The effects of caffeine on the autistic mind

Page 4 of 5 [ 80 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next

Joined: 7 Dec 2010
Age: 54
Gender: Female
Posts: 12,275
Location: University of California Sunnydale (fictional location - Real location Olympia, WA)

04 Jul 2011, 6:41 pm

draelynn wrote:

I think 'to prove' will always be in the eye of the beholder. I usually find that those that scream the loudest about NOT being bigoted or biased are usually the worst offenders. the more educated the bigot, the less able they are to see it, it seems.

Yeah, people hold all kinds of biases that they refuse to admit to, even while acting out on them in explicit ways. To them, they're just "being honest" or "telling it like it is" or using "common sense" or other excuses.

Draelynn wrote:

Facts are facts but how they are presented is always in question. How do you find a totally and completely unbiased source - someone, someplace not tainted by money, opinion or personal belief? I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist.

There is no such thing as an unbiased, objective source, but then objectivity itself is an illusionary thing that is, IMO, completely impossible to achieve.

And how many different ways can you present "20% of the population has 80% of the wealth" while also pointing out that despite inflation, wages haven't improved for everyone else in decades?

iheartmegahitt
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 9 Sep 2010
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 784
Location: My own little world - No outsiders allowed!

04 Jul 2011, 7:21 pm

SammichEater wrote:

I have noticed that over the past few weeks, if I drink caffeinated beverages, the ability to interact socially becomes much easier. Now, I have not found any information on this yet outside of my own experience, so forming a hypothesis isn't very easy. Here are a few of my thoughts on this:

It could simply be a coincidence. I am working with insufficient data right now, so it's hard to tell.

Faking neurotypical traits requires a lot of energy. Since caffeine is a stimulant, it increases attention and memory, making the difficult task quite a bit less daunting.

Since caffeine changes brain chemistry, it does make sense that this could have some sort of effect. I know I have read somewhere on the internet (maybe here somewhere) that the autistic mind contains less dopamine (although, keep in mind, I have no citation for this). I'm thinking that maybe caffeine can act in the same way as dopamine, allowing for a temporary reduction in autistic traits.

I could just be crazy, but I could also be on to something here.

And note that I am not suggesting that we all start drinking twice as much coffee. That doesn't help in the long run, as the brain becomes immune (and addicted) to caffeine over time.

For me. its different. If I drink too much caffeine or more than two cans then I start to feel really sick. I feel faint and fatigued as well. So it doesn't really do much to help me. I have ADHD do too and I also take a medication that helps with stimulation and that could be why.

_________________
Diagnosed with an autistic disorder (Not AS but mild to moderate classic Autism), ADHD, Learning Disability, intellectual disability and severe anxiety (part of the autism); iPad user; written expressionist; emotionally-sensitive

ezekiel
Tufted Titmouse

Joined: 11 Jun 2011
Gender: Male
Posts: 37

04 Jul 2011, 7:23 pm

Quote:

Caffeine causes the secretion of adrenaline, so the effects you are feeling could be due to the adrenaline.

Quote:

Yeah, it could be something like that. Adrenaline gives energy, and energy gives confidence. Which explains why caffeine not only improves memory and cognitive thoughts, but also helps to greatly reduce social anxiety. It seems like with caffeine, my social autopilot actually works, still not fully, but somewhat.

Yes, I find the same, but only if caffeine use is carefully analyzed. Different sources of caffeine have different effects, at different rates of consumption, mixed with sugar and milk or not, etc. I am starting to get to where I can create one hour or so of semi-NT thinking/behavior. Not much more than that per day.

FearOfMusic
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 3 Jun 2011
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 638

04 Jul 2011, 7:48 pm

ezekiel wrote:

Quote:

Caffeine causes the secretion of adrenaline, so the effects you are feeling could be due to the adrenaline.

Quote:

I only drink my coffee black with no sugar now (except the rare occasion where I make myself a latte). In the past I would drink coffee with sugar in it but I found that I would get exhausted after the affects wore off, I think caffeine+sugar = hyperactivity for me. Just caffeine doesn't make me hyperactive, it just makes me more focused and elevates my mood quite a bit. I don't really remember getting an elevated mood when I first started drinking coffee, just better concentration. I think maybe the mood swing is more from addiction... just the smell of coffee will elevate my mood.

PS: The cup of coffee I had while reading this thread was wonderful!

_________________
((12+144+20+3*(4^(1/2)))/7)+5*11 = (9^2) + 0

JakeASD
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 8 Jul 2015
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,297
Location: Kent, UK

04 Oct 2016, 9:10 am

Whilst I love caffeine, I find it can sometimes heighten my anxiety levels, thus it can be difficult for me to think clearly.

It's difficult for me abstain from as I have grown addicted to the stuff over the past few years, and coffee shops are ubiquitous.

_________________
"Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. " - Special Agent Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks

TheExplodingHayato
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 27 Jan 2017
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Posts: 6
Location: Morioh-Cho

27 Jan 2017, 12:44 pm

Caffeine tends to calm me down and make me a better person to be around. It helps me concentrate on what I need to.

