PSYC62H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Thalamus, Frontal Lobe, Tegmentum
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Caffeine is a psychostimulant compound, it is a weaker stimulant relative to cocaine or amphetamines. It is part of a chemical class called xanthines; more technically it is a methylated xanthine. It is found in foods that are derived from different sources cocoa tree nuts, coffee beans etc. This figure shows the range of caffeine that is found in a number of different products. These include coffee, energy drinks, over the counter pain relief medication. The peak plasma levels are measured to be at their height at 2 hours and go up with time. The liver metabolizes caffeine into active and inactive metabolites. Two metabolites of caffeine are theobromine and theophylline they are comparably weaker psychostimulants. They kind of fall under the concept of pro-drugs drugs that are inert but are acted on by the body to produce active metabolites which can cross the bbb.
