ADHD and Caffeine - My Experience

The experts seem to be divided as to whether caffeine is a good thing or a bad thing for those of us with ADHD. In this video I'm sharing my experience especially with regards to messing up my sleep.

[BevThorogood]

Let me know your experience with caffeine - did it help your ADHD or make it worse?

[LonnaRaeDHD]

I have ADHD, Combined Type, clinically diagnosed almost 3 years ago at age 46. Caffeine and stimulants (I’m prescribed Adderall) actually both calm me down considerably. I rarely remembered to take the Adderall and I just decided recently to stop taking it altogether due to a heart condition I have but it was a tough decision because it was life changing for me. I drink coffee before I go to bed because it helps me relax. I have been a huge coffee drinker for over 30 years because of the calming effects it has on me.

[autumngryffinnheart]

Hi Bev, my family is addicted to tea! Hard to get out of bed without knowing there's a cuppa coming. I need caffeine to get going in the morning. But I can't have a lot of caffeine after midday otherwise I get heart palpitations in bed and can't sleep. Over the years I have regularly consumed caffeine in cola (diet coke got me through uni), tea, coffee and chocolate. The tricky thing is I get headaches with not enough and also too much, lol. The other important thing is that there is way more caffeine in coffee than tea. Recently, I heard that caffeine is thought to keep the dopamine around, so good to get your dopamine levels up first before having too much caffeine. The caffeine then keeps that dopamine around so you feel good for longer after some stimulation. Thanks very much for discussing this and keep going with your 30 days 🤩

[SimplyKatieWalks]

I was a drug addict for years. (14 years sober) i just wanted my brain to stop going. That being said, i love my diet soda. Great video ❤❤

[Lifeinthewyldewest]

When my son was in the 2nd grade his teacher told me that soda pop had the opposite effect on kids who had ADHD. Blew my mind at the time.
Working for 31 years in accounting, I drank coffee like I maze well stick an IV in my arm. It kept me calm😂 I would also trip out when people said caffeine affected their sleep and couldn’t have a cup of coffee past 2 pm. So as you can imagine…I’m still trying to figure this out. The more I learn from you the more I’m convinced I’m wired differently.

Maybe it is personal to each person and their make up. I don’t see that coffee amps me up or makes it to where I can’t sleep so this makes total sense to me.

Your walk really is beautiful.

[clairebevington]

hi Bev, I've been experimenting abit and drinking more coffee on a morning only say switching from 1 to 2 cups a morning and I have found my focus and concentration are better when I ha e more caffeine and tea doesn't so that for me. I've drunk coffee all my life (I'm almost 49) while I was little so maybe the fact I drank alot more coffee then masked some synonyms although I still struggled with focus etc. I had my triage phonecall a few weeks back and my assesment is booked for the 7th October so I'm researching all sorts of facets of adhd. im not completely happy with medication if its amphetamine based but very early to think about that I suppose.