Caffeine Shakes

[Detachment Charlie]

Went to the range the other day to sight-in the new, ultra cheap red dot for my relatively new, ultra cheap Saiga. Once zeroed-in and seeing that the combo was more accurate than I expected, I realized that the three large cups of coffee about an hour and a half before hitting the range still had caffeine raging through my system, giving me a good case of the shakes.
Does anyone have a simple remedy for the caffeine shakes? Is there anything that will flush it out of the system quickly?

 

[Mike Irwin]

Nope.

Once you drink it, your body has to metabolize it.

 

[Chipperman]

Pop a few Valium.

Thankfully, caffiene does not affect me that way. I don't drink coffee, but I drink a lot of soda.

Water and exercise can help speed its clearance from your system, but you just have to wait (like alcohol).

 

[AJ Dual]

If you're a complete caffine addict, you'll probably not be so oversensitive. But I also learned the hard way to drink nothing stronger than 12 oz cola and no more than an hour before shooting.

 

[Ivanimal]

Sounds like you need to do research on the affects of caffene and shooting. There are a lot of people who could benefit from those results.

 

[DMK]

I never drink coffee on the morning I plan on shooting. In fact, I stay away from sugar as well.

Complex carbs for energy(cereal, muffins, whole grain bread, etc) and water, that's all.

 

[Mike Irwin]

I do like the caffein shakes when I'm shooting my high capacity 9mm handguns, though...

It REALLY helps with the whole "spray and pray" thing...

 

[lee n. field]

St. John's Wort. I tried that for a while. I can't say it did a whole lot for mood, but it did seem to tighten up groups when I was shooting air pistol in the basement.

YMMV.

 

[C.R.Sam]

Have a few warts on a thumb...
Wonder if I chew on em would make me get more Xs.

Sam

 

[Ol' Badger]

AAArrggggg Bang Bang Bang. <Sip> AAAaaaaa.........

 

[sm]

Caffeine, my metabolism is weird, I can drink a cup off coffee, lights out, roll over and I'm asleep.

Shakes if I get them are from having not eaten. I'll get busy, really focused on something, maybe schedule gets hectic or stressful...hunger kicks in -shakes gotta eat-right then. If I shoot when the blood surgar is crashing , which I've done, and on purpose just like sleep deprivation, If I get focused I can still shoot pretty well. I may get a bit mad at myself to do it, but I want to know what to expect. Maybe I get lucky and find a rhythm with the shakes, dunno.

 

[Mike Irwin]

"I can drink a cup off coffee, lights out, roll over and I'm asleep."

I can drink a POT of coffee, on top of several diet Cokes, and do the same thing.

 

[Ol' Badger]

For me its the I cant stop from going to the bathroom with Coffee!

 

[sm]

Mike, that last cup was to finish the pot allowing set up for the pot in the a.m.
Hmm. different year, Same D, of DOB, weird coincidence. Obviously later years of same D had some kinks worked out...added smarts. <g>

 

[Mike Irwin]

You're just an older unit. Those break down a lot more frequently...

 

[sm]

Well blows the theory all older stuff put together better huh?

 

[oldfart]

I've always thought I was immune to the coffe shakes too. Last week I shot a 600 yard prone match and, to be safe, I laid off the coffee before the match. I was pleasantly surprised at how much steadier my cross-hair was. I think I'm not as immune as I had hoped.

 

[RustyHammer]

If I don't drink at least some caffeine, I get headaches. (Try shooting with a migraine. Pure torture!) I do try not drink any right before a session, but, I always have one on my way home.

It's hell getting old!

/Rusty

 

[Ol' Badger]

Did any of you guys ever hear about the Coffee Rebellion in WWII?

They tried to cut the rations down to one cup a day for Dog faces and Officers got three. Atlest thats what my Grandpap said!

 

[Detachment Charlie]

Thanks for the input. Since there doesn't seem to be any "cure," I might solve the problem with one of those hi-cap magazine conversions for the Saiga and "let`er rip."
Oh, my brother suggested Scotch, but that's his answer for everything.
And, all that about old stuff not being put together so well...remeber, we had all the right stuff when we needed the right stuff and we used all the right stuff at the right time. Problem is, that if you live right, you eventually use-up all the right stuff, but have some great stories to tell.

 

[earl_simmons]

Welcome the shakes?

Some intentionally consume substantial quantities of caffeine prior to shooting as a training aid. If one can learn to handle caffeine-induced shakes, he might have less of a problem with badguy-trying-to-kill-him-induced shakes.

 

[10-Ring]

I've noticed it (especially shooting at longer distances). I usually won't have my caffeine until I'm done shooting.

 

[benewton]

"It's hell getting old!"

True enough, but think of the alternative!


For me, the lack of coffee would be a problem.

 

[Archie]

Caffeine......

Up until I was about 45 or so, it didn't bother me. Or at least, I didn't notice it.

Now that I'm older and notice more things, I have found that I can drink one cup of coffee and then "pass" three; that nothing holds still anymore; and that lying on my back staring at the ceiling fan in the dark is not all that amusing after the first hour or so. And, the doctor says it's not helping my irregular heart beat.

Rusty, if you get headaches when you don't drink coffee, you're actually addicted to caffeine. It's better than being addicted to cocaine, but still an addiction. The headaches stop after four or five days, depending on how long you've been addicted.

Caffeine increases the heart rate and blood pressure. Always. Different folks are effected in different ways, of course.

If one wishes to be a really competent, precise shooter, caffeine is not on the recommended list.

 

[TrapperReady]

I usually have the shakes if I don't have enough caffeine on board. Almost always load up a large mug on the way to the range, and have it finished by the time I hit the parking lot 18 minutes later.

I once shot a highpower match with a 9:00AM start and didn't have any coffee first. I'll never let that happen again.