Caffiene (coffee/soda’s etc.) ?
I self-medicated with massive amounts of caffiene befor I knew I had ADD. It helped. Then in an hour or so, I would start to crash, so I would grab 3-4 more coffees or diet sodas. That would get me going for another hour or two. Then I had to do it again.
By the end of the workday I had usually consumed somewhere between 20-30 cups of coffee or diet sodas.
It was hell on my stomach, bad for my nerves, and lord only knows what it was doing to my urinary tract (I am only 45 years old but my bladder is 65).
I have since kicked all caffiene and I feel much better.
I have noticed. I don't take meds but I drink too much caffeinated soda! It doesn't tire me out as much as it helps me think more clearly. I guess I am self medicating!
I'm sure it doesn't work as well as meds though.I am not on meds, but I need my pot of coffee every morning to begin to function. I will get into caffinated pop also in the afternoons.How you ever taken note that caffience can do the opposite for you? IF, I am AWAKE or hyper in the morning and I drink coffee it puts me to sleeeep! If I am awake a night and have coffee it starts to bring me down.
Makes sense, caffiene is a stimulant as is Ritalin/Adderall so it counter acts the brain, if tired it wakes you UP! if awake is makes you sleepy. (since ADDer's are wired differently) I take Strattera so it is a NON stimulant so I still need coffee on ocassions in the morning, but if I am not *thinking* one morning and already WIDE AWAKE and have one cup! that is it for me! sleeeeeepy, feel draggy.
I'm on meds (Adderall) but I still drink coffee in the morning. 2 cups as I have done for the last 30+ years. With the meds, I don't feel I "need" it like I did before meds, but after having this routine for 30+ years, it's hard to break!
i drink roughly 4 liters of coke at work every day and i really find no difference whatsoever(its free, so i tend to indulge)
Caffine doesn't seem to effect me, i could drink a pot of Coffee and go to sleep, in high school i used to take Caffine pills that did little more than give me something to sell at school (i managed to make $1/pill even though they're over-the-counter and cost $10/bottle of 50 :P ). i even tried taking 10 at once and they did nothing
Coffee makes my ADD substantially worse,, especially if I've had a few cups.I'm like "Open Your Eyes" coffee makes me even more hyper.I drink way tooo much coffee....especially in the a.m and then in the afternoon when I need a 'quick start' to keep me going. Bad, bad habit....but of course, I have a long list of bad habits anyway.I have to agree caffeine defenately helps me in conversations. It helps a little with the brain fog. It does that for everyone though...but it's more noticeable in adders. However, ritalin works better since it gives you a lot stronger focus on life-almost to that of a normal person.
Now I know why I have always been drinking so much
coke, selfmedicating. It got me through school this far
could focus and make myself sit down to do something.
Its calming but now when I am dignosed and I am on ritalin, it is
nerve wrecking
My Dr. told me to cut it out. I did. I also have anxiety attacks though and that was probably the reason. I was a coffee hound up till the day I stopped. I drank a quart a day. It didnt help my anxiety, it made me more hyper, it did seem to help a bit with me not getting so bored at work i fell asleep. coffee used to put me to sleep. Now I just drink it in the morning as a
ritual. I put chocolate syrup in it, so it's really more of a treat. My husband laughs becasue i love the taste of coffee but for when i drink it (which i do everymorning) i end up getting really tired and less hyper. if i drink to much i feel like a zompie like i had over dosed on drugs..I'm trying to break a soda addicton. I really really love soda, but I need to lose weight. The other day I stopped in front of the soda machine and stared at it for about two minutes. I couldn't believe I actually did that. The stuff is definately addictive.
I have it bad. I hate the taste of coffee so I used to drink Mountain Dew or Energy drinks all the time. I managed to cut down severly on those. However I still smoke and that damn nicotine is my main focus, especially on adderall.
[QUOTE=Coldsun]I have it bad. I hate the taste of coffee so I used to drink Mountain Dew or Energy drinks all the time. I managed to cut down severly on those. However I still smoke and that damn nicotine is my main focus, especially on adderall.[/QUOTE]
Yes, I definitely smoke more since I've been on AdderallXR and for some strange reason all of the caffeine seems to kind of give the AdderallXR and extra 'boost' AND with the Trazedone at night, I can even sleep; however, I really need to quit smoking and quit drinking so much coffee.....geez, the withdrawal from those 2 will make me a real b-tch for a while .....my family will have to move out for awhile.....
Yep use sugar as well 2 teaspoons. Hubby uses 3 his mom uses 5-6 to sweet for me lol. Caffeine and I had a long and loving relationship until concerta. Now it makes me sleepy and eventually anxious. Back in the day I drank at least 3 to 4 liters of diet coke a day--this is probably how i survived my undergrad. however, being a little ocd i now drink caffeine free diet coke all day. i can't give up the bubbles.Oh I def have to have my coffee. I noticed before starting meds that coffee would usually help me to be better focused, but it would sometimes make me either wirey feeling or sleepy if I consumed more than usual. I guess it all depended on what kind of day I was having to begin with. If I was having an ok and focused day, it would send me over the edge, but if I was feeling a bit edgy and unfocused, it def helped to set me straight.
Since starting Adderall XR, I have to really watch how much I drink, or else it makes me a little more anxious and on edge... I really overdid it one day, and man, I felt like my adhd symptoms were 10 times worse than usual. I was sooooo easily distracted, edgy, moody, irritable and just grrr... it was awful. I really really watch how much I drink now as a result of that. I did not dig feeling that way at all.
The hard thing for me though is I loooooove Iced coffee drinks, and my best friend got me a cold brew pot, called a Toddy for Christmas.It makes the best coffee concentrate, and since you only use cold water, none of the bitter acids or oils are released, so its extra strong, rich and yummy. But it makes such concentrated coffee, you are supposed to mix 1 part coffee to 3 parts water or milk.
For me, being the Iced Caramel Machiato fool that I am, I drink it with milk and caramel, so I have the whole caffine and sugar explosion going on in my blood stream. And its soooo yummy, I could just drink glass after glass of it, but I learned my lesson the hard way, and only drink one glass in the morning. I sometimes break down and break back into my coffee mid day and in the afternoon, but I always make sure to give it time to leave my system before drinking more.
Amy
I have been on Adderall XR for about 3 months. The other day I started feeling really weird at work. It was like I was shaking but only on the inside. Like Very bad nervous energy. It really scared me. I went home and went straight to bed. I was much better the next morning. I didn't take my ADDXR for a couple of days thinking that might be it. Started them back after 2 days with no problems then about a week later it happened again and I got to thinking I had not had my afternoon diet coke. It made me feel much better and relaxed me. The jittery feeling went away. I had never thought about it having an opposite affect. Before reading this message board I would have thought my dose would need to be lower. But if I NEED the caffeine does the dose need to be higher. I'm so confused!!!! ????
I self-medicated with massive amounts of caffiene befor I knew I had ADD. It helped. Then in an hour or so, I would start to crash, so I would grab 3-4 more coffees or diet sodas. That would get me going for another hour or two. Then I had to do it again.
By the end of the workday I had usually consumed somewhere between 20-30 cups of coffee or diet sodas.
It was hell on my stomach, bad for my nerves, and lord only knows what it was doing to my urinary tract (I am only 45 years old but my bladder is 65).
I have since kicked all caffiene and I feel much better.
[/QUOTE]
AHHHH is that what causes those bladder issues??? I feel like an old lady and I am only 34 in respect to bathroom use & issues.
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