Caffeine Dependency

Caffeine Dependency

There's more brewing in that Mr. coffee machine than Colombian supreme beans. Seems you can't read the morning paper in peace while enjoying the old morning cup of joe without running across some controversy about caffeine.

But despite headlines alleging that caffeine raises cholesterol, impairs fertility or causes some other dire problem, caffeine continues to be the world's most widely used beverage-and drug. With good reason: Caffeine almost instantly makes you feel alert and helps you think more clearly by triggering a release of adrenaline.

As with any other drug, failing to get that regular dose can lead to discomfort. Caffeine withdrawal is very common, but most people don't recognize it when it's happening to them. "Most people who are heavy caffeine drinkers will experience some withdrawal symptoms if they try to go cold turkey," says Roland Griffiths, M.D., professor of biological and behavioral psychiatry and professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore and a caffeine researcher. "The most common are headache and lethargy or fatigue, but some people report nausea and vomiting, depression and even flulike symptoms." Symptoms usually last a week, peaking on the first or second day you go without caffeine. If you want to quit the caffeine habit, here's how to make the going easier.

Don't go cold turkey. Even "light" coffee drinkers can have withdrawal symptoms. "Its best if you gradually give up caffeine over the course of several weeks, rather than giving it up abruptly," says John Hughes, M.D., director of the Human Behavior Pharmacology Laboratory at the University of Vermont in Burlington. "I recommend a 10 to 30 percent reduction every few days. So if you drink 3 cups of coffee a day, drink 2 or 2 1/2 for three or four days, then decrease by another 1/2 cup a few days later and so forth. Give yourself plenty of time."

Drink more decaf. "Simply switching to decaf, as some people do, isn't the answer, because even though you're still drinking coffee, it's caffeine withdrawal that causes the problems," advises Dr. Griffiths. "But it is a good idea to begin substituting more decaf for some of that caffeinated coffee you usually drink.

"For instance, if you drink six cups of coffee a day, it's a good idea to make every other cup decaffeinated. Then the following week, have two cups of caffeinated and four cups of decaf Then one cup of caffeinated and five cups of decaf, until you eventually wean yourself off caffeine."

Give up the drug, not the ritual. Just because you're giving up coffee doesn't mean you have to give up the coffee break. "You will probably be more aware of your withdrawal symptoms if you completely forgo your regular coffee break when you're trying to give up coffee," says Manfred Kroger, Ph.D., professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. "Our bodies and psyches seem to value these rituals in which we consume caffeine--whether it's reading the morning newspaper at home or taking a break at work. So I advise that you continue these routines, but substitute decaffeinated coffee or juice for the caffeinated coffee, tea or cola you're trying to quit."

Be wary of pain relievers. Don't blindly reach for a headache remedy when caffeine withdrawal gives you a headache. "Products such as Excedrin and Anacin are loaded with caffeine--containing from 100 to 150 milligrams per dose," says Dr. Hughes. (By comparison, a cup of coffee averages about 85 milligrams.) There are several pain-relief products available in drugstores that are caffeine-free, however. Read labels carefully.

Shun the sources of "hidden caffeine." Besides pain relievers, other sources of caffeine include some soft drinks like Mountain Dew and colas, which contain anywhere from 33 to 67 milligrams per can; chocolate, which has about 15 milligrams per ounce; nonherbal teas, with nearly 50 milligrams per cup; and weight-control and "no doze" products that contain upward of 200 milligrams per tablet. Even cold remedies and decongestants have a small amount of caffeine, says Dr. Hughes.