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Not surprised at all that caffeine helps. ADHD is, bar none, the mental health diagnosis most amenable to medication. Specifically, stimulant therapy. There's n
by ThrustVectoring 6y ago
Not surprised at all that caffeine helps. ADHD is, bar none, the mental health diagnosis most amenable to medication. Specifically, stimulant therapy. There's no principled distinction between self-medicating and prescriptions here, other than various legal risks, costs, and side effect profiles. Caffeine is particularly poorly suited to this due to adaptation and anxiety, but it's certainly something, especially if you aren't a regular user. Amphetamine is the first-line treatment choice for a reason, and it makes a night-and-day difference tbh.
- logicslave 6y agoYes, but in the long run amphetamines will do significant damage to your health.
- borski 6y agoOnly if abused at high doses. I was recently diagnosed with ADD and the adderall XR is incredibly helpful, and at my 10mg dose on an “as needed” basis (since I don’t need productivity every day) I’m not concerned at all.
- logicslave 6y agoHow long have you been taking it? The cracks will show years down the road, not initially.
- sudosysgen 6y agoLong term studies on ADHD patients do not support this hypothesis.
- renewiltord 6y agoThis is not evidence-based.
- specialjack 6y agoCurious if you have any sources for this? I have heard this before and struggled to find data that backs it up.
- tudelo 6y agoI have heard it can be bad for oral health due to dehydration. Not sure how much of that ends up being a feeling versus physically needing water, and how dehydration affects oral health, or exactly how I would connect all of the dots there (or if I even should attempt it), but it seems reasonable.
- devmunchies 6y ago> Not sure how much of that ends up being a feeling versus physically needing water it does dry out your oral/nasal cavity. It can cause your body to produce mucus to compensate. I commonly feel like swallowing is slow as if there is a thin layer of mucus lining my throat. Even had yellow mucus drip out of my nose as if it were a nose bleed (happened 3-4 occasions), which comes from having a sinus infection. This is one of the reasons I switch to micro-dosing on an empty stomach and supplementing with coffee to limit exposure to amphetamines.
- volkl48 6y agoIt reduces saliva production. Saliva helps play a protective role in terms of oral health in basically all aspects, from my understanding. It's possible for it to lead to increased clenching/grinding of teeth. With that said....a decent diet and doing all the things you're supposed to be doing anyway in terms of oral hygiene and you ought to be fine. It's not a "you're going to ruin your mouth", it's a "pay more attention to this". Been taking Adderall XR for >10 years, no cavities or other dental concerns personally speaking.
- logicslave 6y agoI personally took it for a long time, have a few pharmacists in my family. General life experience along with many examples witnessed around me lead me to believe that there is no free lunch. The focus you get comes at a price
- devmunchies 6y agoI do 3-5mg IR so it has minimum impact on health but take on an empty stomach so its effective. My goal is to feel it just enough to get a little help.
- elliekelly 6y agoLeaving ADHD untreated can do significant damage to your health, too.
- nullsense 6y agoThis is something people just don't appreciate at all. ADHD is shortens life expectancy by 12 years on average. I imagine it runs the gamut from addiction problems, accidents, suicide, obesity, ignoring health problems until they snowball etc. I'm certainly guilty of that last one. Since getting diagnosed I've been making a point to never leave a health problem ignored. Sure, it might take 6 months to a year for me to eventually book the appointment, but I'm getting them under control at my own pace.
- jdgoesmarching 6y ago[Citation needed]
- InitialLastName 6y agoWhy would they cite when they can just as easily insinuate?
- ThrustVectoring 6y agoI am not professionally employable without ADHD medication. I'm willing to that risk for roughly $3m in career earnings.
- Igelau 6y agoBut just think of all those extra years you could have living in a cardboard box and feeling like a major disappointment! Or missing out on being completely spaced out, depressed, or anxious during major life events in your family!
- sizzle 6y agoHave any sources on neurodegenerative links between ADHD and longterm stimulant use? I think I saw a studying linking increased risk to parkinsons? This terrifies me.
