The Coffee Update

How interesting! I guess it makes sense - both amphetamine and caffeine are stimulants. I would definitely be more comfortable giving a child caffeine. I found a website that lists the caffeine content of the various sodas.... [url]www.nsda.org/WhatsIn/caffeinecontent.html[/url]

Does it affect their sleep? Do you stop at a certain time of day?

I don't think it affects R's sleep as he is able to take a nap an hour after drinking caffine. The idea is that children with ADHD need a stimulant to help them calm down. Since he's been drinking coffee he's actually slept better at night and nap time. I do cut off the caffine at 4pm. By then he really doesn't need to stay focused anymore. --LeenaB

I would have thought that caffiene would be the worst thing for ADHD kids... anyone giving caffiene in addition to meds? Or avoid giving both? My son takes Concerta... works good in the am, but by 3 or so, it's worn off. Maybe we can try this!! :rolleyes:

Caffeine should have less of an effect on sleep than the amphetamine and amphetamine-like drugs that are routinely prescribed for ADHD. In the past, researchers were not very able to explain exactly HOW the amphetamines worked to --calm-- a child who was already hyper and they called it a paradoxical effect. They believed that if you gave the drug to a child who did not have ADHD that you would see hyperactive behavior. More recently, research has shown that --most people-- regardless of whether they have ADHD show improvement in concentration and attention when on the (relatively) low doses of amphetamine that are prescribed for ADHD. Stimulant drugs improve the ability to focus. The fact that they work in kids with ADHD is not at all paradoxical. Of course, at high doses (seen in people who abuse the drug), the deficits in functioning far out weigh any improvements in concentration. I read an interesting article recently based on research about the effects of caffeine. It said that the way most Americans drink coffee is not the best way to achieve what they're looking for (e.g., feeling awake, improved concentration, etc.) As far as I can recall, the researchers recommended drinking one 6 ounce cup in the morning and then dosing with 2 ounces every couple of hours until the mid-late afternoon slump. I thought it was pretty interesting. I'll try to see if I can find it.

My daughter also takes concerta, and it wears off by the late afternoon. But she also has trouble sleeping sometimes. I hesitate to add caffeine after 2, because I am not sure if the inability to sleep is stress or too much stimulants.

Caffiene and stimulants work on different areas of the brain. I'd NOT suggest you experiment with Caffinated sodas and coffee instead of medication without first consulting your pediatrician. Medicating a child without your ped's knowledge is a very bad idea; especially since there are other issue to be considered such as sensory-integration disorders and attachment issues that can look like ADHD but which are treated very differently. In addition, there are no stim meds that are very effective with ADHD, such as Strattera that you may want to consider instead of a stim med. regards

Regarding the caffine, we have discussed this with R's pediatric neurologist. The options were ritalin or trying coffee. We have also discussed it with R's occupational therapist and speech therapist and everyone is on the same page, and the caseworker too. R has a laundry list of issues: FAS, SID, ADHD, expressive & receptive language disorder, functional developmental delays, born exposed to cocaine. We have had him evaluated for attachment disorders, but he doesn't have it. He is very well attached to our family. We really didn't want to medicate R with strong stimulants; he's 4 yrs old and 34 lbs so it's very difficult to find the correct dosage. Plus the side effects of the medications were horendous and we really don't want R to loose any weight. He's already at the 26th percentile for his age. We just don't feel that all of the side effects are worth the results. Now with coffee, the only side effect we have found are more frequent urination and an increase in his appetite. With coromega there have been no side effects period. And we consulted our pediatrician, pediatric neurologist, speech therapist and OT. Everyone is okay with it. I also consulted Dr. John Ratey author of many books on ADHD to get his opinion on the caffine issue. He's a friend of our family's so he was very helpful and had the time to be informed about everything R has going on. He has a great website: [url]www.johnratey.com[/url] Also Thom Hartmann is a firm believer in not medicating for ADHD and he has it himself. [url]www.thomhartmann.com[/url] I encourage others to advocate for their children. I personally don't feel children should be medicated if there's another alternative out there. Don't let all the doctors tell you what your child needs. Do the research and take it into the office with you on the next visit. Hope this helps, LeenaB

Good for you LeenaB! I think it's great that you have done so much research to do all that you can for your children! Thank you for being so caring and giving of yourself for the sake of our children. I will certainly check out those websites. I try to research as much info as I can, but I don't always have the time I wish that I could. Dr. Art, I appreciate all that you do to assist adoptive children and their families. I know your background, as I met you in a workshop you gave at the PA SWAN Permanency Conference on July 1. I value your opinions on many issues, and respect that you are an authority on attachment issues. I have been holding back saying this, as I do not mean offense, but I can hold back no longer. It seems as if you generally impose that RAD or some level of Attachment Disorder is present in every child discussed on these forums. It also seems that you generally "promote" (even though not this time, most of your other posts do) "seeking a professional evaluation by an ATTACH certified therapist". No offense, but you could be misunderstood by some people as a paid endorser for ATTACH. I know that a high percentage of children "in the system" have some level of Attachment issues... but not all, and certainly not all of them can be treated the same. My son was diagnosed with RAD at one time, but you would never guess it now. He needed/needs a family that loves him and cares for him, gives him the one on one attention that he did not get, meet his needs, show him love and affection. He is getting that now, and the caseworkers and therapists are all saying "Wow what an improvement!" I certainly do not have a degree, or years of experience, so I can only attest to my personal experience. But I do feel that many of these kids do not need all the added pressure of the medication and constant "appointments" with the plethora of people "seeing them" - they need some time to just be a kid! I don't want to get off on a tangent, but it is frustrating to me that sometimes there is simply too much pushed on these kids. Give them some solid, steady, loving family time, and THAT is the most important thing we can do for them. Thanks... and again Dr Art, no offense... I do think highly of you, and thank you for your service. To the rest of you on this thread, take my opinion and feel as you wish with it. Have a great day.

We too have tried just about everything on the market Ritalin, Adderall, Straterra, Concerta....my youngest daughter is on Concerta, it works, for awhile, but usually wears off before days end....yes we use coffee with her too.....it helps alot. Good luck everybody.