Caffeine for kids with ADD | ADHD Information

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Has anyone tried to give their non medicated children caffeine to see if it would help their ADD?  Or any input regarding this option.

Here is a nice overview of caffeine:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caffeine

My sil can't have caffeine because it makes a heart murmer worse and can be life threatening (this goes for other stimulants as well).

And here is another one:

http://www.caffeine.zeonhost.com/caffeine.htm#dangers

vickie39156.6998032407Once in a while if I need to give my soon his meds a bit later to get us through longer, I will allow him to have caffeine in the AM.  We see a small improvement with it.  It is a very rare occurance though.

Thanks for the feedback.  At least we KNOW the long term affects of caffeine then.  The problem with Meds is you just don't know.  Heard a lot about possible liver damage with many of the meds.

sigh.............  What to do?

[QUOTE=ShawK]

Thanks for the feedback.  At least we KNOW the long term affects of caffeine then.  The problem with Meds is you just don't know.  Heard a lot about possible liver damage with many of the meds.

sigh.............  What to do?

[/QUOTE]

Check out the Alternative and Complimentary Meds section of this board.... there's a lot that can be done w/o meds.

They build a tolerance, require more and more for the same affect, and pretty soon they need an adult dose.

There was another thread about caffeine and kids...  Caffeine can have very bad long term affects on bodies.  I used to drink coffee and developed lumps in my breasts due to caffeine.  It can stay in your system for a long time... if this happens to an adult just image what could happen if you give it to a child.  This is just my opinion.

I am sure there are more health options than caffeine.

We tried caffiene breifly while waiting for the decision on meds. My youngest had some improvement in focus in the am, but the effect lessened after about 1.5 weeks. Caffiene is one of those things that you can need more and more to get the same effect, and at the higher amounts it has more side effects (racing heart, blood pressure) than the ADHD stimulants. I would not use caffiene long term for a child, but I have self medicated with it for years .

As abbymaker said, caffiene consumption can increase the fibroid lumps in the breasts and cause monthly tenderness to be worse.