View Full Version : Adderall and caffeine?


coolwoman
06-19-04, 05:25 PM
I have read a few posts that, when taking Adderall, caffeine should not be consumed. I take 20 mg Adderall a day in two doses and am drinking about 3 large mugs of coffee a day. What have others experienced from mixing these two? I certainly don't feel overly hyper; actually the last few days I have felt a little more tired than usual.

Andrew
06-19-04, 05:26 PM
What does it feel like when you just take the Adderal without coffee? Or do you "need" the 3 cups of coffee?

coolwoman
06-19-04, 05:38 PM
I have never taken Adderall without coffee. I still feel I need caffeine. I love a good strong cup of coffee in the morning, about the same time I take first dose. When at work I love coffee I get from nearby coffee house, often around time I take second dose. In the early evening, when I feel sleepy, I have a smaller cup of coffee.
I used to drink about 12 cups a day and had frequent migraine headaches so about 8 years ago my doctor told me I HAD TO cut way back on coffee, which I did. I did notice the first week I was taking Adderall I was starting to get evening headaches again but they have gone away.

Gregster
06-19-04, 10:01 PM
It's not good to take stimulants on top of stimulants, but if you are healthy, especially with regards to blood pressure, you shouldn't have too many problems - I imagine the headaches will be the limiting factor (which could indicate increased blood pressure).
I pretty much cut coffee out of my diet when I started taking dexedrine - I didn't need it anymore. Now coffee is more of a treat than a staple.

medeski
06-19-04, 10:59 PM
I've been trying to research the same thing as well, one thing I read was that caffeine effects the way that Adderall is metabolized in your body, basically making it less effective and can also increase the the side effects you may experience from taking Adderall. I would only naturally assume that such factors as your daily dosage, age, weight, sex and overall health might play a part in how well your body would react to caffeine being taken at the same time as well, but as the person mentioned above, combining a stimulant with a stimulant might not be the best idea.

I definitely feel your pain though, I've been drinking caffeinated drinks for many, many...years, and actually get headaches when I stop "cold turkey" so to speak, so I've been gradually trying to decrease the amount of caffeine intake I have on a daily basis, as well as allowing time in-between from when I take my medication to when I drink caffeine to limit the effects of both interacting with each other as much as possible. until I can stop it all together.

If you're still unsure, I would get in touch with a pharmacist or licensed professional and ask their advice, other alternatives might be switching to decaf coffee or possibly even switching to Straterra instead of Adderall as Straterra is a nonstimiluant and would remove the danger, if I'm not mistaken, of combining stimulants. I'm definitely not a professional or anything but I hope that helps you in some, way, shape or form ;)

Tara
06-19-04, 11:12 PM
I have read a few posts that, when taking Adderall, caffeine should not be consumed. I take 20 mg Adderall a day in two doses and am drinking about 3 large mugs of coffee a day. What have others experienced from mixing these two? I certainly don't feel overly hyper; actually the last few days I have felt a little more tired than usual.Have you talked to your doctor about this? Maybe the dosage needs to be adjusted or maybe a long acting version might work better.

I have talked to a lot of people who have said once the Adderall was tritrated to the correct ammount that they did not need the coffee anymore. Many still had a cup in the morning but didn't drink it through out the day like they used to.