During the second week of school, I happened to sit down in an empty seat next to a girl that I’ve never met before, S.

She’s really nice, very friendly, and seemed opened to becoming friends. We also both happened to get the same essay topic, so we’ve been mildly discussing it (she hasn’t started yet, as of last Friday, and I’m not telling her what papers I’m using as sources). We also spent a few hours together on Thursday (the day of my biology midterm) when she found me at the library with R (whom I had spent nearly the entire day with, madly studying and discussing what to put on our reference sheets that we were allowed to bring into the midterm).

She admitted to me right before the midterm that she wasn’t sure if she was going to last through the entire midterm (it was 1 hour long, but she said she’d been up since 4am). And then she promptly takes this package out of her bag and pops this giant flat tablet out. It was the last one in the package (there had been 3 others) and she puts it into her mouth and chews it up. I asked her what it was and she told me that it was a caffeine pill. I asked to see the packaging (because it was grotesquely cartoon-ish). She’d bought in on campus from a friend who had gotten it for her from someone else. At the very bottom of the packaging, in the smallest writing ever were the words “NOT APPROVED BY THE FDA”, in white print against a bright blue background.

I asked her how many she had today and she said that entire package (6 tablets at 1500mg each within a 12 hour period). And then I asked her if she had any water that day (she didn’t, besides a cup of coffee in the morning). She said that she was totally fine and went to get a bottle of water just to get me to stop nagging her about it.

This was on Thursday. I didn’t see her on Friday because we don’t have any of the same classes that day. I got a phone call from her an hour ago because she’d been released from the hospital today and she had been admitted overnight (Friday) due to the fact that she was having uncontrollable muscle twitching (she had consumed another full package of 6 caffeine pills on Friday because of her other midterm). Which, according to her doctor, was a result from the overdose of caffeine in her system and the dehydration. Once she was properly hydrated again and the caffeine was out of her system, they released her.

And, instead of going “stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid” (which I really wanted to do), I asked her how she was. She said that she was okay, and that she guessed she probably should have finished that bottle of water that she bought.

Questions:

  1. How much caffeine do you regularly consume? What form is it in?
  2. What’s the funniest text message that you’ve received in the last week?
  3. Have you, or someone you know, ever abused non-prescription drugs by accident or on purpose?

My answers:

  1. I drink tea… It’s generally 1 tea bag with a lot of water, plus honey (or sugar, but I prefer honey) and cream.
  2. It was the one from K about how she found it funny that my friend thought assumed that I had the type of relationship that involves sex due to the fact that I’m dating a non-Asian guy.
  3. I’ve taken more ibuprofen than I should have in a day before. And I’ve probably done the same with acetaminophen as well.

6 Responses

  1. Wow. This was a really… a good story. I mean, I love the way you told it, Michelle. 🙂

    This girl was pretty stupid. I’d understand if you needed to take ONE pill or drink a bit of coffee during the day to keep you up, but that many is just too much, especially if you’re not having water. I don’t know how you could live without it, even if you’re just having a gulp every now and then. O_O

    Well, I am glad she’s okay; she did seem like a nice person after all.

    1. How much caffeine do you regularly consume? What form is it in?
    Extremely rarely. Usually I have soda or coffee from time to time, but I really don’t like the taste of coffee.
    2. What’s the funniest text message that you’ve received in the last week?
    “OMG… I found my phone in a hole in my couch… FML” From Lilian after she lost her phone and got a new one. 😛
    3. Have you, or someone you know, ever abused non-prescription drugs by accident or on purpose?
    My friend overdosed on Panadol (paracetamol, I think? It’s just a painkiller). She took 72 pills at once. She’d tried to kill herself. She was in hospital for quite some time; she’d wrecked her liver (not quite sure; you’re the biology student here! ^^).
    I did take a pill once when I didn’t even feel very sick at all.

  2. Wow, that’s scary. A lot of college kids take things like that though to stay awake.. it’s insane! I could never do that. Regardless of how tired I got, I either dealt with it or had some coke (not a big coffee fan). Atleast she’s okay though. You’re better than I am though, I would have said “I told you so” but I’m a bitch like that.

    How much caffeine do you regularly consume? What form is it in?
    – Up until about three weeks ago I drank about a gallon or so of tea a day. This tea was caffeinated. I realized it upset my IBS so now it’s decaf tea. So.. I don’t really consume any unless I have a coke, which is rare.

    What’s the funniest text message that you’ve received in the last week?
    – Honestly, I don’t remember. Some inside joke from Final I’m syre.

    Have you, or someone you know, ever abused non-prescription drugs by accident or on purpose?
    – non perscription? Umm.. I take cheap sleeping pills a few nights a week to go to sleep but I don’t think I abuse them. I’m sure my mother has abused some type of non-prescription (and perscription) drugs.

  3. I’m spamming your comments. I just realized that someone very close to me, who you have heard me mention before, took an entire large bottle of Tylenol and a small bottle of Benedryl once like Georgina’s friend, to commit suicide. My friend was also in the hospital for awhile, then a pyschiatric hospital for a week or two. My friend also wrecked their liver but has since learned their lesson.

  4. Scary. I’d understand an FDA approved one, and following the instructions but. geez.

    1. Mountain Dew. A can a day or less average. Some days its way more, other times I’ll go days without any.

    2. Cant really come up with one, haha. I don’t text much besides organizing plans and what not.

    3. I used to occasionally take nighttime cold meds to fall asleep. But not really anymore.

  5. Did that girl read the packaging? At ALL? Sheesh >.>

    1. How much caffeine do you regularly consume? What form is it in?
    I don’t know how much I consume on a regular basis; it’s usually in the form of a 20oz bottle of Coke or a tall soy mocha at Starbucks, and I buy those maybe two or three days a week.

    2. What’s the funniest text message that you’ve received in the last week?
    My friend text me the lyrics to this hilarious song they used in a Snickers commercial last year XD

    3. Have you, or someone you know, ever abused non-prescription drugs by accident or on purpose?
    Not that I know of…

  6. 1. I don’t have any caffene knowingly in the day. No coffee, no tea no nothing… unless you count sugar and such, THEN I’m running on that. xD And food, of course

    2. Funniest text message… gosh this is hard uhh… hm: “It’s odd if you hear from your friend that their inna tree. It should be odd for you right now”

    3. Nope! I’m all anti drug and alchohol! 😀

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