Student Corner - Original Article ABSTRACT Objectives: To assess trend of consumption and withdrawal effects from caffeine containing products among medical undergraduate students of Karachi. Study design and setting: Cross-sectional study conducted via web-based questionnaire, from January 2020 to June 2021. Methodology: Undergraduate medical, MBBS students aged 18-24 years, studying in 6 different medical universities of Karachi were included in the study. An online survey was conducted. An online questionnaire was designed which consisted of 28 self-made questions that focused on collecting basic sociodemographic information, coffee consumption habits, and any adverse event associated with caffeine intake. The questionnaire was posted online and undergraduate medical students were invited to participate in the study. Results: One hundred and fifty seven students participated in the study. Out of 157 students 94% admitted to consuming some form of caffeine containing product (CCP), with 42.3% (n = 66) of the total believing that they were addicted to caffeine. A significant number also believed that CCPs helped students deal with their problems. Withdrawal symptoms include migraines, sleep disturbances, and loss of focus, leading to an inability to perform daily tasks. A positive correlation was also found between the daily intake of any CCP and incidence of withdrawal symptoms (p=0.01). Conclusion: Many students in medical universities of Karachi are moving towards caffeine dependence, due to daily consumption over a prolonged period of time. Promoting responsible consumption habits and spreading awareness over potential adverse effects of CCPs, especially amongst a younger audience could improve the health and lifestyles of students in the long-term. Keywords: Addiction, Caffeine, Substance Abuse, Withdrawal How to cite this Article: Musharraf FF, Siddiqui AA, Ali MM, Durrani SF, Abid F, Qureshi A. Assessment of Trends of Consumption of Caffeine Containing Products and Their Effects on Medical Undergraduate Students. J Bahria Uni Med Dental Coll. 2023;13(1):56-60 DOI: ht- tps://doi.org/10.51985/JBUMDC202293 Open Access This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial License (http:// creativecommons/org/licences/by-nc/4.0) which permits unrestricted non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Page-56 Fatima Fakhir Musharraf 5 th Year, Medical Student Sind Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University Email: fatimafakhir7ff@gmail.com Asad Ali Siddiqui 3 rd Year, Medical Student Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences Email: asad16377@gmail.com Muhammad Mustafa Ali 5 th Year, Medical Student Dow Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences Email: mus890@hotmail.com Shazia Fakhir Durrani Student MHPE, Agha Khan University Email: shaziafakhir@hotmail.com Fatima Abid Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology Sind Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University Email: drfatimaabid@gmail.com Aijaz Qureshi Professor, Department of Physiology Sind Medical College, Jinnah Sindh Medical University Email: azain1@yahoo.com Received: 19-Jun-2022 Accepted: 19-Dec-2022 INTRODUCTION: Caffeine is a widely consumed substance and is ingested in various forms by all age groups. 1 Tea is one forms of caffeine consumed especially in Pakistan, India, China and Britain. It has multiple effects on health, some being controversial such as reduced BMD (bone mineral density). Daily caffeine intake has shown to have some correlation with increased body mass index. 1, 2 It has been seen that the blood chemistry has altered concentrations of AST, ALT, and plasma creatinine in those drinking caffeine. 3 A growing number of clinical studies express that caffeine users develop addiction to the substance and are incapable of reducing their intake despite knowledge of repeated health problems associated with continued use. The World Health Organization (WHO) along with health care professionals identifies caffeine dependence as a disorder. 4 Consequently, with work and productivity there also seems to be an effect on academic performance. Many students use caffeine as a stimulant to increase productivity and work however data would suggest the end result to be the opposite. A previous research study found that excess energy drink drinking is connected to lower academic scores such as grade point averages (GPAs). 5 Assessment of Trends of Consumption of Caffeine Containing Products and their Effects on Medical Undergraduate Students Fatima Fakhir Musharraf, Asad Ali Siddiqui, Muhammad Mustafa Ali, Shazia Fakhir Durrani, Fatima Abid, Aijaz Qureshi JBUMDC 2023;13(1):56-60