Is it really true that if you take a stimulant (in my case Adderall) with coca-cola it will lower the effectiveness of the medication?:confused:

I heard that it would, but the problem I have is, is that coca-cola is the only drink that I can drink that will not make my stomach hurt and fill irritated. I can add water to my diet, but does anyone know that if I were to keep drinking caffeine and still drink water, will it make my ADHD medication uneffective?

For example: I could still drink caffeine for my sanity and just add more water to equal it out or should I consider dropping the caffeine all together and just suffer everyday without my coca-cola?

Please Help, anybody with any experiences of this combination?
Notice a difference?
Any suggestions?

Yolanda

Try this thread:
http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26049&highlight=acidic

Specifically post #16 for a list on what to avoid ingesting on stimulants

Yes, it's really true. However, I think it's more specifically Adderall than stimulants in general. (Probably because of the way XR releases the microtrol beads?)

Avoid your Coca-Cola at least until your medication has done it's job and you're free to do as you please. It is not the caffeine in the soda, it's the acidity. If you really need caffeine THAT badly, try no-doz? Or some other caffeine-only energy pill...

The two don't go together well because of the chemical properties of amphetamines. The more acidic you make your stomach the less amphetamine gets absorbed. Urinary pH is important too as is the frequency of urination (the more you go the faster the amphetamine will be eliminated). The prescribing infomation for Adderall explains all this in pretty good detail.

Yes this sucks because I'm a diet pepsi fan. Sometimes taking an antiacid can and will help.

J

Do you mean that when I take the medication and during the onset of action, I just want to be sure. So if Adderall's onset of action is 60-90 minutes then maybe wait at least 2 or more hours to drink caffeine if need be? My dad said kind of the same thing your saying, he said that I can still drink coca cola but just don't drink it an hour before or an hour after I take Adderall.

Even if I don't here back from you, thanks for your help.

Wow! I drink so much Coke and I've never heard of this before. I take my Adderall with Coke! LOL! I've actually been kind of concerned on the amount of coke I have been drinking when my husband said he had been keeping track and I have been drinking about a 12 pack every day! I don't eat much. I guess all that coke fills me up. I wonder how much this has affected my Adderall. I'm on 20mg xr twice a day. I hate to say this but I need coke. I love it so much. A coke to me is like a cigarette to people who smoke. Can a person actually become addicted to Coca-Cola?

Wow! I drink so much Coke and I've never heard of this before. I take my Adderall with Coke! LOL! I've actually been kind of concerned on the amount of coke I have been drinking when my husband said he had been keeping track and I have been drinking about a 12 pack every day! I don't eat much. I guess all that coke fills me up. I wonder how much this has affected my Adderall. I'm on 20mg xr twice a day. I hate to say this but I need coke. I love it so much. A coke to me is like a cigarette to people who smoke. Can a person actually become addicted to Coca-Cola?After reading that: Yes :D

Do you mean that when I take the medication and during the onset of action, I just want to be sure. So if Adderall's onset of action is 60-90 minutes then maybe wait at least 2 or more hours to drink caffeine if need be? My dad said kind of the same thing your saying, he said that I can still drink coca cola but just don't drink it an hour before or an hour after I take Adderall.

Even if I don't here back from you, thanks for your help.What you said is correct. Stay away from the citrus drinks/foods 2 hours before and 2 hours after taking adderall. Same thing goes for any food/supplement that has a large amount of Vitamin C.

Soda is a double-edge blade against amphetamines. First is the low (acidic) pH and second, Caffeine is a diuretic which causes the body to urinate more and thus get rid of amphetamines faster.

If you are still hell bent on drinking soda (like I am) then you can try taking an antiacid about an hour prior to taking the meds. That will give the adderall a more basic environment to get things started prior to drinking any soda.

Adderall (or any other amphetamine) will still work in the prescense of low pH but the half-life drops from around 11 hours to 3 hours.

J

JR, that's a huge difference in half life! Thanks for the info. Would this still apply if you don't pee a lot? Strange question...I know. I just don't have to very much.

I normally drink pepsi or coca cola near the end of the night when I feel my adderall is wearing off and I have something to do. It seems to pep me back up, it doesnt last long but it does something

I really wish there were clear information regarding this question. Some places you'll read that it has a large impact, other places you'll read the effect is too small to notice. I tend to over analyze what I'm eating and drinking, and in the long run I think that's been a very bad move on my part. My advice is to just try taking adderall without considering your meals, and if you notice some kind of under performance then maybe start timing your intake better. Citric acid, vitamin C, glutamic acid are all mentioned on the label as reducing the absorption of amphetamines. But the question is, how much? Is it significant? Do we have to worry about it? If you look at the labels on most foods, restricing the three aforementioned ingredients basically means you can eat almost nothing, which is what I have ended up doing and, as an already skinny person, lost about 15 lbs which I want back :).