eli5: How is caffeine pretty much harmless in moderation when other stimulants like cocaine and amphetamines so hard on the body and brain?
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Caffeine works different from say cocaine. Caffeine molecule binds to the Adenosine receptor and prevents adenosine from attaching. Adenosine makes you feel sleepy and tired. The end result is that adenosine is prevented from signaling that we need to rest, making you feel fine and awake. But you will not feel euphoria.
Cocaine acts by binding to the dopamine transporter, blocking the removal of dopamine from the synapse. Dopamine then accumulates in the synapse to produce an amplified signal to the receiving neurons. This is what causes the euphoria commonly experienced immediately after taking the drug.
An analogy, would be a car’s idling/rpm system.
Blocking the Adenosine reuptake will keep the car from idling too low and dying on you.
Blocking the dopamine reuptake will over rev the car to the red area on the RPM gauge. Thus, the euphoria.
The reason one is somewhat harmless, and the other is dangerous, is because the neurotransmitters blocked from reuptake are different. The build up of Adenosine is not a big deal, but the build up of dopamine is.
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