http://CaffeineWeb.com Sun, 01 Oct 2006 17:31:29 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en "Caffeine-induced psychosis, whether it be delirium, manic depression, schizophrenia, or merely an anxiety syndrome, in most cases will be hard to differentiate from organic or non-organic psychoses.... The treatment for caffeine-induced psychosis is to withhold further caffeine." Clinical Management of Poisoning and Drug Overdose, 3rd ed., 1998 Link Michael W. Shannon, MD, MPH, ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=80 "Too often, patients presenting with complaints of some form of anxiety do not have a careful caffeine history taken. Caffeinated beverages, particularly strong ones, have become immensely popular in social situations and need to be asked about. Television shows popularize sitting in coffeehouses for long periods of time drinking coffee. ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=72 "Thousands are in mental institutions today because of no greater matter than that of the use of caffeine. Psychiatrists are now publishing articles indicating that there are numerous cases of depression and anxiety in mental institutions who need no other treatment than to be taken off caffeine. It would seem ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=71 "Although infrequently diagnosed, caffeinism is thought to afflict as many as one person in ten of the population." JE James and KP Stirling, "Caffeine: A Summary of Some of the Known and Suspected Deleterious Habits of Habitual Use," British Journal of Addiction, 1983;78:251-58. Link http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=64 "[When caffeine is taken in excess], anxiety-related symptoms become increasingly apparent. A case of caffeinism, which presented as a paranoid delusion, is reported as an extreme example of this. A study of 60 hospital inpatients revealed that about 40% of them consumed sufficient caffeine to produce symptoms of caffeinism. It ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=60 "The potential for caffeine intoxication to cause clinically significant distress is reflected by the inclusion of caffeine intoxication as a diagnosis in DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition)(American Psychiatric Association, 1994) and in ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Edition)(World Health ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=59 "Coffee excesses can elicit symptoms of violent behavior in some persons; but what a feeling of relief to both physician and patient to see the symptoms completely disappear on the physician's order to stop drinking coffee...." "The symptoms vary with acquired or inborn tolerance, but in general the patients may complain ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=58 "The 4 caffeine-induced psychiatric disorders include caffeine intoxication, caffeine-induced anxiety disorder, caffeine-induced sleep disorder, and caffeine-related disorder not otherwise specified (NOS)." Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) Link http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=57 "In over a decade of practice as a clinical nutritionist, I have seen firsthand, with thousands of clients, that caffeine is a health hazard. Anxiety, muscle aches, PMS, headaches....However, if that's all caffeine has done to you, you're lucky. What about people misdiagnosed as neurotic or even psychotic, who spend ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=55 "The existence of a caffeine dependence syndrome, which includes evidence of continued caffeine consumption depite medical or psychological problems from caffeine consumption and unsuccessful efforts to quit caffeine use, provides a further similarity between caffeine and classic drugs of dependence." EC Strain, GK Mumford, K Silverman et al., "Caffeine Dependence Syndrome: ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=26 "Psychosis can be induced in normal individuals ingesting caffeine at toxic doses, and psychotic symptoms can also be worsened in schizophrenic patients using caffeine....Prevention of caffeine-induced psychiatric symptoms is possible by recognizing, educating, and treating patients using a tapering approach." Broderick P, Benjamin AB, Caffeine and psychiatric symptoms: A Review; J ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=34 "An allergic reaction to caffeine manifests as anaphylaxis. During a state of caffeine anaphylaxis, the body enters the fight or flight mode, which may be mistaken as hyperactivity, anxiety, or panic disorder. Caffeine anaphylaxis causes cerebral vasculitis, leads to the breakdown of the blood brain barrier, and generates toxic dementia." "Symptoms ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=23 While the FDA labels caffeine as GRAS ("Generally Regarded As Safe"), chemical manufacturers are required by law to label caffeine "potentially fatal if inhaled, swallowed or absorbed through the skin" when handling and transporting it. Following is an excerpt from one Material Data Safety Sheet, courtesy of the University of California: CAFFEINE: TOXIC.   ACUTE ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=22 "There is no doubt that the excitation of the central nervous system produced by large amounts of caffeine is followed by depression." J. Murdoch Ritchie, Professor Emeritus, Department of Pharmacology, Yale University School of Medicine, in The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, Goodman and Gilman eds.   http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=21 "If a person were injected with 500 milligrams of caffeine [less than the dosage recently discovered in some 16-ounce Starbucks brews], within about an hour he or she would exhibit symptoms of severe mental illness, among them hallucinations, paranoia, panic, mania, and depression. But the same amount of caffeine administered ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=20 "Diagnosis of any caffeine-related disorder begins with clinical awareness. Beverage caffeine is such a common component of social activity that its consideration as a psychostimulant often is neglected." "Too many clinical histories fail to record caffeine use. A complete caffeine history includes doses associated with beverages and medications....The observable signs associated ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=19 "Recently published studies and reports of personal observations have shown without doubt that caffeine abuse (caffeinism) may result in a syndrome which resembles and may be confused or confounded with true psychotic states. This may lead to misdiagnosis and mistreatment. A question arises from the varied reports of caffeine consumption ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=18 Psychiatrists' initial verdict on one caffeine-poisoned patient, in a case cited by Dr. Edward M. Brecher in the landmark "Consumers Union Report on Licit and Illicit Drugs": "Hysteria without question. When she failed to improve and remained wildly manic for several days, she was transferred to a psychiatric hospital, where she ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=17 "A longitudinal case report shows a sudden remission of the severe course of a seasonal bipolar disorder after 10 years of psychopharmacological treatments. The discontinuation of heavy caffeine intake appears to have contributed to the outcome." Abstract of: L Tondo and N Rudas, "The course of a seasonal bipolar disorder influenced ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=16 In 1995, NASA's Dr. David Noever and his fellow researchers at the Marshall Space Flight Center studied the webs spun by common house spiders (Araneus diadematus) dosed with several drugs, including LSD, marijuana, benzedrine, chloral hydrate and caffeine. The more toxic the drug, the less organized the web the spider ... http://CaffeineWeb.com/?p=15