Caffeine Addiction
Many people feel that they need a cup of coffee in the morning to wake up and start the day. But what they may not know is that they could be feeding a problematic addiction. Some heavy caffeine users become irritable, get headaches, or feel lethargic when they haven’t had enough caffeine, and many researchers believe that these effects of caffeine withdrawal should be classified as a psychological disorder.
Roland Griffiths, a professor of behavioral biology and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, hopes that caffeine withdrawal will be included in the next edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). He is a principal author of a comprehensive caffeine withdrawal study, and he also believes that the diagnosis criteria for caffeine withdrawal should be updated in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, a medical manual used by the World Health Organization.
Griffiths’ conclusions are based on a review of more than 170 years’ worth of scientific research and published medical observations on the physiological effects of caffeine and its withdrawal symptoms. He said he took on the research project because doctors and other health professionals have had “no scientifically based framework for diagnosing the syndrome.”
The studies demonstrated that people who drink as little as 100 milligrams of caffeine per day (the amount in a half a cup of coffee) can acquire a physical dependence that can trigger withdrawal symptoms. “Although most regular caffeine users know that caffeine is a mild stimulant, many are not aware that abrupt cessation can sometimes produce unpleasant withdrawal symptoms,” Griffiths said.
The most common withdrawal symptoms include headache; fatigue or drowsiness; depression or irritability; difficulty concentrating; and flulike symptoms including nausea, muscle pain, and stiffness.
The studies consistently indicated that at least half of regular caffeine drinkers would experience withdrawal symptoms if they abstained, according to Griffiths. In addition, the research showed that symptoms could flare up regardless of what type of caffeine product was used.
“With regard to severity, 13 percent of people had clinically significant distress or functional impairment,” Griffiths said. “At its worst, caffeine withdrawal involved missing work, canceling social functions, and going to bed with the belief that they had the flu.”
Research indicated that symptoms occurred within 12 to 24 hours after stopping caffeine intake. Peak unpleasantness occurred within the first two days, but other symptoms could continue for as many as nine days.
Griffiths pointed out that an interesting finding of the research was that regular caffeine drinkers may use caffeine to stave off withdrawal symptoms rather than to enjoy the product.
