Caffeine and Concerta

[Spacehead]

Don’t know why I didn’t think of this before but I backed off Concerta from 54 to 36 mg. Was better yesterday from side effects but had more caffeine today and feeling irritable, jittery and all over the place. I’m guessing cutting back on caffeine would help?

[thestudent]

Yeah we’re usually told not to take any other stimulants alongside adhd meds, I was instructed to completely stay away from them, so no caffeine, smoking, no alcohol etc. because they can cause bad side effects.I think some people do have caffeine, but definitely not at the same time as they take the meds. I heard of one person who drank it as meds began to wear off, and found that it helped with the feeling off crashing. I haven’t tried it tho, I don’t think it would be very good for me at all

[Spacehead in reply to thestudent]

Good to know. Wish my psychiatrist would’ve warned me. Thank you!

[IgnoranceWasNotBliss]

Some people do OK adding caffeine but it’s definitely a personal thing. I have gone through phases. At first, definitely none. It increased all negative side effects and no good parts. When my meds starting becoming less effective before an increase, I could drink tea. NOT COFFEE 🤷‍♀️ Learned the hard way. Recently, my 60mg of Adderall a day has been feeling ineffective so I started coffee again. It was actually going pretty well as long as my husband didn’t bother me (which happens all the time). I was getting uncontrollably angry at him! The extreme angry was normal but “uncontrolled”, not as normal. I switched to tea, all better. 🤷‍♀️ But for the most part, the best idea is cutting all the caffeine and INCREASING the concerta.

Hope this helps

[Spacehead in reply to IgnoranceWasNotBliss]

Thank you! Good to hear from people who have experience. Appreciate it

[inbetween in reply to IgnoranceWasNotBliss]

Agree 100% that it’s a personal thing. I think the best thing you can do is just experiment and figure out what works best for you. Always consult your MD first, of course.

A strong coffee, with a good meal, on top of my adderall makes me feel like I can take on the world and really get down to work. The downside is that my mouth can’t keep up with my brain, so my social skills completely go out the window, but that could just be my Asperger’s. It’s always a trade-off, IMO.

[Spacehead in reply to inbetween]

Thank you ! My mouth gets me into trouble as well. Talking and sweets.