Heather Mullinix

Published Nov. 23-25, 2005

Caffeine withdrawal can be a real pain

With turkey dinners just around the corner, we'll all be getting a strong dose of tryptophan this week. Many have tried to find an effective way to combat the effects of this snooze-inducing effect of turkey. Some watch hours and hours of football, others try to ward of the droopy eyelids with chocolate desserts. I turn to my faithful standby - caffeine.

I suppose I'm a caffeine addict. I can't face the day without that first can of Diet Dr. Pepper. I can go through a 12 pack in a matter of days, all by myself. I've often felt having to drink my caffeine was a bit inconvenient and wished medical science could just get me an IV drip of the good stuff straight into my blood stream. Sure, it would be tough lugging that IV pole around all day, but I'm sure I'd be able to double the amount of work I get done in eight hours.

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled across a Web page devoted to caffeine that calculates what would be a lethal dose of my daily pick-me-up. The Web site Death by Caffeine at www.energyfiend.com tells me if I were to drink 241.37 cans of Diet Dr. Pepper in a day, it would kill me.

Sure, that's not a realistic amount of carbonated beverage to drink in a single day. On my worst caffeine binge, I've never gone over a 12-pack in 24 hours. That includes many nights in college having to keep myself up to study for that killer final or write that term paper at the last minute. Drinking more than 20 12-packs of Diet Dr. Pepper is insane.

The amount you have to drink varies from beverage to beverage. For example, Snapple Sweet Tea would take 824.69 bottles to kill me, but only 92.06 cups of brewed coffee would have me lying six feet under.

So maybe you don't drink enough caffeine to kill you. But withdrawal can be a real pain.

There have been times I've had to go without. Sometimes I don't pay enough attention when picking up a case of my beverage of choice and accidentally get the caffeine free version. They really should make the packaging more distinct. Who wants caffeine free drinks? I'm sure there are people who can go without caffeine, or have health reasons that make it necessary to avoid caffeinated beverages, but cola doesn't taste particularly good to me. The only reason I drink them is for the jolt of energy.

I've found if I have to go without my morning, mid-morning, afternoon and evening pick-me-up, I get a little cranky, get headaches and sometimes get that shaky feeling. Nothing that makes you feel that bad when you don't get it can be good for you.

A guy up in Pennsylvania found another downside to caffeine withdrawal. According to a story by the Associated Press, Denny Winner drank an average of 10 to 16 cups of coffee each day and smoked two to three packs of cigarettes. But when he had to endure 14 hours of police questioning following the slaying of his estranged wife, he drank only one caffeinated beverage and smoked only one cigarette. He allegedly confessed that he had "accidentally stabbed his estranged wife seven times." A prison psychiatrist testified at a court hearing on his behalf last week, saying the withdrawal from caffeine and nicotine left him in a weakened mental and physical state that affected his ability to understand his rights when he allegedly confessed.

The judge has yet to rule on the case, but it makes you think. Could we someday see a defense attorney arguing that withdrawal from nicotine and caffeine are mitigating factors in a crime? Will it become the next "Twinkie Defense"?

· · ·
Heather Mullinix is the assistant editor of the Crossville Chronicle. Her column is published periodically. She may be reached at reportnews@crossville-chronicle.com.