- HPsquared 6y agoIf there is such an association, how would a study differentiate between the underlying condition causing the increased risk, and the medication itself? Edit: smokers have reduced rates of Parkinson's disease, and nicotine is a stimulant.
- Igelau 6y agoI can see how on the outside that might be a concern. How many awful years would you be willing to trade for good years? 2:1? 5:1? 10:1? Consider Lifetime Remaining x Quality of Life If QoL is negative but can be switched to positive at some cost of LR it's not a hard deal to make. Especially in a world with car accidents and deadly diseases.
- HPsquared 6y agoAnd that's not even accounting for the beneficial effects on friends/family/society.
- throwawaydhd 6y agoAh well, got to die of something. If taking Vyvanse most days knocks a few years off my lifespan, it doesn't matter. I'm going to die anyway, eventually. As we all are, ADHD-medicated or not.
- schneidmaster 6y agoCoffee consumption was actually one of the questions that I was asked when my therapist first suspected that I had ADHD. I used to drink 5+ cups per day (especially workdays) while feeling fairly little effect from it. I'm now on medication which works an order of magnitude better for managing my symptoms, and I rarely drink more than 1 cup of coffee per day. It's also worth noting that ADHD often comes with other mental health comorbidities; in my case, it exacerbated my depression. I would often fall into a spiral of inability to focus -> feeling bad about myself for not completing work that I was generally more than capable of doing -> even less ability to focus. I still have depression, but starting on ADHD medication all-but-removed my most frequent trigger.
- madamelic 6y ago> I would often fall into a spiral of inability to focus -> feeling bad about myself for not completing work that I was generally more than capable of doing -> even less ability to focus. I still have depression, but starting on ADHD medication all-but-removed my most frequent trigger. I had the same issue! I told my prescribing doctor this same thing and she trusted me enough to try out Adderall before SSRIs again. Turns out my hypothesis of my depression + anxiety largely being tied to my sense of productivity was right. After going in for an EKG check-up on orders of the prescribing doctor, I found a fairly benign heart issue that the cardiologist believes may be the cause of my "panic attacks" (eg: my attacks may be heart racing -> panic, not panic -> heart racing!) All of that from just treating "I feel bad because I get nothing done".
- TurkishPoptart 6y agois it normal to get an EKG in relation to ADHD medication? I'm in your boat too. I've tried antidepressants with no results so I'm going to see a doctor about ADHD this time.
- madamelic 6y ago>is it normal to get an EKG in relation to ADHD medication? Not sure. My provider asked me to get one done. I talked to the cardiologist about this and she didn't seem surprised it was requested nor that I was the first to get it done.
- Igelau 6y agoI unknowingly self-medicated with ludicrous amounts of coffee before my diagnosis, but my tolerance got way too high. After that, realizing that my preferred decongestant was not only helping my cold symptoms, but also allowing me to pay attention when people were talking and complete plans in a "this seems like that thing other people are really good at, but I'm not" kind of way... that was a major tell.
- taneq 6y agoWhat decongestant was that? Amphetamines originally entered the market as decongestants, and it was the observation that these drugs allowed unruly kids to focus that lead to modern ADHD medication.
- scottlamb 6y ago> After that, realizing that my preferred decongestant was not only helping my cold symptoms, but also allowing me to pay attention when people were talking and complete plans in a "this seems like that thing other people are really good at, but I'm not" kind of way... that was a major tell. Interesting. Was it pseudoephedrine? I took Allegra-D every day in high school and college to manage allergies as wells as colds and sinus infections. (I hear that's not advisable, but I didn't know any better then, and somehow my allergist didn't either.) I wonder if it was helping me concentrate also. I've never been diagnosed with ADHD, but many of the things people are describing here are familiar. Overall I've been pretty successful in life despite this, but I've had my ups and downs. The pandemic has been a down; I'm really struggling with concentration, so much so that I left my job and am taking a sabbatical before finding another. There are certainly valid reasons it's been hard (e.g., I have two young kids, went entirely without daycare for a while, and am helping my son with online kindergarten now) but they seem to affect me much more than my wife, whether that's due to undiagnosed ADHD, anxiety, the different natures of our work, burn-out, or some other factor.