Caffeine; Yes or No? | ADHD Information

I found the same thing, when I take a full dose of
dexedrine, and drink coffee, I get all buzzed and it's a
bit much, but I don't get as jittery as when I drink
coffee on its own... weird.

Could be that I used to drink my coffee way "thicker"
before I got diagnosed, though..

If you still want a bit of caffiene in the morning before
you take the ritalin, you could use half decaf when
you make your morning cup. A friend of mine uses
"half-caf" by mixing the two kinds, when she wants
less caffeine (I don't know if she has ADHD, though).

Sometimes, if I take a half-dose of my meds, or a full
dose on an off-day (i.e. on my period when I am
waaaay off the wall) and then drink coffee it works to
"fill in" a bit. I've done this when I was travelling and
had no way to get a new prescription. I don't know if
it's more just thinking it would work though - I find
having a cup of something more interesting than the
water I normally drink, that in itself if enough to add a
bit more interest (like doing 5 things at once, trying to
keep from being bored).

Wow - never got the jitters myself.  I've been since at least 16 a "pot a day" guy of bracing coffee.  Drinking it black since 18.

I was scared once I started dexedrine 8 months ago that coffee would make me jittery - but it hadn't!  I got back to my normal coffee within a few days of starting dexedrine.  I feld my heart rate go up - but never in connection with the coffee.  As a matter of fact the coffee seemed to relax me!  Once you're hooked on caffeine I know that some of us can't sleep without a cup or two (guilty!)

I think it would have to be case-by-case.  Dexedrine could have caused jitters and I got lucky.  I would think anyone taking amphetamines should cut out stimulants until they find how they react.  Hmmmm.

All I know is that I love my coffee - but if it meant I'd have to drop the dexedrine and the last 8 months of focus and control I'd drop the coffee - and take the withdrawl headaches with a smile and a giggle.

I gave up caffiene when I started taking ritalin.  I found that the caffiene made me too anxious and jittery after i started meds.

 

[QUOTE=dhart] I've recently begun taking Ritalin XR with good results. I've been experimenting with and without caffeine. Seems to work better for me without caffeine. Damm, I love my morning coffee! De-caffeinated coffee to me is like kissing your sister.  Any thoughts?
[/QUOTE]
Well, if the ritialin seems to be working better for you w/o caffeine, then I suppose you'd want to cut back on the coffee. Although, how many cups of coffee would you drink before starting Ritilan? If more than the AM cup, then I would suggest only one cup in AM, and no more.

Before I started Concerta, I drank several cups a day, but after starting it, I didn't even desire my morning cup of java, although I sometimes still had that one cup in morning and it didn't seem to affect things much.

If you only drink the one cup and it seems to affect the good results from the Ritilan, then I guess decaf in the morning may be the solution, as suggested by shinsetu_hito. There are good decafs...even think of buying your own decaf beans of a good french roast or something...that may be a little better than 'kissing your sister.'

GypsyWomyn38543.5369560185

I've been on Adderall for 4 wks now & I'm still not on the right dosage. I take 10mg/2x/day. But I have to drink coffee. I used to drink 1 pot a day but have cut it back to 8oz before my am dose of meds & then 8oz after my am dose & then I make myself stop drinking the coffee.

For me the coffee helps kick in my Adderall. But that could be because I'm still not on the right dosage. I've tried not drinking coffee & it seems the Adderall doesnt kick in. I wish I could drink a cup with my noon dose of meds but I use willpower. When I work at the hospital most of us take a coffee break around 5 & thats hard not to drink then also. But I know if I drink coffee w/them at 5 then I will be up more at night than I already am.

Just my 2 cents.

dtsjor

though it's not MY case I hear you and a lot of people like you have the same issue.  Yes, caffeine is often used - often unknowingly as self-medication.  Perhaps you should get the doc to up you just a bit.  It takes some tweaking to get it right and I started at 10 mg now I'm at 30 and stable.

Hope you find the right combo.  I feel for you that you can't get your coffee - even the thought makes my brain hurt! lol

Best of luck there

I also self-medicated for years with coffee. Now, if I find I just can't get tired at bedtime, I'll have a cup of java and within 30 minutes, I'm usually asleep.

As long as it doesn't make you anxious no problem. Although they say the morning coffee kick is mostly all in your head (it's the act of drinking something hot). Folgers decaffeinated should taste exactly the same as regular folgers.

P.S. I was gonna make a joke about kissing my sister but I had a rare attack of common sense.

shinsetu_hito38543.3776273148I've recently begun taking Ritalin XR with good results. I've been experimenting with and without caffeine. Seems to work better for me without caffeine. Damm, I love my morning coffee! De-caffeinated coffee to me is like kissing your sister.  Any thoughts?

[QUOTE=GypsyWomyn]I also self-medicated for years with coffee. Now, if I find I just can't get tired at bedtime, I'll have a cup of java and within 30 minutes, I'm usually asleep. [/QUOTE]

 Me too!

I Love my coffee.