Podcast 1024: Caffeine Toxicity

Contributor: Taylor Lynch, MD

Educational Pearls:

Excessive caffeine intake can be dangerous.

For normal adults, the toxicity level starts at 1000mg, which is equivalent to about 10 cups of coffee or 5 celsius drinks.

For normal adults, lethal levels are about 5-10 grams, which is equivalent to about 50-100 cups of coffee. Most of these outcomes are not from drinking caffeine, but instead concentrated caffeine pills.

For children, toxic levels are 15mg per kg of the child.

Within the last 10 years 20-40 deaths due to caffeine intake have been reported.

This may be lower than the actual number due to cardiac arrests that potentially could have been caused from caffeine intake.

Clinical presentation of caffeine toxicity can present in many ways.

Most common symptoms include agitation and jitteriness

The far end of the spectrum includes seizures, tachydysrhythmias, and eventually cardiovascular collapse.

Caffeine is a part of the methylxanthine class.