I've always loved coffee but have never had more than one or two cups a day because i thought it made me jittery, and caffine never really had that 'wake up' effect people talk about. But lately i've been sucking down the energy drinks and the coke and pepsi like its going out of fashion. And i've been so much better. I've been in a funk for almost 3 months, it was quite bad and i was starting to think it would never end, but this week i'm getting things done, feel focused, feel good etc. It seems the more i drink the better i am. I'm unmedicated at the moment, and will be until April. I know people talk about caffine and energy drinks here quite often, but like i said, i've always avoided it - i have this wierd phobia where if i get so much as one heart palpatation i think i'm having a heart attack. I know its stupid:o, probably an anxiety thing, but its so wierd that now i can't get enough of it. I know this post is kind of rambling. I just feel so different lately, its strange. Even my emotional responses and reactions are different. Your thoughts?

Hope everyone's having a good day.:)

I CANT LIVE without my energydrinks.. they help me focus. its funny people are always asking me why i drink them , they dont understand what it does to me

I've always loved coffee but have never had more than one or two cups a day because i thought it made me jittery, and caffine never really had that 'wake up' effect people talk about.

Yeah it's a stimulant. While it'll probably prevent you from sleeping, it's not likely to do what it does to normal people, since, like ADHD medicines, it increases the amount of dopamine available.

Like ADHD medicines, it's not a bad way to study more effectively.

It seems that many ADDers have some type of caffeine addiction. I'm addicted to coffee. I drink about 4-5 cups every morning at work and on the weekends. If I don't have any for a day or two, I start getting a rather painful headache.

cool. I'll give it a try.

I gave it a try at 9pm one night and couldn't get to sleep till 6am.

I couldn't imagine a life without coffee. I've been drinking it since I was 5. I usually drink 2-3 cups in the am, and then switch to iced tea (unsweetened) for the rest of the day if I need extra help focusing.

I love coffee and tea and such -- the problem is according to Hallowell and Ratey in Driven to Distraction (and a number of other ADD experts,but I don't remember which ones at the moment) is that while caffeine gives you that initial burst of focus and such in the long run it decreases your attention by reducing the blood flow to your brain. Also as most of us who have been attached to caffeine long know, you quickly develop tolerance to it and need more and more to achieve the same effect.

ADD meds more specificially target the neurotransmitters affected by ADD -- caffeine is more broad spectrum.

That said, I still do some caffeine late in the afternoon as my Adderall is wearing off, but I try to keep it to less than one cup of coffee.

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Am happy for those of you that coffee/energy helps.

I (unknowingly) medicated my ADD with coffee for the last 21 years until I got diagnosed few weeks ago. I started with 1 cup a day, then went to two,...three,...four,.....and five. I am talking about Black strong starbucks coffee sans milk or cream. Now, my body is so used to coffee, no matter how much I drink, it does not help at all during the day. But it keeps me up at night which means I need more coffee the following day, more than what I had the day before to stay awake and be productive. Energy drinks do the same.

I know people talk about caffine and energy drinks here quite often, but like i said, i've always avoided it - i have this wierd phobia where if i get so much as one heart palpatation i think i'm having a heart attack. I know its stupid:o, probably an anxiety thing, but its so wierd that now i can't get enough of it.
Medication is always a good substitute for coffee and energy drinks. :)

I have the same issue WRT meds - I tend to get heart palpitations, (and actually runs in the family), so Ritalin scares me for that reason. But, whatever the stimulant - it will have the same effect on your heart.

I have never tried the energy drinks, but I do drink a cup of coffee and a diet pepsi now and then. I have never really noticed a difference in my mood when I do, I'll start keeping track of that now just to see.

I used to drink more than my fair share of coffee. It can work for some, but it's not something that I'd ever use again in the quantities that I used to (with some days consuming ~20 cups of coffee, plus energy drinks). It works synergistically with the medication (it, in a sense, increases one's sensitivity to dopamine at D2 receptors, so it's multiplicative in effects).

Until I was diagnosed recently with ADHD and started stimulant meds, I drank around 10 cups of coffee a day. I have done that for quite some time. For over 20 years I've had a minimum of 4 cups a day. I didn't realize until recently that it was one of the things I've done for most of my life to try to control and adapt to ADHD.

Nowadays, it's not the caffeine's stimulation keeping me awake but the diuretic effect of caffeine keeping me up if I were to drink coffee at night.

I Love my Energy Drinks, wouldn't want to be without them! Helps me focus, gives me a steady calm energy,and keeps me going most of the day. It is weird, I know, but coffee really doesn't do much for me anymore. All except the Iced Latte's at McDonalds!! Those are great for cleaning house!! Works like my Adderall!

My son is unmedicated, and in a pinch I'll fix him a cup, if he does not fall asleep within 1/2 hour, he can get to task.

Habitual caffiene though is a strain on and drains the adrenal system, in the long run, it actually makes one more tired, along with what Scattered wrote. It's not a good long-term, sole solution by any means. There are much better-healthier options out there than caffiene.

