system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Does caffeine actually increase the production of dopamine, or does it just enhance the dopamine already in your system?

I was casually drinking my coffee and wondering what this is actually doing to my brain and why I feel so great when I drink it. Sure enough, it's partially because of dopamine. Here's why I am confused, though. Does the brain start producing more dopamine, or does it just take longer for it to be reabsorbed, or both? A lot of articles I read mention how it lets the dopamine "do it's thing more freely", but I'm not sure if that means ramp up production, or just act differently than before.
gpt
Caffeine doesn’t interact with dopamine production directly, that’s just your brain telling you that it enjoys the coffee. Caffeine works by blocking certain receptors in your brain that tell your body to become tired.

When your cells need energy, they break down ATP molecules, which release energy and a few byproducts, including Adenosine. Over time Adenosine builds up and binds to its specific receptor telling the body to become tired. It gets cleared away, but this is usually slower than it’s created. As it accumulates you feel more and more tired, but when you sleep the enzyme that clears it out can catch up. Caffeine binds to the same receptor as Adenosine, but it doesn’t activate it, so you don’t feel sleepy. It also makes it easier for the enzyme to clear out the Adenosine.

So, caffeine doesn’t perk you up, it just makes you feel less tired.