Anyone made it through Nsg school WITHOUT caffeine , Adderall, or Red Bull??

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just curious... i think i am one of the few (if not the only) student in my class who isn't dependent on getting their "necessary" coffee to be awake or to help jump start their morning, whether it be class or clinicals. well, i guess since i don't like coffee, that kind of makes a difference too. :rolleyes: and i know many people who rely on pills, coke, red bulls and other "uppers" to keep them focused when it comes to those late study nights... is there anyone like me out there who doesn't use all those chemicals to keep them going and are still doing really well??

I understand what you are saying. But this thread isn't about people legally taking their prescribed medications. I'm referring to people who buy it "under the table" and use/need them to study and cram a lot of information. There are quite a lot. Of people who use them, who don't have ADHD. Same thing with Ritalin.

I guess I don't think that illegal drug use belongs in a thread about folks who use Red Bull. It really trivializes it.

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Me!!!! I survived...have about 6 weeks left! I think it's pretty sad when I hear of people taking pills. There's this one girl I know that drinks this crap in a can, I don't remember the name, but she "NEEDS" it! Heck I don't even take tylenol, lol. We can do it!

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^^ I agree.

The illegal use of substances cannot be compared to RedBull and Starbucks.

I will say this though, no amount of adderall and ritalin, or caffeine and redbull, will take the place of hard work and good study skills.

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I don't drink any coffee, Redbull or any of those energy drinks, and I'm doing just fine in my first semester of my BSN program! My secret is to get at least 6 hours of sleep each night (but preferably 8), and I never pull all-nighters. I didn't stay up all night for any test in my first degree program and I don't plan to for this one either.

Sleep is key! I've become really good at planning my time so I don't have to cram everything at the last minute.

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I don't because I want a good night sleep at the end of the day. I don't drink coffee and I don't really like the taste of redbull but hey! I haven't started clinicals yet. So who knows what I'll end up drinking/shooting up in the near future

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I would also like to say that I am sure there are posters here on AN with learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, etc, who are able to function normally thanks to drugs like adderall and ritalin.

I am sure those who use these drugs illegally are not reaping the benefits they would like.

Sleep is actually a big part of memory consolidation and learning, taking drugs so you do not need sleep is not helping anyone.

A nice Mocha in the morning, well, that is a different story! It helps everyone ;)

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Specializes in Critical Care (ICU/CVICU).

@ CrunchyMama: I don't take Tylenol either!! Lol. I'd rather try and allow my body to fight things naturally, as much as possible.

@ SerenePeach: I'm not a allnighter either, it just awful! (Kudos to you night nurses...I don't know how you all do it!)

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I'm not an all-nighter fan anymore. I used to be when I was in high school and when I was doing pre-reqs. Now that I'm in nursing school though I'm done studying and in bed by 9 or 10 every night. I do have a soda or two every day, but it's not really for the caffeine as much as I'm just a Dr. Pepper addict. :p Haha. I try to drink a bottle of water immediately after I drink a soda to flush it out, and I never drink one past 4pm so that I can sleep later.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

I gave up soda during school. Lost about 10 pounds too once I did that. Now that I have started working, I tend to drink a single soda during the day. I dont drink anything to pick me up. Just getting up and moving around wakes me up.

I tried adderall about 6 years ago and it damn near made my heart explode, or so it felt like. Never again

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Specializes in Emergency Dept. Trauma. Pediatrics.

I don't drink coffee, never liked the taste or anything coffee related and I have tried many things to make it taste better.

I am addicted to pop, Diet Dr. Pepper. It does nothing for me in terms of waking me up and if I stop drinking it I get a severe migraine that sends me to urgent care. I do need to quit again just not wanting the migraine. But it doesn't have an effect on me energy wise.

On long road trips years ago I tried some of those gas station energy pills and they never did anything for me either.

That is about it. I have tried the 5 hr energy drinks when I was on evening shift and probably will again when I start nights soon. I have had maybe 6 of them in the past year.

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I don't need any of that and actually....tea and coffee have 0 effect on me anyways :)

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I have a cookie for you...it's under my latte cup. :D

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