Caffeine Capsules: Pure Powder at €0.40 per Gram

Caffeine Capsules: The €0.40 Per Gram Alternative to Coffee

A bottle of 100 pure caffeine capsules costs €7.95. Each capsule contains 200 mg, equivalent to two and a half coffees or two and a half 25 cl Red Bull cans, according to the premise opening this discussion on responsible consumption. The calculation is simple: €0.40 per gram of caffeine compared to the €60 spent by those buying a gram of cocaine. The proposal is not a joke: one capsule in the morning before work, one and a half before sports, and for the bold, opening the capsule and snorting the powder, which takes twenty minutes to take effect and tastes bitter, as reported.

The product is sold in health food stores for athletes. It is manufactured by a Spanish company based in Yuncos (Toledo). The recommended dose is one or two capsules daily, thirty minutes before physical activity. The warning is serious: 10 grams of caffeine are lethal, so such a bottle contains two fatal doses. It is not suitable for people with hypertension.

Effects of Caffeine Capsules vs. Coffee

Caffeine is a psychoactive drug that stimulates the central nervous system and interferes with brain cells responsible for transmitting feelings of relaxation and fatigue. With one capsule, you feel awake without being jittery. With one and a half (300 mg), you start to feel accelerated. The effect takes about 45 minutes orally and about 20 minutes if snorted. When it wears off, previous tiredness and accumulated fatigue from activity hours hit hard, which also helps you sleep deeply. Additionally, it stimulates body fat burning, making it suitable for those wanting to lose weight through exercise.

Compared to coffee, several advantages are listed: one capsule costs ten times less than a bar coffee, the effect is twice as strong, it does not contain peine that promote bad cholesterol accumulation, and it is portable. Compared to Red Bull, the difference is that caffeine acts immediately: you don't have to drink two and a half cans in one sitting, where by the third can, the first is already digested and urinated out.

Comparison with Cocaine: Triple Dose, Similar Effect

The parallel with cocaine is not an invention. It is recalled that the original Coca-Cola formula replaced cocaine with caffeine when the former was banned in the early 20th century. A triple dose of caffeine yields an almost identical effect to cocaine. Advantages attributed to caffeine include no addiction or related issues (depression, anxiety, psychological problems), infinite lower cost, higher safety due to purity and adjustable dosage, no aggressive behavior, no accumulation in the body, and elimination via urine within 24 hours. Furthermore, it is legal, passing Guardia Civil or Policía Nacional drug tests during weekend controls.

Some argue that caffeine is precisely one of the substances added to cut cocaine, which, according to the initial premise, justifies illegal drug spending for weekend users. The response from those paying €60 for a gram of cocaine is immediate: "Why save money if you're going to die anyway?"

Addiction and Withdrawal: The Dividing Point

This is where consensus breaks. One sector argues that caffeine creates addiction and that a daily dose of 100 mg is enough to develop it in some people. Others respond that if this were true, 95% of the developed world's population would be addicted, as one strong coffee or two glasses of Coca-Cola reach that figure. The experience of those who drink instant coffee every morning and suffer headaches, drowsiness, and lack of concentration for over a week if they stop points the other way: withdrawal syndrome exists and is unpleasant.

The author of the initial premise admits that after a vacation, he had a headache on the fifth day without consumption and could barely stand the next day, sleeping all day. He doesn't know if it was caffeine, but he hadn't had a headache in a long time. Another participant reports nine days without consumption and still hasn't fully recovered: the first two days involved severe headaches and drowsiness. The conclusion drawn from these experiences is that caffeine is not as harmless as it seems, although the effects pass within a week.

Sports Performance: Immediate Activation and Early Fatigue

Use of this product is indicated prior to sports activity. Caffeine allows exercising longer with little perceived fatigue, and shortly after ingestion, body temperature rises, reducing cold sensation. In physical labor, testers claim they can move weights for two hours without feeling tired, whereas without caffeine, exhaustion comes much sooner.

Not everyone agrees. Some claim the opposite: in 40-60 minute running sessions, caffeine activates immediately but also causes earlier fatigue. As heart rate increases, wear and tear arrives sooner. The debate on whether the net effect is positive or comes with premature fatigue remains open.

Commercial Alternatives and Prices: Guarana, Taurine, Chocolate

Herbalists sell guarana tablets with similar caffeine doses. There are also 100 mg caffeine capsules complemented with taurine, and even taurine-only capsules, all at similar price levels. Taurine acts as a caffeine enhancer, but mixed with alcohol, it can cause cardiac arrhythmias and temporary psychomotor instability at high doses, besides stimulating bile production and intestinal transit, making the combined effect more potent but shorter-lasting.

The price of a 100-capsule bottle of 200 mg varies: €7.95 in health food stores, €6.90 in sports supplement shops. Bulk caffeine powder can also be bought online alongside guarana, glucuronolactone, or taurine. Some turn to chocolate: Scho-Ka-Kola bars, part of German iron rations, are sold in military-style clothing stores. The world's strongest coffee, Death Wish Coffee, also appears in the conversation as a curiosity.

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The complete calculation, with exact equivalence between capsules, coffees, and Red Bull cans, and the doses each participant claims to have tried, reveals a surprising cost difference. The prevailing conclusion is that caffeine capsules are the cheapest way to legally dope. Whether the body charges a price is another matter. The discussion continues: those taking it for months report no dependence; those quitting abruptly do.