Every time I go to a doctor about medications for my ADD they always ask about my caffeine intake. What correlation is there with caffeine dependency and ADD or medication? I do find that I consume more than average amounts of caffeine (3-4 cups of coffee and 2-4 sodas) and I honestly can't get out of bed until I remember if I set the timer on my coffee maker to go off or not. Is this an unrelated issue? I saw a poll thread in another forum here about caffeine and observed no real tendency for people with ADD to have caffeine issues. Thoughts?

When you stop or cut down the coffee (Caffeine=Stimulant) you were self medicating to deal with your symptoms.
Your meds are a stimulant but work in our brain diffrently than others.
We become focused or slowed down, whereas the Norms get pumped up.
hope this helps.

It might also be due to how much stimulant it's wise to perscribe if you already self medicate. Just a thought, I don't have any evidence that this is true.
ian

When my doc gave me ritalin she told me not to aviod caffeine and not drink any coffee. I think the idea is to not have too much stimulants in your body at once. I've cut back on the pop a lot and I find that I don't even miss it and I hate coffee so I dont mind giving that up...the only time I ever drank it is when I really needed to concentrate.

I think caffeine can affect how the meds get metabolized. I don't have any solid medical sources right now, but that idea sticks out in my head. The other ideas here sound pretty good, too. Probably the best thing to do would be ask your doctor next time you see him/her, or your pharmacist next time you get a prescription filled.

I used to be a total caffeine fiend. I mean 2-3+ liters of soda a day, with an occasional latte or cup of coffee at work thrown in for good measure. Wellbutrin helped me quit caffeine after about 3 days. I just found I was "forgetting" to drink coffee/caffeine. Now, I drink maybe 1 soda a day, if that.

Interesting ideas. I've definitely found that I've cut back on caffeine in the past few weeks, but I still need the coffee in the morning or I feel absolutely exhausted. After the Adderall kicks in, I generally consume less caffeine. I guess I'll have to ask my doctor next time I go in about how much I should be watching my caffeine intake.

Ill drink a few cups before bed, I never have a problem going to sleep when I am tired, I think it just helps focus. I ll drink a few pots a day, I think = a cup an hour or so. I just like the taste, I never feel hyper, amped, or jittery. I get bad pressure-behind-the-eyes headaches if I dont take caffiene...caffiene pills are good... I think they help me concentrate more on my daydreams, so I dont get distracted with real life as much.

I used to be able to down a pot of coffee or a 2-liter of soda and go straight to bed. Not anymore, since I started the Wellbutrin.

Liters of soda? Are any of you diabetic yet? :eek: It's my uneducated opinion that if you have no problem mixing coffee with stimulant medication (all in moderation of course) you're probably alright. I think what the Dr.'s are trying to avoid is too much stimulation in people at risk, and also the increase in anxiety when mixing coffee with some stimulants. I've certainly felt the latter.

caffeine really doesn't give me a stimulant effect as it does others. i get the shakes sometimes from it of course it'll have abit of stimulant effect but erm i focus alot more when i've had caffeine and thats another reason this psychologist i went to said as to why she think's i'm adhd.