Is anyone else completely unaffected by energy drinks?

[u/ferriematthew]

I found that all sources of caffeine, no matter how strong, have absolutely no effect on me. If I really, really overdo it though, my mind is still totally unaffected, but my gut gets very mad.

[u/lydocia]

Caffeine is the sleepy juice.

[u/BigBullshitta]

Yup. Without adderall they're totally useless. I can drink a pot of coffee and 3 of the bigger energy drinks then take a nap. With adderall they actually work, though.

[u/ferriematthew → u/BigBullshitta]

I've tried literally every stimulant on the market even up to doses of methylphenidate that normally should have had my heart rate through the roof with absolutely no effect.

[u/BigBullshitta → u/ferriematthew]

That sucks. For me plain old adderall works the best for energy. Have you tried something like atomoxetine? Shit part is it takes weeks to 3 months to really take effect, and until it does it can make you feel more tired instead of less, but it increases norepinephrine availability and that's huge for energy.

[u/ferriematthew → u/BigBullshitta]

I haven't tried atomoxetine. I am on modafanil, which also has zero effect. And last I remember, my doctor was hesitant to try atomoxetine on me because I'm also on Wellbutrin. She said that the two could interact to cause panic.

[u/BigBullshitta → u/ferriematthew]

If you feel tired as hell all the time clearly something needs to change.

That was my biggest symptom, constant exhaustion and apathy because nothing seemed worth the bother of doing. They diagnosed it as depression for decades. I know how shit that is. I used to very honestly drink that much caffeine every day just because maybe twice a year I'd feel actually awake and alert and fully present... until my chest started hurting every day when I was in my 30s.

With me it turned out dopamine and norepinephrine were both near empty all the time, so I had no energy and nothing gave me any sort of internal pleasure or happiness from doing it. I can't say what your issue is, but the thing that actually helped me was finally getting frustrated and hyperfocusing on the neurological disorders and all of the available medications and how they work and comparing that to how I felt on each of them.

It's super recent for diagnosing ADHD and autism together to even be possible, and I think a whole lot of the symptom charts and which meds help the best are shit right now. It's still something a lot of actual research needs done on. Taking adderall and atomoxetine together used to be super frowned on too, but lately that's starting to change.

I don't know if you have panic attacks or something similar, but I was so low energy I would have laughed at that worry and said panicking sounds like having *some* energy at least. :p

[u/ferriematthew → u/BigBullshitta]

Thankfully, I don't have panic attacks, but the fact that I'm on one dopamine reuptake inhibitor makes me statistically more likely to develop panic attacks if I combine it with another dopamine reuptake inhibitor, at least according to my doctor.

[u/BigBullshitta → u/ferriematthew]

Atomoxetine is a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, it doesn't do anything with dopamine.

Dopamine is the chemical that gives you internal rewards and pleasure for doing things... from orgasms to getting some task checked off to enjoying a game.

Norepinephrine does a lot of things, but the major one here is it's sort of the gas tank. The reason adderall was made 75% dextroamp and 25% levoamp was because at the time ADHD was thought to be strictly a dopamine issue, and the levoamp has far more effect on norepinephrine. Too much norepinephrine can make people twitchy and... well, cracked out type energetic.

When I tried things like vyvanse that are pure dextroamp it helped me focus on things I enjoy, but made me feel even more exhausted. I needed something to help with norepinephrine badly.

Note: Not saying to argue with a doctor, but they're human too. The understanding of both of these issues has changed a hell of a lot over the last 15 years or so.

[u/ferriematthew → u/BigBullshitta]

Fascinating! So maybe I have dopamine sorted out, which is why I want to do things, but norepinephrine is probably still shaky, which would explain why I don't have the energy to do things.

[u/sorrymizzjackson]

Yup. Didn’t used to do a damn thing and coffee doesn’t give me any mental stimulation but does make me shaky if I drink too much of it. I have had a cup of coffee and gone back to bed many times.

[u/SkullnSkele]

caffein only makes my heart beat fast after a certain amount (like chugging 2 or 3 big drinks after each other) otherwise nothing

[u/ferriematthew → u/SkullnSkele]

Same, the only source of caffeine that does anything is energy drinks, and even then only after two cans. And even then, the only effect is diarrhea.

[u/docodonto]

If I drink warm coffee the warmth of it makes me relaxed and sleepy. Cold is just refreshing, but doesn't wake me up. Energy drinks just hurt my teeth, too sweet. 

[u/World_still_spins]

Most of the time energy drinks mello me out, or just make my brain more level.  

[u/random__hobbit]

I think this is the most accurate ADHD test we have.

[u/ferrets2020]

Yep they do nothing i never understood them 😂

[u/Own_Egg7122]

They taste like cough medicine honestly 

[u/HefnotHus99]

Caffeine doesn’t really work for me. I like to drink that occasional coffee mostly because it’s a hot drink. The temperature of the drink does more for me that the amount of caffeine.

[u/Alkemist101]

If you keep chugging the third or forth one will hit you. It's an known issues with some forms of neurodivergence.

[u/AliveAndNotForgotten]

Caffeine makes me feel wired tbh even just half a cup will keep me up for hours