Neuroscience Professor Warns: The Hidden Dangers of Caffeine and Drug Interactions

A neuroscience professor, Dr. Tasha Swalve, has issued a stark warning about the under-researched and potentially fatal interactions between common substances like caffeine and various drugs, including illicit substances such as MDMA ("molly") and cocaine, as well as prescribed ADHD medications. In a recent video, Dr. Swalve, a drug researcher, expressed her deepest concern not about what is known, but about the vast unknowns in human drug interactions. "What scares me the most is just how little we actually know about a lot of different things," Dr. Swalve stated. She highlighted that while caffeine is often not perceived as a drug, it significantly increases the toxicity of substances like cocaine and potentially ADHD medications. More alarmingly, animal and cell studies indicate that caffeine exacerbates the hyperthermic and neurotoxic effects of MDMA, leading to increased heart problems and the potential for greater serotonin neuron damage in the brain. Serotonin is crucial for mood, hunger, and sleep. Dr. Swalve emphasized a critical gap in current research: "None of these studies have actually been translated into humans... We either can't or won't do this research in humans." She cited difficulties in obtaining illicit drugs for scientific study and the pervasive stigma against drug use as contributing factors. The professor urged the public to consider all substances, including caffeine, as drugs and to be aware of potential interactions, even at very low doses, equivalent to a chocolate bar or a third of a soda. "I can't guarantee that your anxiety drugs combined with a little bit of molly, combined with that bump of blow, combined with the magnesium supplement that you're taking, I can't guarantee that any of those together are safe," she cautioned. Her message is a call for greater awareness and a re-evaluation of how individuals perceive and combine substances in their daily lives.

New York Post

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Caffeine has been shown to increase the toxicity of a popular club drug.