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Warning: You may not want your children to read some topics in this section. |
Caffeine
Alcohol
Cigarettes
Strategies for quitting smoking
Caffeine, alcohol, smoking - some self help strategies
Marijuana (cannabis)
Other recreational drugs
Australian Drug and Information Service (ADIS)
Natural therapies
Over-the-counter drugs and remedies
Prescribed medications
Occupational and environmental hazards
Caffeine
How much caffeine?
Caffeine and:
Pre-conception
Pregnancy
Breastfeeding
When you mention the word 'caffeine', most people immediately think of coffee. However, it is not as well known that caffeine is present in chocolate, cocoa, cola, energy drinks, many teas as well as various over-the-counter medications including some cold and allergy tablets,
diuretics, medicines for headaches, stimulants aimed at helping you stay awake, and some weight loss medications and herbal remedies.
Caffeine is a mild stimulant, affecting your brain and nervous system. It usually makes a person feel more alert and perhaps a little warmer. Caffeine can stimulate your bowels and make you pass more urine. Caffeine can also interfere with your body's ability to absorb
iron from other foods that you eat. The chemical name for caffeine is 'methylated xanthine'.
Caffeine absorption into the body is also inhibited by nicotine. Therefore people who smoke normally need to drink twice as much caffeine to feel the same effects (when compared to people who do not smoke). When a person stops smoking, but does not cut back on their caffeine intake, the effects of caffeine on their body double.
If you have excessive amounts of caffeine (or have a low tolerance to it), you may experience headaches,
palpitations, trembling, restlessness, feeling nervous or anxious, have diarrhoea and experience fluid loss through passing extra urine.