Dealing with caffeine (Coffee and caffeine pills)

UKPoucherMember

Hello everyone. I am just over 8 months post operation and I feel great. The J Pouch is working better than I could have ever imagined. I was initially having 5-7 BMs a day but now for the past 5 months it is 1-3. UC has taken 4 years of my life away but I feel like I am back on track. I plan to go to university next year which mean I will need to start studying hard again.

I have always drank coffee to help me stay wake and alert. Although I have never had more than 2 cups in a day, it was still a important part of my studies. I even drank it when I had my ostomy bag and I noticed it would go through me rapidly and I would have to visit the toilet frequently. I have also read multiple threads on this website that relay the same thing. So I substituted my cups of coffee with caffeine pills. This worked really well but I am worried about taking it now with a J Pouch as I have been told my a friend and a fellow J Poucher that it caused her to have more frequent BMs.

Has anyone had any experience with caffeine tablet? Did it work well with your J Pouch? Does it cause more BMs? The one I used to take is called "Pro Plus Caffeine Tablets".

9/5/2011:02 AM

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Scott FMember

For this purpose the experiences of others may not be your best guide. It’s easy to experiment with how your body reacts to coffee or caffeine: the effects are quick, reasonably unambiguous, and relatively brief. See what works for you.
I had to avoid coffee for many years because of IBD the effect on my gut was very unpleasant. After my J-pouch surgery I was able to enjoy coffee, and I’ve been doing so for about 18 years now. Good luck!

9/5/2011:10 AM

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UKPoucherMember

Thanks for your reply. I do plan to experiment with caffeine but as work and life in general is beginning to return to normal, I have been quite busy. So I am just looking for anecdotal evidence from other J Pouchers to have a good idea on what to expect. There are a few threads discussing coffee but I haven't found any on caffeine pills. So anyone's experience with them will help.

9/5/2011:18 AM

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CTBarristerMember

UKPoucher,

In terms of caffeine tablets, when I was in law school, there was a product called "NoDoz" that my classmates and I took, as well as coffee. That was 30 years ago in my pre J Pouch days, but it's still on the market and available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/NoDoz-M...qeJYepgaAg0XEALw_wcB

My caffeine consumption was at an all time high in law school, but since I got my J Pouch I still drink coffee and have not observed any appreciable difference in the effect of caffeine on me pre or post J Pouch.

Like you, my current consumption is limited to 2 cups a day, always consumed before 12 noon as a rule.

9/5/2011:39 AM

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