ADHD: Does caffeine help? (MSN)

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ADHD: Does caffeine help?

Like methylphenidate (Ritalin, others), caffeine is a stimulant. But can it help treat ADHD?
From MayoClinic.com
Q: Is it true that caffeine can have a calming effect on a child with ADHD?

No name / No state given

Some studies suggest that high doses of caffeine combined with methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, others) may be more effective in treating attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than methylphenidate alone. Like methylphenidate, caffeine is a stimulant. However, too much caffeine also can cause insomnia, nervousness, irritability and increased heart rate. Because of their smaller body size, children are even more susceptible to these effects than adults are. For these reasons, most pediatricians discourage caffeine consumption in children. Caffeine is not recommended as a treatment for ADHD in children.

http://health.msn.com/health-topics/adh ... &GT1=10900

I personally use caffene to help me focus and operate at a productive level. I feel like I use it more like a medication than most people. It is cheap and plentiful, so it is a convenient thing to self-medicate with.

caffeine does enhance other stimulants.

That's why I don't coffee though, because it does work, but it can also put me to sleep.

I have AS & ADD, tried "real" ADD meds, didn't like them. But they did help me a lot, so I compromised. Yep, caffine. I like the green tea "diet pills", since tea is good for you and I never drink it because I hate the taste.

I too have AS and ADD and caffeine does wonders for my focus when trying to get my homework done. Of course sometimes I overdo it and am awake for 2 days straight. I've determined that 12 cups of coffee is probably more than I need to drink in a 5-hour period.

I am a hard-core caffine addict and I still have issues with mental fatigue and attention span....no amount of stimulant seems to stave it off for very long. Maybe green tea with ginsing extract added (very bitter)...alot of herbal stimulants seem to make me irritable.
It is something I constantly struggle with.

...but without caffine i am useless...

My trouble with using caffeine is that I seem to adapt to requiring it to function at all. I then don't notice that I am running myself very sleep deprived until I crash and burn. Once was a very literal crash where I ended up running my car into a rather large tree. Luckily the dozen or so smaller trees slowed my car to the point where I had no injuries.

It is a weird thing....I use it to wake up and I sometimes will drink coffee if I can't sleep and want to go back to bed.

Now for all of you who only eat organic, free-range, pesticide and hormone free, non-GMO...

Caffeine is a pesticide that plants produce to protect themselves. Of course it's an all-natural pesticide, so put a little surgar in your coffee and leave it out overnight for the roaches.

Wow!
So I could put sugared coffee in a spray bottle and spray it behind the toaster oven?

Not to breach the subject, but catnip is also great for fending off roaches...(make catnip tea and put in spray bottle)