# How much coffee could you drink before dying? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-coffee-could-you-drink-before-dying/220786 "2003-12-24T04:25:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NotSuitableforChildren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac8455/32.png) [@NotSuitableforChildren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotSuitableforChildren)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-coffee-could-you-drink-before-dying/220786/1 "2003-12-24T04:25:31Z")
I was watching an episode of the cartoon “Futurama”, where main character Fry goes out on a quest to drink 100 cups of coffee. Which leads to my question. How many cups of coffee could one drink before dying? What would happen to the body as it started to overload on caffeine? ---
**Author:** ![NotSuitableforChildren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac8455/32.png) [@NotSuitableforChildren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotSuitableforChildren)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-coffee-could-you-drink-before-dying/220786/2 "2003-12-24T04:55:44Z")
Bump. ---
**Author:** ![sundog66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@sundog66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sundog66)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-coffee-could-you-drink-before-dying/220786/3 "2003-12-24T05:04:22Z")
From [http://www.healthscout.com/ency/43/665/main.html:](http://www.healthscout.com/ency/43/665/main.html:) > [@](#): > > Caffeine can also be fatal to those who overdose to the extreme. Medical literature contains several reports of people who died after submitting to unorthodox practices such as caffeine injections or coffee enemas. However, the lethal caffeine level is very high – more than 10 grams, or the equivalent of 80 to 100 cups of coffee at one sitting. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-coffee-could-you-drink-before-dying/220786/4 "2003-12-24T05:50:12Z")
The Surinamese runner at the recent Pan Am Games probably had more than 100 cups worth in her when she won (since revoked) the gold in the 800m. From this [USA Today](http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/summer/track/2003-08-10-panam-drugs_x.htm) story: > [@](#): > > Surinam’s only Pan Ams medalist, 800-meter champion Letitia Vriesde, was stripped of her gold after testing positive for excessive caffeine. > > Vriesde, the defending champion who also ran at the 2000 Olympics, was her country’s first Pan Ams champion when she won at Winnipeg. She also has won silver and bronze medals at the world championships. > > Pan American Sports Organization president Mario Vasquez Rana said the amount of caffeine in her system was equivalent to “five gallons of coffee,” and that Vriesde admitted her guilt. Granted, five gallons is probably hyperbole, but I recall hearing it was an equivilent of around 150 cups of coffee. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-coffee-could-you-drink-before-dying/220786/5 "2003-12-24T06:29:13Z")
You could take caffiene pills in huge quantity and overdose, I guess, possibly by convulsions or cardiac arrest. Trying to get an overdose by drinking coffee, though… long before the caffiene would get you, you’d urinate excessively or possibly vomit. It’d be easier to overdose on milk. ---
**Author:** ![autobulb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@autobulb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/autobulb)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-coffee-could-you-drink-before-dying/220786/6 "2003-12-24T08:13:19Z")
Overdose on milk? Wouldn’t you just vomit it all back up? I remember a fun bet to try with some dope was see if they can drink a gallon of whole milk in 1 hour or less and not vomit. It’s impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Achilles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dc4da7/32.png) [@Achilles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achilles)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-coffee-could-you-drink-before-dying/220786/7 "2003-12-24T08:50:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by sundog66 \* > **…or coffee enemas** Good god. I hope I never meet this guy at breakfast. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2003, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-coffee-could-you-drink-before-dying/220786/8 "2003-12-24T08:56:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by autobulb \* > \*\*Overdose on milk? Wouldn’t you just vomit it all back up? > > I remember a fun bet to try with some dope was see if they can drink a gallon of whole milk in 1 hour or less and not vomit. It’s impossible. \*\* No it isn’t impossible. It isn’t very common but it can be done. We’ve had several threads about this in the past. Do a search and you’ll read about many failed attempts, a few succesful attempts and many theories on why it is so hard to do.