My nephew who just came to live with my family apparently is addicted to Coke & Pepsi. He tells me he's used of having 5-10 cans per day. If he doesn't take one he starts to get a really bad headache and looks sick. What do you think I should do?
2007-01-08 08:03:14 · 24 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Other - Health
He is probably addicted to the caffiene in the soda. In addition, he is ingesting an enormous amount of sugar and useless calories rather than eating healthy and nutritious meals.
Switch him to caffiene free versions of Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi immediately. If he get a headache, make him drink 1/2 cup of coffee or tea, but no regular soda. He has to get off both the sugar and caffiene.
2007-01-08 08:07:57 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The headaches are actually caffeine withdrawls, essentially a mild version of drug withdrawls, since caffeine is a fairly powerful drug. What you need to to to keep him as comfortable as possible is to slowly bring him off of caffeinated drinks over the next 5 days or so. Try giving him 1 less per day. You might have to keep him at 1 for a while and then less and less over the course of a few more days since he is drinking so many now. Or you can take them away completely and give him Tylenol to calm the headaches (DO NOT EXCEED THE MAXIMUM DOSAGE ON THE TYLENOL BOTTLE FOR CHILDREN!) You may also have to give him half doses with the "waning method".
Note: Only give the smallest amount of Tylenol (acetaminophen) that takes care of the pain. If he only has a slight headache give him 1/2 the recommended dosage for children and see if it helps, if after an hour or so still has a headache, give him the other half.
2007-01-08 08:15:52 · answer #2 · answered by jsygrovehpi 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What he has is a caffeine addiction. You do get a headache when you come off of caffeine, but he can deal with it. Give him some Tylenol and gradually wean him down. I don't think it is that bad to have one soda a day (I have my own caffeine addiction), but no one needs to be drinking 5-10 cans a day. That is way too many empty calories. Make sure he drinks plenty of water. If he starts drinking 8 glasses of water a day, he won't have room for all the soda. The headaches will get better after a couple of days.
2007-01-08 08:14:59 · answer #3 · answered by kat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since the addiction is partially due to the caffeen, only give him caffeen free pepsi, until he gets a headache, then give him a regular pepsi. Use regular pepsi's as treatment for these headaches. Count how many of the regular pepsi's you give the child, and reduce them gradually (every three days, reduce the number by one, would be smart). Soon enough, the child will be able to only drink the caffeen free pepsi's. At that point it will only be a mental sugar addiction which won't have the same physical side effects. This is when you simply lay down the law.
2007-01-08 08:08:52 · answer #4 · answered by Benji Duncan 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's the caffine. You can have him step down: a strict limit of five cans a day this week, four next week, etc., until he's not having any at all. Lock up the case, put his ration for the day in the fridge, the when he's done, that's it. Provide plenty of alternative low-sugar beverages he can grab instead. I would suggest going cold turkey, but that can lead to a headache lasting a couple of days, which i wouldn't wish on a child.
If the rest of your family also drinks soda, well, then.. a great opportuinity for you all to stop. XD
2007-01-08 08:10:04 · answer #5 · answered by Sola_Balisane 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Limit how much caffeine he has per day. For example, one day make sure 5 cokes are in the fridge, and the next day only 4, and then 3, so on and so forth. From there you can buy caffeine free soda, or try to introduce him to something else better for him, such as minute maid drinks or water. If it's the carbonation he misses, there are plenty of low or no caffeine drinks available.
You don't have to completely ween him from the soda, but keep a close eye on his intake of them.
2007-01-08 08:08:24 · answer #6 · answered by p0rc3la1n_d0ll 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
He's not addicted to the coke or pepsi, he is addicted to the caffine.
Stopping will cause headache, try slowly cutting back to ease the withdrawal symptoms such as the headache.
2007-01-08 08:06:26 · answer #7 · answered by not4u2c_yet 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wean it down slowly. 5 one day. 4 for three days. 3 for four days. 2 for five days and then one a day. Tell him in advance what you are doing. Explain that it is to improve his health. Have him mark it off on a calendar on the frig. The slow process will prepare him emotionally, mentally and avoid the caffeine withdrawal effects on the body such as headaches.
2007-01-08 08:06:01 · answer #8 · answered by Shayna 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I used to drink Mountain Dew like that. When you stop drinking that type of stuff, of course you are going to go thru withdrawls and headaches are part of it. Get something else for him to drink, such as Root Beer (some Root Beers have caffiene, so read the fine print), Orange Soda or Sprite, something without caffiene. This will take care of the sweetness part of it and he will cut down on drinking pop all together.
Good Luck!
2007-01-08 08:09:00 · answer #9 · answered by Jo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take away his Pepsi. He'll thank you later. And be happy he's addicted to Coke and not coke.
2007-01-08 08:11:26 · answer #10 · answered by trueblue88 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