Many of us have experimented with caffeine as a supplement for our ADHD meds. Some have figured out that caffeine can even be a replacement for our meds; while others have figured out that caffeine does nothing to help alleviate our symptoms.
For me, before starting Strattera, I was a heavy Coke drinker (like 7-9 a day). It did help my concentration, and motivation to a point, but I noticed over time that the affects (advantages) were diminishing. Plus, I started having issues with gas (and my roommates weren't impressed- 🤣🤣).
I've never been a coffee drinker, so i don't know how that'd affect me, but being a good Southern boy, Coke was my drug of choice. I never tried smoking or drugs, due to allergies. So Coke it was. I say was bc I started having major gastro issues and I was burping & farting all the time. My gastro doctor recommended I cut out the cokes and try some meds for reducing gas. Besides the extreme irritability coming from “kicking the coke habit’, I felt immediately better. But, my motivation & attention span shortened.
I talked it over with my Psychiatrist, and he agreed cutting out the coke was a good plan. He upped my Strattera and I’m doing much better now. I still drink 1-2 Cokes per week, but that’s all I allow myself. I never want to go back to feeling bloated all the time, and the gas, so I’m still struggling with impulsivity (wanting a coke), but I’m trying to be good so I don’t have those awful side effects again.
Do you use caffeine as a supplement to your ADHD meds? What do you use? How much works for you?
Written by
NotAChevy
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I use caffeine when I need to focus quickly. I'm an anxious type of ADHD so I'm not on stimulant medication. But I take caffeine on the days I need the effects of Ritalin without the spike in my anxiety. It's usually just a cup those mornings and not super strong so it wears off throughout the day and doesn't affect my sleep.
I wouldn't say that I "experimented with" caffeine... before my ADHD diagnosis, I lived on it.
I like caffeinated sodas, but they barely do anything for me. I was only in a daily soda habit when I was in my late teens and early 20s.
I also drink black tea, and occasionally green tea, usually hot, but iced tea in the summer. (I prefer it sweetened, but not usually to the Southern preference level of Sweet Tea.)
My main source of caffeine has always been coffee.
• I first had coffee at age 11 (with a lot of milk and sugar). I started drinking it regularly at age 12 (note that my parents were okay with this).
• I usually drink regular brew with a little milk or cream in it (just for convenience and economy).
• How I like my coffee: I am fond of saying, "I like my coffee like I like my people people...and I like all kinds of people!" If I had to choose a favorite, I would probably say that a wet cappuccino, sweetened, but not overly sweet like a lot of coffee chains make it.
Caffeine was my lifeline before my ADHD diagnosis. It helped me get through the day everyday.
Ordinarily over the years since I reached adulthood, I had about three to four cups of coffee a day. There were a couple of times when my life was so busy they I was drinking two full pots of coffee a day.
Since starting on ADHD medication, I'm down to about 2-4 cups a day. (I use an oversized travel cup which holds the equivalent of 3 ordinary coffee cups. That's my measure. I usually drink one of those, sometimes don't finish the whole thing, and sometimes need a pick-me-up extra cuppa.
About once or twice a year I have to go on a caffeine fast, eliminating it from my diet for 5 to 7 days. That is because I developed a tolerance to it, so much so that you can start making me tired instead of making me feel more alert. This doesn't happen as much now that I have reduced my coffee consumption.
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Caffeine isn't just a stimulant for the brain. It also stimulates digestive motility. The additional ingredients in soda isn't very beneficial to the digestive system, either, so cutting back on Coke to improve gastrointestinal health was a good idea.
Black tea is as high as or higher on caffeine than soda, but doesn't have all the chemical ingredients, and some studies have suggested that the fermentation process that turns green tea leaves into black tea might produce some beneficial byproducts for the digestive system...but it would probably take a very long time to ingest enough to make a significant difference.
But if you still want some caffeine without resorting to coffee, tea might be an option worth trying.
Oh, and my body is so accustomed to caffeine that it doesn't usually keep me awake. I used to be able to drink a cup of coffee right before going to bed, and slept just fine.(In recent years, my anxiety has been so elevated for such a long time that I usually avoid caffeine in the evening now. It's because it can contribute to the anxiety that's keeping me awake a lot of the time, not because the caffeine is keeping me awake.)
