caffeine and/or sugar = anxiety, jitters
It makes me uncontrollably irritable! When she's acting like that try giving her something that is pure protein-nuts, cheese, meat etc. If it's hypoglyceia it will get better in about 1/2 hour! I've lived with it for years and a dietician helped me learn how to eat so I don't ever get to that point anymore! Thanks for the replies. I'll definitely try the protein trick to see if that works
next time she is feeling that way.QUOTE=Mandia]My doctor actually told me that coffee, soda or cappucino may actually help calm my DS down in a pinch due to the opposite effect that caffeine is supposto have on those with ADHD. I have yet to try it because it seems a little backwards.. but perhaps it's sugar.[/QUOTE]
Chlldren with ADHD do not need to be calmed, they need to be focused and unfortunately caffeine is addictive, the sugar in soda rots the teeth and large quantities of caffiene must be consumed in order to see a short period of focusing ability. I'm assuming the doc that gave this advice isnt a specialist.
When seeking accurate advice about ADHD, medications or helpful options , I urge parents to speak to a specialist in terms of guidance and education.
My doctor actually told me that coffee, soda or cappucino may actually help calm my DS down in a pinch due to the opposite effect that caffeine is supposto have on those with ADHD. I have yet to try it because it seems a little backwards.. but perhaps it's sugar.Normally I do not give her coffee, but once in a GREAT while I do.I personally drank coffee since I was 8 years old. All in all I am very
healthy. When pregnant I gave it up quite easily, so no I am not addicted
in spite of the fact I drank it since I was young. My family also always had
dessert after dinner and sweets are probably my only addiction.
Yes, we do try to limit soda and sweets, but do allow about 1 treat per
day. Lately I've been trying to eat healthier for her sake (it's hard to say
no to her when I'm eating it) If she needs to avoid these foods completely
we will, but if not we would like to allow the occasional treat.
Melissa07 - Why is my child ingesting these substances? It's not easy in
my world to eat healthy 100% of the time and sometimes I give in!
Well, your opening post indicates that you see sugar and caffeine to cause the bad effect in your daughter, so yes, both caffeine and sugar can do that.
Yes, it's hard to do 100%, but try an experiment and try keeping those things away for a few days and see how she does.
They're both bad substances for ADHD, so as little as possible would be best. And daily might be enough to simply keep her system always on that edge.
Good luck.
My 8 year old daughter is an anxious person to begin with. However,sometimes she feels jittery inside, and also gets very anxious. She just
can't seem to be able to calm herself. I try to massage her, and her skin
seems to crawl from being touched. My husband and I have linked this to
either sugar or caffeine. We've been tracking what she eats and noticed
several hours after drinking a cup of coffee with lots of sugar we tried to
go ice skating, something she normally loves, and the skates felt wrong
and she just seemed an anxious mess inside. Then, we recently went skiing and stopped for dinner where she had 2 glasses of soda. Several
hours later when we finally got home, she was the same way (anxious,
jittery). A bath helped her feel better. When she gets this way she is also
mean. For example, I'll try to help her and she will kick me, then say she
is sorry and cry. She is not normally mean like this. She used to get like
this every morning when she had to get dressed, as clothes bothered her.
It was like making her put on pants was equivalent to putting her in a
bath of spiders. Thank goodness this has mostly went away, but crops
up after what we suspect is eating lots of caffeine or sugar (not sure
which or both). Does anyone have this problem?
Dear mammamia,
It could be her blood sugar. It may be dropping too low which causes the jitters. My husband is hypoglycemic and if he does not eat on schedule his blood sugar drops and he gets VERY aggitated. I would have her blood sugar tested.
Sugar and caffeine are known to cause jitters.
Wondering why an 8 year old is drinking coffee, which is usually an adult drink.
Personally, with any child or anyone, really, I would limit sugar and soda intake. I also would not be giving coffee to a child. It's also addictive.
If your daughter has ADHD, why would she be ingesting these substances? Diet plays a big part in overall health, well-being, and the mind. ADHD, included.
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