In my last post we discussed how caffeine can cause anxiety and even panic attacks for some people. Maybe you are one of these people for whom caffeine has an adverse effect. Yet when you try to stop drinking coffee or caffeinated soft drinks, you find that you suffer from a host of withdrawal symptoms. In this post we are going to discuss how to slowly decrease your caffeine consumption so that you don’t have to endure too many side effects.
What are some of the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal?
The withdrawal symptoms from ceasing to consume caffeine can be so considerable that some experts would like to see “Caffeine Withdrawal Syndrome” included as a psychiatric label in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms are reported to begin as soon as 6-12 hours after stopping or decreasing consumption. Abstinence from doses as low as 100mg of daily caffeine intake can induce withdrawal symptoms for some but the average daily caffeine intake for most Americans is about 280 mg which is about 2-3 cups of coffee per day. The symptoms of caffeine withdrawal peak in 1-2 days and can persist for a couple of days to more than a week.
These withdrawal symptoms may include:
• Headache is one of the more commonly reported symptoms described by individuals who have abruptly stopped ingesting caffeine products. In a 2004 CBS News Health report, “Caffeine Withdrawal is Real” it was reported that headaches affected at least of 50 percent of people during caffeine withdrawal.
• Fatigue, tiredness, and drowsiness
• Depression and/or Anxiety.
• Irritability and agitation
• Difficulty concentrating or working.
• In some cases individuals who are abstaining from caffeine will experience nausea and/or vomiting and other flu like symptoms such as muscle aches and pains.
In a 2004 study conducted by researcher Roland Griffiths, professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, it was found that 13 percent of people develop significant impairment due to caffeine withdrawal. For some of these people, the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal impeded their ability to leave the house, work, or function. So it seems that quitting caffeine can present some serious side effects for some people.
What is the safest way to decrease or cease caffeine consumption?
• Most experts, such as Johns Hopkins researchers, advise to quit caffeine gradually over time. One way to do this is to reduce drinking your caffeinated beverage by a half to a whole cup a day.
• Cutting back on caffeine by making substitutions is also suggested by some. For example, substituting green tea for one of your cups of coffee may be a healthy alternative. Green tea still contains some caffeine but far less than coffee. Some people also make a substitution by mixing half a cup of decaffeinated coffee with their regular coffee to make “half-caf” coffee in order to cut down on their caffeine consumption.
