Caffeine in Caffeine pill
A standard caffeine tablet is 200 mg, two mugs of filter coffee in one swallow and half the recommended daily limit.
| Caffeine per serving | 200 mg |
| Serving | one 200 mg tablet |
| Share of the 400 mg daily limit | 50% |
| Equal to filter coffee | 2.1 mugs |
| Equal to espresso | 3.1 shots |
| Time to fall below 40 mg | 13 and a half hours |
How long does it last?
How late can you have it?
For an average metabolism this drops below the 40 mg sleep threshold about 13 and a half hours after you drink it, so the latest you could have one and still be clear by an 11 pm bedtime is 9:34 am. A fast metaboliser gains roughly two hours, a slow one loses two.
What to know
Tablets are the most precise dose here, which is their advantage and their risk. There is no cup size, no barista and no variation, so 200 mg means 200 mg every time.
They are absorbed as fast as a drink, peaking around 45 to 60 minutes. Taken at 4 pm, a 200 mg tablet still leaves about 90 mg at 11 pm.
Two tablets is the whole daily limit. Doses above 400 mg at once produce the heart-rate and anxiety effects people describe as an overdose, and the tolerable single dose recommended by EFSA is 200 mg.
Anhydrous caffeine powder sold in bulk is the genuinely dangerous form, because a teaspoon is several grams. Tablets exist partly to make that mistake impossible.
Compared with the rest of the chocolate, pills and pre-workout
| Drink | Serving | Caffeine |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-workout | one scoop | 201 mg |
| Caffeine pill | one 200 mg tablet | 200 mg |
| Dark chocolate | 1.7 oz bar (50 g) | 40 mg |
| Milk chocolate | 1.7 oz bar (50 g) | 10 mg |
Common questions
How much caffeine is in caffeine pill?
Caffeine pill has about 200 mg of caffeine per one 200 mg tablet. That is 50% of the 400 mg daily limit for a healthy adult, or about 2.1 mugs of filter coffee.
How long does the caffeine in caffeine pill last?
It peaks about 45 minutes after you drink it and halves every 5.7 hours. For an average adult one 200 mg tablet takes about 13 and a half hours to fall below 40 mg, the line Cira uses as low enough to sleep on.
How late can I drink caffeine pill and still sleep?
For an 11 pm bedtime the latest is about 9:34 am. Move it by the same amount as your own bedtime. People who clear caffeine slowly should stop about two hours earlier.
How many servings of caffeine pill can I have in a day?
About 2, going by the 400 mg daily limit for healthy adults. That limit covers everything else with caffeine in it too, so the real number is lower on a day with other coffee, tea or cola.
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Where these numbers come from
Caffeine content is the typical value for the serving shown, the same figure the Cira app uses. Brands and brew methods vary, so treat it as a good estimate rather than a measurement of your cup. The 5.7 hour half-life is a typical value for healthy adults, the 40 mg sleep line is a working threshold of the model, and the 400 mg daily limit is the figure used by the European Food Safety Authority and the US FDA. How the numbers are worked out.
