant amounts of caffeine, are much more apt to cause poisoning. The symptoms of poisoning are symptomatic of many other disorders, so if they occur, one would have to determine how much caffeine had been ingested to see if a case of caffeine poisoning truly exists. Symptoms of caffeine poisoning would most often involve rapid or irregular heartbeat, muscle twitching, convulsions and difficulty in breathing, or feelings of thirst, dizziness, and confusion, or hallucinations. Caffeine poisoning can also cause a loss of consciousness, in some cases leading to death.
In summary, if you can't live without your morning cup of coffee, and you suffer no ill effects from having one, by all means continue. If you are drinking enough to cause gastric distress, and coffee can often do that, you might consider cutting back. As far as caffeine stunting your growth if you drink coffee when too young, that has been relegated to the status of an old wives tale. If you're taking caffeine based supplements however, it may pay to be a bit cautious with regard to the dosages you are taking, or at least pay attention to those dosages.