Re: pleas tell me or has someone else had a similar problem

[Anonymous]

Here’s a completely ‘out there’ question, but something that my pyschiatrist rides me on ALL OF THE TIME, how much caffeine do you drink, if any? I never saw myself as a huge caffeine drinker, I don’t really drink soda, but I love coffee, and the occasional energy drink…okay, so I guess I am a HUGE caffeine drinker! My doc explained to me that the more caffeine you drink, the ‘harder’ your medication has to work and it can add to the anxiety and agitation that you feel as well. It can also cause problems with sleep because you are kind of ‘doubling up’ on stimulants, and that’s just a downward spiral! I cut back considerably on it and did notice a difference, and when I ‘fall off the wagon’ and drink my usual 1/2 to a full pot of coffee, I notice that as well. I’ve been on Vyvanse for almost 3 years and there are days when I feel like it’s a miracle drug, other days when I feel like it’s a waste of time and money, but for the most part, I notice the little things. Like you, I was diagnosed previously with ADD. I was started on Ritalin, but my mom took me off of it because she didn’t ‘like’ how I was on the meds. I don’t remember much about it, but once I was ‘rediagnosed’ with ADHD 3 years ago, I talked to my dad to see why it was that they took me off the meds. I didn’t want a ‘repeat’ of the side effects. I have also had people tell me that they notice a huge difference in me and can rarely see it in myself, but I’m learning that the meds are great, but they are like putting a Band Aid on a knife wound, I’m working a lot with behavior modification and I’ve found the biggest (and hardest to acheive) part of it all it PATIENCE with yourself. If you can’t concentrate on something, put it away for a minute. I know that seems so counterintuitive to what we’re fighting, which is a lack of attention, but when I try to FORCE myself to read something over and over and over again, not only do I get very upset with myself, I still have not comprehended what I’ve read. I also started taking Yoga at my local gym, again, very ‘off the beaten path’, but I find that the breathing and the stillness of the movements kind of ‘trains’ my mind that it’s okay to be ‘still’ for a minute or two. My doc always says that us ADDers think that we are ‘Wonderful” at multitasking when in reality, while we do 5 or 6 things at once, we may only do 2 of those things correctly. Your mind may be on something else while you’re trying to read and that’s why you have trouble focusing. I’ve been like an information ‘sponge’ since my diagnosis, just trying different methods to see what works for me. You’ve come this far, don’t get discouraged. ***Sap Alert***You’re not alone.

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