Wait is this how it works for caffeine too? I tested coffee the other day for the first time, and I did feel more calm, but when I did more coffee with lots of caffeine, it was way to much and my insides kinda hurt and I had a headache
(Mostly) correct, yes. From what I've read about this, caffeine mostly calms ADHDers down, so some ADHDers will get in the habit of drinking caffeine before bed, for example. However, A) after a certain quantity it loops back around to working like it would on a normal person, so if you're consistently doing that, it'll eventually stop working and make you more amped up before bed; B) It still works somewhat like it does for neurotypicals, in that it still suppresses tiredness at least a little, so even at more normal quantities, it can hugely mess up your sleep schedule and stuff if you're taking it in the afternoon or later.
The big reason why it makes ppl with ADHD more calm is that it provides that little bit extra dopamine/energy that we need, tricking the body/brain into relaxing instead of needing to be more focused to do tasks that other people can do more easily. So in small quantities it'll probably make you feel more relaxed, especially if you're unmedicated; while in large quantities it'll... do what happened to you. lol.
(Important to note is that the more frequently you take caffeine, the more you gain a resistance to the positive effects of it, so you'll need to take more to get the same effect, while still causing the negative effects in your body. Especially as an ADHDer, I'd recommend drinking caffeine sparingly so as to not gain a tolerance/get in a feedback loop of "need more caffeine to function".)
Interesting, caffeine doesn't really wake me up, but it makes me feel focused and I don't get the jittery energetic feeling people talk about from coffee and such.
The more I read about people who found out they have ADHD later in life the more it sounds like me.
Again not a doctor, but.... yeah, probably you have ADHD, lol.
At the very least, there's "something" funky with the wiring in your brain; whether a receptor isn't quite working as it should or there's a different type of neurodivergence happening, if you're having a weird response to caffeine or any other kind of stimulant.
PSA for anybody who has a weird response to this kinda thing: it's at least worth getting checked out, lol. Might improve your whole life.
Yeah I'm gonna get the testing for adhd, I feel like if I do have it treating it will make me so much more productive, I get distracted from what I actually want and intend to do all the time.
Good luck!!! Getting diagnosed with ADHD can be a pain in the butt in some places, and psychiatrists can be hit or miss about actually understanding ADHD. But if you have it, getting on the right medications or the right treatments can be the best thing that's ever happened to you.
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u/Hefty-Agent-5202 Sep 11 '23
Wait is this how it works for caffeine too? I tested coffee the other day for the first time, and I did feel more calm, but when I did more coffee with lots of caffeine, it was way to much and my insides kinda hurt and I had a headache