Sure… adhd meds are stimulants, so caffeine is a (milder) alternative. My friend gave her daughter either strong tea or a caffeine pill every morning before grade 2, and it eased her symptoms so much her teacher started telling other parents about it. I guess the theory is that with adhd, the neurotransmitters are not working up to snuff, and the brain tries to “wake itself up” with the hyperactivity, so caffeine wakes up the brain instead, calming down the behavior.

Nicotine is a common self-medication too.

Hi Jonzie8,

You are not the only one who has questioned caffeine as a form of treatment for ADHD. I would recommend that you check out Ari Tuckman’s video, ADHD and Caffeine: Does Caffeine Work as a Treatment for Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)?, in which he explains the relationship between ADD/ADHD and caffeine.

Happy viewing! I hope it helps!

Thanks,
Kate

Thanks!

All I can say is coffee has been a life changer for me.
I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and im now 24. I took riddlin for a few years as a child but havent taken anything for 14 years or so. I just started drinking coffee a year ago because my husband liked it and its effects on me were great, it calms me down in soo many ways and helps me concentrate. I cannot live without my coffee.

Funny, I’ve always felt envious of prople who enjoy the benefits from coffee. There’s a lot of Cubans where I live (South Florida) and I can drink a few Cuban esspresso shots before I get any worthwhile results. I’ve always been “chatty” but when I take stimulants I can’t shut up even when I’m tired. My little brain is always clicking. So when a doctor presribed Adderall, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. As a massage therapist, being chatty is a deal-breaker. Probably why do better in a clinical setting where a Spa setting is never my niche.

People told me that the stimulant ADD meds would “calm me down.” Let me tell you, that’s not how I see it. From an insiders perspective stimulants stimulate-thats what they do! However, because they make your brain work better, you process information better, you can stay on task & focused. I belive this makes a person appear to be calmer because they aren’t running in cirlces tying to keep their thoughts &/or projects strait. Also because the meds help you think strait you become more organized & you’re not spazing-out trying to find things, remember thingd or do what all you want to do. But take it from me, if you take stimulants, organized & focused does not equate to “calm.” Some days I take a day off from taking the meds because I’m anxious or ticked off about something & stumulants make those things worse. That said, I do love how the meds have made me a higher functioning, more organized productive person. But when I still struggle with the “speedy side effects” of adderall. If I’m nervouse (like w/new clients) or jazzed up (like w/clients or people I like to talk to) I have to remind myself NOT to dominate the conversation. My husband still tells me he feels like sometimes I’m talking AT him & not TO him. He’ll get up & walk away just to get a break from my intense energy. But when I channel it into something useful or creative, it’s awesome!

I thought I was the only one that experienced this.
Whenever I drink coffee or tea I automatically want to get in bed and go to sleep, however my Therapist recommended I drink it to keep me focused. I’m trying to play with the amount that I drink because it does work but messes with my anxiety .

As long as I drink half a cup otherwise I’m in bed.

ME TOO!!!!  I am new on this site and I’ve not even been diagnosed (got a referral now) - I have used Buckleys Cough & Cold w strong coffee not a buzz but because it helps me concentrate, albeit for only like 3-4 hours.  I also used to pop Sudafed with coffee.  I feel more focussed and my mind calms down so that I can actually concentrate on tasks I want to do