People withdrawing could experience flu-like symptoms

For some, it may be the best part about waking up, but weaning oneself off coffee is not such an easy task.

In fact, it could make you sick.

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Those who rely on their daily dose of coffee, tea or soft drink to make it through, take heed. A study performed by the Nobel Prize-winning John Hopkins Medicine Organization has stirred personnel to recognize caffeine withdrawal as a mental disorder, and even those who have as little as one cup a day could be susceptible to symptoms.

Roland Griffiths, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins, said the latest research by the organization demonstrates that when heavy caffeine users are deprived of their usual pick-me-up, they could have withdrawal symptoms, some of them flu-like, such as nausea and muscle pain.

Other side effects included headache, fatigue and difficulty concentrating.

Based upon more than 170 years of research, the study, published in the October 2004 issue of “Psychopharmacology,” which is available online, reported that the onset of symptoms occurred in as little as 12 to 24 hours after ceasing caffeine use.

Found in more than 200 foods, drinks and over-the-counter medicines, caffeine is considered the world’s most consistently used stimulant. According to the John Hopkins Medicine Organization, 80 percent to 90 percent of people living in North America report regular use of caffeine. The average daily intake in the United States stands at about 280 milligrams, equal to one or two cups of coffee or three to five bottles of soft drink.

Ken Culton, coordinator and clinical counselor of alcohol and other drug programs for the Wellness Center, said the commonplace drug stimulates the central nervous system and elevates mood.

“Caffeine is physically addictive,” Culton said. “Heavy drinkers can experience withdrawal if they try to quit cold turkey.”

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But not all researchers agree with the Culton and John Hopkins Medicine Organization. The American Psychiatric Association has yet to consider caffeine withdrawal as a bona fide mental disorder, but many in the medical field are pushing the organization to add caffeine addiction to its next edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.