5 ms·

As a PSA, something to be aware of is the stimulant paradox for anxiety due to ADHD. Typically anxiety & stimulants would be a no-go combination, but for folks

As a PSA, something to be aware of is the stimulant paradox for anxiety due to ADHD. Typically anxiety & stimulants would be a no-go combination, but for folks with ADHD-induced anxiety stimulants can actually help. I know someone whose child was (finally) properly diagnosed with ADHD only after they let their child try a tiny bit of their coffee and there was a significant change. It was the revelation needed to get to a good treatment path.

PragmaticPulp 4y ago
FYI - The idea that stimulant response can be used as a diagnostic tool for ADHD is a myth. No researcher or professional who studies the subject actually takes that seriously. Nobody should be interpreting their response (or a child’s response) to stimulants as a diagnostic indicator for ADHD. It’s also worth noting they caffeine isn’t an effective ADHD treatment (it had been studied) and caffeine and Adderall don’t actually overlap as much as people seem to think.
- ineedasername 4y ago
  You say it's a myth, and yet I have direct knowledge of a case where it went that way. To be clear though, the stimulant response was not by itself the only diagnostic criteria. They we're engaged with a process of trying to determine a correct diagnosis. The child's response to a stimulant was one piece of data, and happened to be the one that made everything else click into place. If there is a myth here, it is only the idea that a response to a stimulant by itself is sufficient for a diagnosis. It's not. Also, yes-- caffeine isn't a great treatment here either. With respect to ADHD there are more effective methods. Related research: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6110701/#:~:text=The%20administration%20of%20stimulant%20drugs,behavior%20emitted%20by%20the%20subject https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6110701/#:~:text=The%20admin.... https://psychcentral.com/blog/adhd-millennial/2018/06/when-stimulants-help-with-anxiety#1 https://psychcentral.com/blog/adhd-millennial/2018/06/when-s... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4617411/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4617411/ https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/child-adolescent-psychiatry/stimulants-may-actually-lower-anxiety-in-kids-with-adhd/ https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/child-adolesce...
  - PragmaticPulp 4y ago
    > You say it's a myth, and yet I have direct knowledge of a case where it went that way. Anecdotes like this are purely coincidental. Parents think they notice one thing, then later get an ADHD diagnosis and assume they’re both related. Like I said, caffeine and ADHD medications don’t actually substitute for each other and have drastically different effects. Caffeine is not an effective ADHD medication, so it’s not relevant to the studies you’re linking.

PragmaticPulp 4y ago

FYI - The idea that stimulant response can be used as a diagnostic tool for ADHD is a myth. No researcher or professional who studies the subject actually takes that seriously. Nobody should be interpreting their response (or a child’s response) to stimulants as a diagnostic indicator for ADHD. It’s also worth noting they caffeine isn’t an effective ADHD treatment (it had been studied) and caffeine and Adderall don’t actually overlap as much as people seem to think.

ineedasername 4y ago
You say it's a myth, and yet I have direct knowledge of a case where it went that way. To be clear though, the stimulant response was not by itself the only diagnostic criteria. They we're engaged with a process of trying to determine a correct diagnosis. The child's response to a stimulant was one piece of data, and happened to be the one that made everything else click into place. If there is a myth here, it is only the idea that a response to a stimulant by itself is sufficient for a diagnosis. It's not. Also, yes-- caffeine isn't a great treatment here either. With respect to ADHD there are more effective methods. Related research: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6110701/#:~:text=The%20administration%20of%20stimulant%20drugs,behavior%20emitted%20by%20the%20subject https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/6110701/#:~:text=The%20admin.... https://psychcentral.com/blog/adhd-millennial/2018/06/when-stimulants-help-with-anxiety#1 https://psychcentral.com/blog/adhd-millennial/2018/06/when-s... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4617411/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4617411/ https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/child-adolescent-psychiatry/stimulants-may-actually-lower-anxiety-in-kids-with-adhd/ https://www.psychiatryadvisor.com/home/topics/child-adolesce...
- PragmaticPulp 4y ago
  > You say it's a myth, and yet I have direct knowledge of a case where it went that way. Anecdotes like this are purely coincidental. Parents think they notice one thing, then later get an ADHD diagnosis and assume they’re both related. Like I said, caffeine and ADHD medications don’t actually substitute for each other and have drastically different effects. Caffeine is not an effective ADHD medication, so it’s not relevant to the studies you’re linking.