MEG (Military Energy Gum) - Arctic Mint | Enhance Your Physical Performance with 100mg of Caffeine Per Piece, Ultimate Energy Boost for Workouts, Alternative to Energy Drinks | Pack of 24

At 51 years old. I have suffered for years with Sleep Apnea and "Excessive Daytime Sleepiness" I know it sounds like I made that up. When I was diagnosed with Excessive Daytime Sleepiness I told the doctor he made it up. Google it.I take medication to counteract the Excessive Daytime Sleepiness but sometimes it just does not work. I will fall asleep in meetings or even while talking to someone in my office or on the phone. This gum has changed my life. When I notice the first signs of sleepiness I chew one piece and within a few minutes I am wide awake.I saw a report on 60 minutes, I told you I was old, about how 5 Hour Energy says it has the caffeine of one cup of premium coffee. Well it does, along with the caffeine of other cups of coffee. And all the other stuff 5 Hour Energy has in it that it says help you stay awake do not do much at all. It is all the caffeine. Here is the link to the story.[...]The story says that all the energy in 5 Hour Energy comes from the caffeine. Vitamins and supplements do not give you energy. Well I felt like an idiot, I have been buying 5 hour energy from Amazon for a while and I must admit, even with the discount from buying in large volume the cost was still high, and it was not a perfect solution. I would sometimes have to take more than one in a 5 hour period.Well after seeing the 60 minutes story I used Google and found several studies performed for the Military that stated that the absorption of caffeine via the mouth is much faster than through the stomach or intestines. Makes sense to me, that is why cocaine users snort or dip the stuff instead of eating it. Anyway, long story short, I bought this product and it has saved my job and my life. Now if i feel tired I just pop one in my mouth and within minutes I am wide awake. The packaging is not going to win any awards for marketing but it does as advertised. I see a lot of competing products available in stores, Jolt! for instance, but I never even tried it. This one works and it is used by the military. Check out [...] and you will see links to all the studies, the story about how long it took to develop, and the order instructions for quartermasters.I was intrigued enough to try it from the web site but after using it I can tell you this stuff is the real deal. The other big plus is the cost. 5 pieces per pack, 24 packs per box, $28 per box = just under a quarter ($0.25) per piece. That is a lot easier on the pocket than $2.00 per bottle for 5 hour energy. I can carry a packet in my pocket, keep a pack at my desk, one in my lunch box, one in my car, where ever I might need a piece. Much more convenient than when I was using 5 hour energy.Finally, I have only tried the Arctic Mint flavor and it is not too bad. I do not notice the bad caffeine taste so many other reviewers are talking about but that is just me. In the end, regardless of the taste, it works when I need it to and it is easy to carry. By this point, if you are not convinced then you never will be.'Nuff said!**UPDATE** Amazon will not allow me to enter the links to the CBS 60 Minutes story on 5-Hour Energy or the link to the official Stay Alert Gum web site but just Google "60 Minutes 5 hour energy" and/or "Stay Awake Gum" and in each case the web sites one of the top links. **UPDATE****UPDATE 2** **September 26, 2013**Well it has been two years and I am still using this stuff. The name was changed recently to "Military Energy Gum" but it is still the same product. I have tired all three flavors and rank them in this order.Best Flavor - SpearmintSecond Best - Artic MintWorst (by an long shot) - CinnamonOf course those are just my opinion, the two mint flavors have the least bitterness, the Cinnamon has the most intense bitter taste to me but you may be different.

I work full time. I go to grad school full time. I like caffeine.This is caffeine. All the pros and cons of caffeine obviously apply to this gum. There are some additional pluses and minuses in this form, though.(+) This seems to work faster than other forms of caffeine, probably because it begins to absorb through the mouth instead of waiting for it to get to the digestive tract.(+) Simply the act of chewing any gum seems to help me stay alert and focus. Yes, this could be achieved by consuming another form of caffeine and having non-caffeinated gum... but I like the efficiency of this approach.(-) Unfortunately, using this too often (~5+ pieces per day for a few days) seems to make my mouth slightly tender. I try to mitigate this slightly by drinking a lot of water with it, but sometimes I have to switch to other forms of caffeine to give my mouth a break.I've given pieces to coworkers and classmates, and they all agree that it really works.Most people dislike the taste, but no one has hated it enough to spit it out right away. I actually like the flavor of the arctic mint and the spearmint is okay. The cinnamon flavor is STRONG, but most brands of cinnamon gum are strong, so you might like it if you like that sort of flavor.If you've tried this back when the gum was circular, note that the recipe was improved when they switched to a more rectangular geometry. The gum is now softer and seems to stay fresh longer.Some hints for improving the boost you get from this:- Take a vitamin B complex with it, and you'll essentially have a cheap form of "5-Hour Energy." (Yes, I know that 5-Hour Energy has other ingredients, too... but most of the effect is simply due to the vitamin B with the caffeine.)- Drink lots of water while chewing this gum, since lack of hydration can cause fatigue. This is especially important since caffeine negatively affects the body's hydration, and the gum (unlike soda or coffee) doesn't contain water.- Chew half a piece at a time (50 mg), twice as often. This helps even out the energy. For some people, a half piece might be all you need. A half piece provides a little more than a soda worth of caffeine.- To prevent my body from becoming totally dependent on caffeine, I avoid caffeine on the weekends. I also go off of caffeine completely for a week every couple of months. This helps the caffeine work better when I really need it.

Gum quality:this gum works great, caffeine in sodas makes me queasy and jittery, this has all of the positive effects with none of the negative. I love it very much!