Stay-awake pills

UK Army Tested Stay Awake Pills BBC News, October 26, 2006. 

Stay-awake pills Generally contain concentrated amounts of caffeine, a powerful and addictive stimulant. 

Besides coffee and cola drinks, other sources of caffeine are tea, chocolate, and cocoa. Caffeine is a mild stimulant of the respiratory and central nervous systems, the reason for its well-known side effects of nervousness and insomnia. These characteristics, together with its behavior as a mild diuretic, account for the use of caffeine in a wide variety of products, including pain relievers, cold remedies, diet pills, and stay-awake pills (No-Doz ). Because caffeine is considered to be a drug, pregnant women should be prudent about how much caffeine they consume. Like most other drugs, caffeine enters the bloodstream, crosses the placental barrier, and reaches the fetus. 

Amphetamines were once available in over-the-counter preparations used to stay awake. Now, the only approved ingredient for stay-awake pills is caffeine. Amphetamines have become controlled substances because of their great potential for abuse. The only generally accepted medical use of amphetamines is to treat narcolepsy, a condition of uncontrollable attacks of sleep. 

Drugs that alter sleep produce their effects on the brain by altering the actions of neurotransmitters and consequently how neurons communicate with each other. However, different drugs can alter the actions of neurotransmitters in different ways. Stimulants such as amphetamine cause neurons to release excess amounts of neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin. Other drugs, such as the prescription sleeping pills Halcion or Ambien or antihistamines, can interact directly with the neurons receptors to either enhance or block the effects of the neurotransmitters. In later chapters, we will discuss how drugs that help you sleep or stay awake alter the chemistry of the brain. 

During the 1970s, amphetamines accounted for 8% of prescriptions in the United States. In addition to dieters, other amphetamine users included long-distance truck drivers and college students. Both groups took the pills to stay awake. 

German and Japanese forces in World War II they were used by watch-keepers on ships to stay alert, and bomber crews used amphetamines to maintain alertness on long night raids. In 1950s America, long-distance truck drivers used amphetamines to help them stay awake, and students knew that amphetamine pep pills helped them stay alert when revising, and helped... 

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