Coffee and Adderall XR do not mix

[EddieAnton]

I have been on Adderall XR 15 mg for 5 days now. It seems to have worked for 3 days out of 5 days so far. Yesterday being the best day and today the worst. I also drink 2 cups of coffee when I wake up on an empty stomach, and than another cup with breakfast and one more cup in the afternoon. The first 2 days on Adderall I felt very alert and was able to focus much better, I also cut my Coffee intake. Yesterday the best day I had so far I skipped my morning coffee and just took my medication. I had only a 1/2 cup of coffee with my breakfast, and the day went real well, I was calm and very focused and no negative side effects at all. Today I have the jitters and the medication did not seem to work at all. I took it this morning at 6 am and than a strong cup of coffee on top of that on an empty stomach. Another cup with breakfast at 9 am. Around 10 am while I was driving I felt like going to sleep, so I had another cup of strong starbucks coffee to pick me up. It made things worse. I never had this kind of an effect before with coffee. One thing is certain that no one can focus when they are nervous and have caffeine jitters. Has anyone else had a similar experience?. Tomorrow I will quit caffeine altogether and just take my dose with lots of water. I know that caffeine can increase the side affects. Now I have to quit coffee, the last time I quit coffee I had head aces and mood swings for 3 days.

Thanks for all your posts

Eddie

[DRM]

I think they're buddies but they get along better when they're not together? I've found that other than a little reflux coffee is a good substitute for Adderall. I quit taking Adderall 30mg a couple weeks ago (did 15mg for one week) to see how I feel. I feel okay, esp. if I do some coffee in the AM and some booze in the evening. My next step in my 3 step plan is to ditch the booze (I have GAD) and start running every evening religously to chill the nerves. Bottom line, you are right to post that here and I will admit that when I was on the 30mg as well as coffee I felt like I could keep up with most sportscars on the road. Maybe that is ultimately bad for your heart? I dunno. Thx for posting that though, I was actually wondering what others that 'did both' felt about it a few weeks ago.

[ChaoticOrder]

Yes... I agree with the "coffee/adderall don't mix" theory, and before going on medication, I was ingesting HUGE amounts of caffeine. The good news is that, when medicated, my desire to drink coffee seems to vanish. I don't even thin about it. I also don't think about smoking as much (this is the first hope I have had in a long time that I may be able to quit smoking).

Many days, I do not medicate until later in the afternoon. I just try to remember to taper back on the coffee preceding the time I take my medications. Someimes I remember, and sometimes I don't. The medication seems to have better effects on the times that I remember to back off on the coffee before hand.

Without stim meds, I think coffee helped me considerably with ADD (like I was subconsciously self-medicating with coffee). However, the end results and mechanisms of the two appear to be quite different. With coffee, it was more like being an alert scatter brain. But at least I would get going and try to make it to work (and at work, I could ingest mass quantities of free coffee!).

[EddieAnton]

Thanks for your replies.

It’s all about mental focus and concentration, that’s why I am taking this medication. All my life I have been on a emotional rollorcoasters never being able to focus and pay attention very long. Coffee did help, however you can only drink so much. I think in addition to taking this medication it is very important to eat healthy and exercise. Natural remedies for ADD always include eating natural healthy foods (more alkaline than acidic), exercise and good night sleeps. I know raising the dosage is not always the answer though I think the right dosage for me will be around 20 to 30 mg.

[Nova]

I'm one of the weirdos, LOL!

Both Adderall (the non XR version) and coffee have calming affect on me.

I've found myself, yawning, while taking both.


Nova

[boardtabitz]

If you are worried about headaches then just go off gradually. Mix decaf with your regular. I never get the urge for coffee either anymore but I drink lots of ice tea. It has never had the same effect as coffee on me so doesn't seem to have an impact now. In my twenties, I used to have a mountain dew open all the time. I would even have one by the bed to sip on if I woke up. It never kept me awake either.

The coffee would give me a jolt but it was just too unpleasant with the adderal. Keeping my adderal next to my bed I just take it a half hour before I actually get up and I can wake up like a normal person.

[SeaShelle]

Yep...me too. Coffee and I don't get along really well anymore. Strange, tho, coffee made me more wired and the amphetamine salts calm me down. I had better self-medicating results with diet coke...of course, my psychiatrist told me that coke may have had more caffiene than the coffee I was drinking. No need for caffiene for me anymore. I drink lots of water from my coffee cup.

[panthoot]

I've always been super sensitive to caffeine (racing heart, jittery, paranoid, etc.), and was pretty surprised when adderall and ritalin made me sleeeeeepy instead of speedy. I drink about a diet coke every day/other day, but for the first 2 weeks of being no Adderall, I had to cut that out. It made me twice as jittery as normal! After I adjusted to Adderall, that went away, though. You might want to just cut out any other substances 'til your body gets used to the Adderall, then add the ones you miss back in slowly.

[Hyperion]

I'd publish this one next to "Ursine execretory habits in an arborial environment" in the Journal of the Obvious.

Sorry, I just couldn't resist.

Anyways, yeah, mixing stimulants is not too good for your heart. I never liked coffee much, I'd use it when I had to, but when I started taking Adderall, I didn't miss it.

Glad you're ok, though.

[LittleD1981]

I'm on Adderall IR, and I drink coffee all the time with it and they don't seem to affect each other at all. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones. Neither raises my blood pressure either, so that is a bonus. Like someone mentioned above, I too can find myself yawning after drinking coffee. Several months back I made a post about the effects of caffeine on ADDers, as too strong of coffee or too much coffee, and I won't be able to keep my eyes open within the hour of drinking it. I HATE that, because I just love my Lite White Raspberries, not so hot, with an extra shot of espresso from Caribou Coffee...YUM! Then, zzzzzzzzzz! LOL

[EddieAnton]

Today is day 7 and yesterday I cut down my coffee to one cup. What a huge difference on the nerves. I do not really know how well the medication is working for me. It seems so so. All the side affects seem to be in reverse for than what was stated.