Coffee is such a part of my daily routine the I don't feel normal without it, and that adds to my daytime anxiety. (I enjoy coffee, it's a comfort for me.) But when I'm going through a stressful time, I will make half-caf, or sometimes decaf, just to be on the safe side that I'm not adding caffeine jitters to my anxiety.
There is a link between the gut health and brain health. If you ruin your gut then your adhd gets worse. Coke is not good for your gut. This is just my opinion.
I drink 2-3 cups of good, strong coffee daily. It doesn't affect my ability to sleep. I've been thinking about meds for some time, but keep thinking the old way. If I just try a little bit harder.... Also, if I had a doctor I felt comfortable with, I'd be more likely to be honest about the challenges I face and request medication.
I have found that I was over-dosing with caffeine. When taking amphetamine, caffeine make me more nervous and less focused. I felt much better when I stwiched to 1/2 caffeine, and now make a blend that is closer to 1/3 the normal amount of caffeine. I still drink the same amount of coffee, but I feel better and more calm.
I used caffeine & nicotine from about age 15 to about age 40. Quit smoking and caffeine for about 5 years during those 25 years for health reasons, but went back to both during a period of high emotional upheaval. When I was 18 and legal, I added daily alcohol as well. It worked pretty well, until it didn't. I became alcoholic and had a whole new problem on my plate. I was not diagnosed with ADHD until I was 54, so I was self-medicating what was strong anxiety.
I quit drinking at 35 and smoking at 40, but I'm still a caffeine addict and don't plan to stop, because it really does help me wake up and stay alert. After my diagnosis, we tried Vyvanse and it was marvelous! Stopped taking it while I was being treated for cancer, with surgery, chemo, and radiation. After treatment completed, went back on Vyvanse but developed tardive dyskenesia. We switched meds and went through 9 of them, which may have eliminated the TD but didn't treat the ADHD enough to bother taking them. So, back to my trusty cuppa Joe.
I love coffee! Black, cream and sugar, flavored, cappuccino, latte - all of it. Also tea, hot or iced. I'm sure I still use it for the effects on my ADHD, but I would drink it regardless because it tastes great. Rarely, a cup too close to bedtime will keep me awake, but it's rare enough that I don't pay it any mind. Being retired helps, as I can adapt my sleeping times without much concern for the following day. I will say if I'm anxious about something tomorrow, I won't drink caffeine before bed tonight. That would be inviting trouble unnecessarily. So yes, count me among the caffeine as medicine crowd! It was never an experiment, though. It was like breathing - necessary and natural.
Before my late life diagnosis, I self medicated because it somewhat relieved the ADHD symptoms. As is characteristic with ADHD, particularly for me, I did it to the max.
My typical day involved drinking about 120 ounces of diet coke or diet pepsi, plus a few cups of coffee. I would raise the caffeine levels in my bloodstream as soon as I awoke and then top of the level with additional drinks to maintain it through the day. The battle was always finding the tradeoff between the mental benefits and the negative body effects of too much stimulant. I tended to err on the side of the brain, having periods where my heartrate was noticeably elevated or my hands were a bit shaky.
For a few years I also smoked cigarettes for the Nicotine boost (on top of the caffeine abuse). During that time I smoked from awaking until I fell asleep, which generally meant about four and a half packs per day, going from cigarette to cigarette. Fortunately for my health, I stopped smoking 42 years ago and have never had one since, but the soda and coffee remained.
Now that I am medicated and getting substantially more benefit from the Vyvanse than I did with the caffeine (and nicotine), my consumption of coffee or soda has sharply dropped. I don't normally have coffee at all on a typical day. I may have one or two sodas later in the day, either to compensate a hair for the tail off of the Vyvanse in the late afternoon or when out at a restaurant where I find it ramps up the sociability/chatting a tad. There are days where I have zero caffeine. Quite a difference from six decades of heavy soda and coffee use.
Nothing seems to help my focus as much as drinking two 16 ounce Monster drinks. I'm not sure if it is the caffeine, taurine, or supplement to adhd medication, but if I need to focus it seems that the Monster approach is what works for me, especially when Ritalin, Adderall, Vyvanse, and Concerta haven't worked.
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