October 25, 2008
Caffeine and ADHD
When it comes to ADHD, many parents don’t want to medicate so they will try almost any thing as an alternative. Not knowing the full effects, caffeine is not always the best alternative to choose. Most don’t know the about the effects and withdraws caffeine has. In a study conducted by researcher Roland Griffiths, PhD, professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine the phenomenon of caffeine withdrawal is real and when people don't get their usual dose, they can suffer from a range of withdrawal symptoms. Those symptoms include a headache that can be moderate to severe and that lasts up to 14 days, (the most common symptom) which affects at least of 50% of people; fatigue or drowsiness; "unhappy" mood, depression, or irritability; difficulty concentrating; and/or flu-like symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, and stiffness. Dr. Griffiths says the onset of these symptoms start within 12 to 24 hours of after stopping caffeine usage. Approximately one in eight people find the with drawls be so severe that they even interfere with their ability to function and do their daily tasks.
Dr. Johns Hopkins' Griffiths has reviewed numerous studies that showed caffeine can generate many features of addiction in the manner of classic drugs of abuse, but at milder levels.
Large amounts of caffeine consumptions can provoke heart attacks and is associated with hand tremors. APA Div. 43 (Family) President Terence Patterson, University of San Francisco says caffeine can stimulate immature neurological systems beyond children's capability to tolerate it, which can have serious effects. Excessive caffeine use damages the attention capacity that children need to collaborate while interacting with family, while playing and in school environments. Terence Patterson says, “Children who haphazardly consume caffeine are at risk for going through alternating cycles of withdrawal and stimulation.”
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