Loss of appetite, not for me I’m hungry all the time

Insomnia, not me it makes me tired and in the last 5 nights I don’t think I have ever slept better since I was a kid.

Rise in blood pressure, not me last night I checked and it was down.

Dry mouth, yes

Headache, just the last 2 days I think it’s because I cut my coffee intake.

I called my doctor yesterday but he told me it was to early to see if the medication is working.

He told me to keep taking 15 mg. my next appointment is in a month.

Thanks for all your post

Eddie

[Huh?]

I've pretty much phased out coffee. I still have a cup every once in a while just for the taste really. I grew up drinking "coffee milk". Soft drinks are a different story. I haven't been able to cut them completely, I still drink 1-3 a day. Today I bought a bunch of sprite/gatorade to drink instead of the caffeinated ones. When I combine caffeine/adderall, I get that jittery/speedy feeling and my concentration and anxiety usually worsen. It can't be good for blood pressure either since they both can cause it to spike.

[SweetNicole]

The reason why you get sedated when mixing caffeine and amphetamines is due to excessive neurological stimulation. Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant. Caffeine reduces boredom, depression, perceived physical exertion. Caffeine Helps increase alertness, acceptance for alternative theory, and performance on tasks seen as boring and/or repetitive. Amphetamines have been in existence since it was first synthesized in 1887. In 1930 the Benzedrine inhaler was released. The Benzedrine inhaler was just amphetamine, the product was indicated for congestion relief. When the public realized the soaking the contents of the inhaler in hot water could get them high, the product was taken off the market. In the same decade amphetamines were given approval for the treatment of ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and narcolepsy. During World War II, the government administered amphetamines to soldiers to gain competitive advantage. In 1971 amphetamines were made a scheduled narcotic. Due to the abuse potential, there is an abundance of research on amphetamines.

I recommend fighting the ADD/ADHD for a few minutes to read these links:
This page has a lot of useful information regarding caffeine:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/caff..._effects.shtml

For those of us on Adderall, Dexedrine, or other amphetamine compositions:
This is an introduction to the topic on amphetamines:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/amph...s_basics.shtml
The same layout as the first link, very informative:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/amph..._effects.shtml
The health effects of amphetamines:
http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/amph...s_health.shtml

[chadgarber]

I disagree that coffee and Adderall don't mix well. Background: The reason I even found out I had ADHD is because after I became a Christian, I would try to read my Bible and pray every morning but I found that it was extremely difficult for me to focus. Long story short, I found that coffee greatly helped me focus (especially on my morning 'Quiet Times'). I eventually got tested by a doctor and he confirmed what I was already suspecting: I have ADHD. I have been on various medicines since then (over 10 years ago) starting with Ritalin, going to Cylert and finally to Adderall. They have all been extremely helpful. What I found is that even on every one of these medications, I still can't focus very well in the morning without a couple of cups of coffee. So I take my Adderall and I drink a 12 oz cup of coffee when I read my bible and then another 12 oz cup of coffee while I pray. That is usually all the caffeine I drink all day although I take more Adderall (as prescribed) as the day progresses. So I find that in the morning I get in the zone with the aid of both coffee and adderall. Just thought I'd share my experience. One thing I think is important to realize is that everyone is different and everyone has to figure out what works best with their situation.

[Jamesbo198]

Hi, chadgarber, greetings from Toronto, Canada — Right on re: "everyone is different and everyone has to figure out what works best with their situation." I started Adderall XR 10mg 1xday last Friday (it works!), but it's wearing off after about 6 1/2 - 7 hrs. I had been a strong-coffee-drinker-in-the-morning kind of guy for years to give me mental traction (and moderate amounts of booze in the evenings to slow me down), but had abstained from coffee in the days leading up to beginning the Adderall.

Pre-Adderall, coffee has been great for me while it's done its "good stuff," but I end up being nervous, edgy, jittery, and extremely OCD after about an hour or so. I've tried to stop coffee, unsuccessfully, for years — it's been my lifeline to the rest of the world through a doctoral degree and a college teaching position (and two marriages). The Adderall, I am finding just in four days of taking it, gives me all of the traction I always have sought, but with a sense of calm and tranquillity and gentle focus that I prefer to the more edgy effects I get from caffeine. It's as though Adderall is clean, non-polluting, efficient solar power, while caffeine is dirty, polluting, inefficient coal power (for my body, that is).

That said, this morning — being the dyed-in-the-wool coffee junkie that I have been — I'm having coffee to get me through the morning and will wait to take my Adderall until noon so that I'm covered for a meeting I'm going to at 6 PM. My understanding is that for many (but apparently not for you!) it's best not to combine the two because coffee's acidic nature (as well as OJ, tomatoes, etc.) can neutralize the full efficacy of the Adderall. I meet with my doc next week and will request that I get a script to take the Adderall 2xday so that I'm covered from 7 AM into the evening. I'd prefer to get off the roller coaster that caffeine puts me on, and I believe Adderall will be a significant step in that direction — in other words, proper medication vs. self-medication.

This is my first post, too — ;;;8-) — What a fantastic forum this is — so much great info and sharing!

__________

ADHD inattentive, diagnosed March 2006 at age 53
Resisted taking meds and tried alternative holistic stuff on and off for 1 1/2 yrs (didn't work)
Continued self-medicating with caffeine AM and alcohol PM
Now taking Adderall XR 10mg 1xday — working like a gift from the heavens!