But don't the energy drinks mitigate the adderall? Isn't there citric acid in them? I love them but have stopped drinking them because of the citric acid -- I am hoping someone tells me there is no mitigating effect so I can start drinking them again. I, too, drink a lot of coffee during the day.

I love coffee and tea and such -- the problem is according to Hallowell and Ratey in Driven to Distraction (and a number of other ADD experts,but I don't remember which ones at the moment) is that while caffeine gives you that initial burst of focus and such in the long run it decreases your attention by reducing the blood flow to your brain.

I remember reading that. It doesn't sound like a good idea long-term, although some here have used it long term, so. . . . ?
For me its not coffee - that doesn't do anything, its the energy drinks and coke - which is wierd. You'd think they'd have the same effect.

And yea, you have to avoid caffine and citrus when on meds, (at least Dex.) I have to wait until April to see phych in order to get meds. So i dunno, the whole thing seems to be yet another double edged sword in the world of ADD.:confused: Its like, here's your choice: wander around in chaos with a disorder which affects every part of your life, or self-medicate or medicate prescription wise but hey, there's these side-effects you may or may or not have, and some people out there will tell you that ADD meds are positively dangerous, so much so you're almost scared to take them at all, and the prospect of being on them long term in unnerving.
Sometimes i just think, what the hell are we supposed to do???? I just want to live a functional life, (and maybe live in a farmhouse in Tuscany with Russell Crowe, breeding Andalusians.) Is this too much to ask?

By the way, i am not recommending that people actually go out and start drinking this stuff by the bucketfull - i don't want anyone's rapid heartbeat on my conscious! And cola may be a lot of things, but it aint good for you! (says the hypocrite addict!)

Sometimes i just think, what the hell are we supposed to do???? I just want to live a functional life, (and maybe live in a farmhouse in Tuscany with Russell Crowe, breeding Andalusians.) Is this too much to ask?It sounds good to me! (You might want to run it by Russell Crowe first!;)).

You know for most of us it is possible to live a functional life without medication, but there have to be adjustments. Due to some problematic side effects I developed on Concerta and Prozac I quit all medication for a year and a half. I did have to put some limits to what I put on my plate and use every accomodation I knew of, exercise, eat right, etc., but I did okay -- actually a lot better than just okay. I survived 40 years before I ever had my first dose of medication, even though I was diagnosed at age 4. Do what you love, exercise, exercise, exercise, stay connected to loved ones and develop spiritually. Sometimes life isn't as complicated and meds might not be required. If I didn't have kids and was back doing the profession I love, I might not need them -- or I might -- I'm not as young as I once was. What I'm clumsily trying to say is that life is about change -- change in responsibilities, health, aging, activities, etc. -- just figure out what you need at each stage and go with that and don't worry so much about this being a for the rest of your life decision. As AA say, "One day at a time!"

I agree,Scattered. Exercise is great for releasing "feel good" endorphins and great for your heart and other.
I don't usually drink coffee or even the Energy drinks on the market because of all the chemical's, sugars,& LOTS of Caffeine! So, I use Healthy Energy drinks,low sugar, low carbs, and a natural occuring guarana ( an herb like caffeine but safer and better for you). I am doing stimulating activities such as, crosswards, and mind search games, I play baords mes with my kids that make you use you mind and stragedy, I am also reading" Driving to Distraction" Just starting it. I think just stimulating your brain and keeping your brain cells active is great! if you have troule focusing, try Healthy Vitamins and vitamins drinks like I have heard here on the Board, ZipFizz, (heard it is great for focus and energy) We have it here at our Rite Aid store. there's also a gum for focus, with Ginkgo in it, and another fizz drink, can't recall the name, Rite Aid has it also.
There's alot of choices out here, if meds don't work for people. just ise everything in moderation. I think prayer is awesome too, for coping with stress, and different problems we face.

Caffeine makes me sleepy. Immediate on-set of yawning and sleepiness after coffee or an energy drink. And I don't seem to get a sugar crash at all....

Is this a symptom of a paradoxical reaction to a stimulant common in ADD?

Caffeine makes me sleepy. Immediate on-set of yawning and sleepiness after coffee or an energy drink. [...]

Is this a symptom of a paradoxical reaction to a stimulant common in ADD?
Yep, certainly sounds like it. When dopamine levels increase from low to normal, it can feel like the brain is 'slowing down' as your focus and attention increase. I also yawn and stretch when I have caffeine/amphetamines, but I don't think it's actually making us sleepy.

I think it's only paradoxical in the sense that some symptoms of low dopamine levels are similar to some symptoms of high dopamine levels (hyperactivity for example appears in both high and low dopamine, but it isn't the same form of hyperactivity).

Consider:
Person with ADHD normally -> Large number of dopamine recyclers active, majority of dopamine destroyed rapidly, low levels of dopamine available

Person with ADHD takes stimulant -> normal amount of dopamine recyclers active, less dopamine destroyed, normal levels dopamine available

Normal person takes stimulant -> practically no dopamine recyclers active, little dopamine destroyed, very high levels of dopamine available

my meds and 2 diet energy drinks a day are getting me through school!