Stim Nation: Forget Ritalin, Drink Coffee
Can caffeine be used to control ADHD instead of stimulant medication such as Adderall? The Monitor has look at the issue.
‘At one time, it was believed the coffee would decrease the activity in the brain,’ said McAllen family physician Dr. Benjamin Bujanda. ‘Now we have proved caffeine makes you hyper so it is not indicated for people having these disorders.’
Not so, responds Dr. Joel Young, a Detroit child psychiatrist and a member of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association. The Pennsylvania-based nonprofit is a national advocacy group for attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder research.
Coffee being used to calm kids
Find Out More:
Books:
- Ritalin-Free Kids: Safe and Effective Homeopathic Medicine for ADHD and Other Behavioral and Learning Problems
- Beyond Ritalin: Facts About Medication and Other Strategies for Helping Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Attention Deficit Disorders
- Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
- ADHD: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Children, Adolescents, and Adults
- Teenagers With ADD: A Parents’ Guide (The Special-Needs Collection)
April 26th, 2006
ADD / ADHD, ADD / ADHD Medication
Comments on: Stim Nation: Forget Ritalin, Drink Coffee
I’m not sure to what Dr.Young is saying “Not so”.
Coffee makes them hyper? Coffee isn’t indicated?
That it decreases activity in the brain?
Coffee does make you hyper, it makes you jittery. Along with these effects, it increases brain activity. Coffee also “drops you off” quite hard and fast and leaves you jittery still for some time. It is not long acting enough AT ALL for ADHD! Seriously, it gives me panic attacks where Ritalin does not. Either is better with food but caffeine is simply not good enough to stimulate ME through a productive period…
So seriously, what’s the big deal here.
Posted by: Eric McBride October 14th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
When people who are not ADHD abuse ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall, they become hyperactive and jittery. These same medications make people with ADHD calm. In my experience, caffeine works similarly to prescription ADHD medications.
Both of my children and I are ADHD. One of my sons has had dramatic improvement on traditional ADHD medication, both in regard to his concentration and mood swings. My other son is less affected by ADHD and has been taking 100 mg of caffeine (table form) once or twice a day for several months. His concentration has improved and we both have noticed that he has fewer “anger” episodes when he is on caffeine. As for me, I function best when on prescription stimulants but suffer from headaches even when not on ADHD medications. I have compromised by taking caffeine in the same doses as my son and working really hard with calendars, notes, etc. to function at a reasonable level. The caffeine helps me stay somewhat focused and prevents negative mood swings (when completely off of stimulants, I feel overwhelmed and distressed on a daily basis).
Posted by: Patrice Kapur October 20th, 2007 at 3:45 pm
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