#science
2 posts tagged with “science”
A throwaway question — will switching from coffee to its metabolite paraxanthine cause a withdrawal headache? — turned into a first-principles model of adenosine blockade, built up from caffeine's metabolism one molecule at a time. This piece follows that model to a designed paraxanthine dosing regimen: one that matches caffeine's daytime alertness and then deliberately clears the night. Half-life turns out to be the wrong lever, equal milligrams turn out to be the wrong dose, and the interesting engineering is all in the trade-off between holding the day and clearing the night.
Why the metabolite you've never heard of is pharmacologically superior—especially after noon.