Background: years ago, I purchased a home from an ex-merchant mariner. In the cellar, I found an issue first aid kit, presumably dating to 40’s or 50’s. It was one of those charming, obsessive-compulsive items with each module of the kit contained in a 14small cardboard box with instructions on the outside. Merthiloate, tourniquet, triangular bandage .Each box was identical in size, and the container itself was fairly heavy steel with a rubber gasket and 4 locking clamps. A hell of a FAK, in all. The only empty box was the one that had contained the amphetamine sulfate tablets. This was the traditional military stay-awake tablet, until provigil came along and kept folks awake without annoying side effects like paranoia and hallucinations, which might be problematic when the folks experiencing them have cannons and shaped charges at their disposal. Apparently the kit designers were worried that the seamen might sleep through the crisis. Question: Do you include in your kit any kind of stimulant drug, like caffeine or amphetamines, other than that contained in coffee, chocolate, or caffeine-enhanced snickers bars (available, god help us, at Costco)?

Sorry, just coffee, (dark) chocolate, & Snickers/Baby Ruth addict here. If that doesn't keep me awake, then it's past time for me to have found/made a burrow and stretch out.

I'm not in it for the love of God and Country anymore.

TEA is my addiction. But I agree, with the dark choc. too. But no I don't personally ever rely on anytype of stimulant, simply due to the crash and burn effects later.

I pack No Doz or similar in my BOB's FAK's. I'm considering Jelly Belly Brand Extreme Sport Beans. Gotta compare the shelf life of the two. I like longer shelf lives for consumables. Less maintenance. Now that I think about it, the jelly beans may not hold up in the high heat of a trunk.

in 98.6degrees, the art of keeping your @$$ alive, the author recomends a mixture of pills that he calls Uncle peppys power stack

basicly what it does is keep you awake and up when your about to die but still need to keep moving... he warns about using it casually however

but here is the recipie

two sudafed (a nasal decongestent)
one vivarian (caffiene pill)

for smaller people and females

two sudefed
1/2 of a vivarian tablet

*I have never tried this!!! I in no way advocate the abuse of any drug. Consider the preceeding information, if you choose to use it, as it is intended, as one more tool to keep you alive*

for more info on this just read the book,

98.6 degrees the art of keeping you @$$ alive by Cody Lundin

(I am in no way affiliated with the author or the publisher of this book)

WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME ABOUT THESE?!!

I always keep a package of caffeinated gum with me, especially if I'm on the road. I sense this is about to change...

-Blast

I don't know about the caffeine other than what's in the chocolate but the sugar and nuts give you a boost.

Remember that the caffeine in coffee is only useful as long as you're putting energy into your body as well.

Blast, i thought your life was so exciting that you did not need caffeine!

working in a rural er, we had 3 LEO's in 3 hours in with dog bites. turned out that the local cow college had a K9 certifier, and these guys were doing he practical part of the exam, trading off being the bad guy subdued by the dogs. I asked about the big brown protective suits for dog training. response: we can't get the real bad guys to wear the big brown suits, so we train the dogs on volunteers in jeans and shirts with soccer pads under the clothingdog sometimes don't bite where the pads are. so one of the leos wised me up to Water Joe, a still caffeinated water product. He said they made their coffee with it, and it made their teeth vibrate.

Tea has been proven to release caffeine into your system more slowly than coffee. I tested the claim out of pure need when I was a college student trying to work on 2 hours of sleep a night and tea was the best. Coffee wore out too quickly and Cola (even stuff like Jolt) just put me to sleep after a few hours...not good when that time line leaves you asleep in Calculus class. Even drinking lots of water was better than Coke...especially in the mornings.

What first aid purpose is served by a stay-awake stimulus? Dosage, etc.?

I can see a use for such in a BOB / PSK; but not for EDC unless your job is somehow consciousness-challenging.

In the interests of full disclosure my current stimulants of choice are Diet Pepsi and regular tea. Fear has worked well a few times, also.