_________________
Diagnosis: Asperger's Syndrome / HFA
Self-Diagnosis: Hyperphantasia [sic]
Neurodiverse Score: 160/200
Neurotypical Score: 55/200
Neurodiverse Skills: Talent, Perception, Communication, Relationship, Social
Neurotypical Skills: Relationship

*I have The Sight. I am a master Wavemaker.*

~ Purveyor of fine food, fine drink, fine entertainment and fine people ~

Fraser_1990
Toucan
Toucan

Joined: 26 Nov 2016
Age: 33
Gender: Male
Posts: 251
Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

27 Jan 2017, 2:11 pm

I pop 200mg caffeine tablets at college to help prevent me from zoning out so much. I can't take any more than 200mgs every 3 hours or so, or it becomes counterproductive. The withdrawal can also be awful, but I find taking 5htp just before the caffeine effects wear off helps to take the edge off.

I might look into low dosing on Ritalin or Dexedrine to see how it compares.

_________________
Prof-Diagnosed: Aspergers Syndrome (I still call it that!), Dyspraxia, Dysgraphia
Self-diagnosed: ADHD-PI, Social Anxiety, Depression
Treatment: 5-HTP, Ginkgo Biloba, Omega-3, Pro-Biotics, Multi Vitamin, Magnesium

Joe90
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 23 Feb 2010
Gender: Female
Posts: 26,492
Location: UK

27 Jan 2017, 2:20 pm

I don't think caffeine affects me. I can be hyper or depressed whether I've had caffeine or not. And caffeine does not affect my sleep either. I drink a lot of caffeine in the evening, and I still sleep well. The only thing is I think consuming a lot of caffeine makes me pee, which explains why I keep waking up in the night to have to go to the bathroom. But otherwise, it does not affect my mind.

_________________
Female

jrjones9933
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 13 May 2011
Age: 55
Gender: Male
Posts: 13,144
Location: The end of the northwest passage

27 Jan 2017, 2:24 pm

All stimulants make me focus on other people more. Coffee makes me a better person. I can have much better conversations with it than without it.

I've been thinking about this for some time, and even posted in this thread as my understanding evolves. Vices are a special interest, lol.

_________________
"I find that the best way [to increase self-confidence] is to lie to yourself about who you are, what you've done, and where you're going." - Richard Ayoade

This_Amoeba
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 20 Dec 2016
Gender: Female
Posts: 575
Location: Plum Island, NY

27 Jan 2017, 6:07 pm

Yeah, I love stimulants. I'm prescribed adderall to treat comorbid attention deficit disorder, and It works wonderfully for improving socializing. I noticed it makes me write longer and more numerous posts after taking it. Caffines okay, but it causes dehydration and irritability. Amphetamine is my savior though.

EzraS
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Sep 2013
Gender: Male
Posts: 27,828
Location: Twin Peaks

27 Jan 2017, 8:07 pm

I don't believe caffeine has any effect on me whatsoever. It might perk me up just a little, but then again there's many other things I ingest which has the same effect.

Plus I have consumed so much caffeine in the way of energy drinks such as Monster and Rockstar, I've probably built up quite a tolerance to it. The only reason I drink those beverages is because they taste good and the ones I drink are sugar free.

tick
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker

Joined: 17 Apr 2014
Age: 51
Gender: Female
Posts: 74
Location: Missouri

27 Jan 2017, 10:21 pm

I remember green tea once helping me get through a meltdown that started in the middle of Barnes and Noble. I never thought about caffeine having any effect, there isn't much in green tea, but maybe. It was a relatively mild meltdown, just a lot of loud sobbing in a public space until I could get to the car. Next meltdown I'm going to experiment with a cup of coffee. Anyone here noticed caffeine working mid-meltdown? It would be great if all I need is coffee. I know it helps with migraines.(along with acetaminophen and aspirin, aka Excedrin)

jrjones9933
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 13 May 2011
Age: 55
Gender: Male
Posts: 13,144
Location: The end of the northwest passage

27 Jan 2017, 11:00 pm

I have never had a cup of coffee during a meltdown, that I can recall. My experience seems to indicate that it helps, in that it's fairly easy to send me into a meltdown right after I wake up, but I feel more stable after I have coffee.

_________________
"I find that the best way [to increase self-confidence] is to lie to yourself about who you are, what you've done, and where you're going." - Richard Ayoade

liveandrew
Velociraptor

Joined: 4 Oct 2016
Age: 56
Gender: Male
Posts: 479
Location: Cornwall, UK

28 Jan 2017, 4:05 am

Caffeine doesn't seem to affect me at all and I've always been puzzled by people who say it perks them up or that they can't sleep after drinking some. I used to drink a lot of very strong coffee but quit a few years back as I was sure it wasn't good for me, plus it would save money. I got terrible headaches for a week afterwards and now only drink one cup a day (french-press, freshly ground) except on weekends when I have two.

_________________
Diagnosed: Asperger's Syndrome (ICD-10)
Self-Diagnosed: Aphantasia
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 152 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 46 of 200

Listener of all things noisy, viewer of all things bloody, writer of all things sh*t.

TheExplodingHayato
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 27 Jan 2017
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Posts: 6
Location: Morioh-Cho

28 Jan 2017, 6:49 am

@tick

It can take a while to kick in. I have a cup of coffee on the way to school in the morning and it calms me right down. It's different for all people, but I'd say drink one in the morning and see if something that would usually give you a meltdown affects you as much.

Adifferentera
Emu Egg
Emu Egg

Joined: 28 Jan 2017
Gender: Male
Posts: 3

28 Jan 2017, 9:15 am

Although I have not been diagnosed, I have noticed that my body speeds up to match the speed of my brain.
Is this normal for people that have been diagnosed with Asperger's/High Functioning Autism?

Page 4 of 5 [ 80 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 Next

Jump to:

The effects of caffeine on the autistic mind Post Reply New Topic

The effects of caffeine on the autistic mind