I used to stay up till morning. Even without caffeine I’d usually go until 3 AM. Waking up has never been easy.
Change happened within a week of my 30th birthday. Idk if it’s the fact that I started working out again, or the lack of evening caffeine, but I’m down by midnight at the very latest and wake up without an alarm in the morning. It’s freaky!
I wish caffeine had this kind of impact on me. I was recently trying to get back on my time zone after a trip. Middle of the afternoon, six shots of espresso, and I’m asleep less than an hour later.
ADHD?
You guessed it
My therapist thought I was AuDHD rather than just autistic, but the complete lack of a paradoxical effect on me with caffeine has me doubting it somewhat. Caffeine makes me a nervous wreck and keeps me up if I have more than a couple of sodas during the day.
I found out because of my bipolar disorder if I take Lexapro or most SSRI’s I gain the endurance and attitude of the Kool aid man and Randy Savage for like 2-3 days straight.
Randy Man? Kool Savage?
Also gotta watch the caffeine intake
Lol this is amazing, thanks; gonna start asking that in assessments- “Have you ever had the endurance and attitude of the Kool aid man?”
Caffeine is one of the worst ADHD “medications”. It’s also one of the hardest to dose, especially in coffee. Actual ADHD medication and stuff like speed/meth are much easier to dose. This is important because as soon as you pass your uniquely required dose to help with your ADHD it will give you the same effect (and in some cases a worse effect) than what the substance does to others.
Consider trying actual ADHD medication while refraining from caffeine before making up your mind. These medications are very safe and are easy to build up to your perfect dose. They are also known to make people feel more human, compared to most anti-psychotic and anti-depression medication that often makes people feel like a zombie.
Are you saying I have to quit coffee 😭 ive been drinking it for decades.
Good to know! I’m currently on a couple of medications that manage my PTSD/anxiety fairly well, so I’m hesitant to throw more into the mix in case it throws the others out of whack. I’m also going back to school (at almost 40, Jesus Christ) and haven’t had any real issues with getting the work done or attending classes, which also makes me question whether it’s an accurate diagnosis for me. It’s just one of those things where it’s really hard in some people to tell where autism starts and ADHD begins. If I start really struggling down the line I’ll talk to my psych about ADHD meds, though.
According to my SO’s psychiatrist anxiety meds worsen ADHD and ADHD meds worsen anxiety so pick your poison.
They picked anxiety meds too, although then it falls on me to remind them to take them. Daily :_)
My therapist thought I was AuDHD…
They thought you were Aurodahidium?
Duck Duck Go isn’t giving me anything and I don’t get the reference you’re making with ‘Aurodahidium’, sorry! AuDHD is an abbreviation for autistic and ADHD.
The person you were responding to was trying to read it as a chemical - a gold atom with two deuterium (heavy hydrogen) and one regular hydrogen atom, and came up with a name for it themself.
I really don’t get the awake-because-of-caffiene thing. Some days I won’t take any caffeine and it’ll be just fine, some days I drink 5 cups of coffee during the day and three glasses of cola at night and I’ll still sleep just fine. Alcohol on the other, that ruins my sleep; I’ll fall asleep very fast but don’t really get rested, and then I wake up in the middle of the night once the alcohol gets metabolized.
Alcohol is the worst. The sleep quality is so bad when drunk. More specifically I feel like it was fine <25 or so and then it got worse fast. I just rarely drink now and try to avoid getting drunk.
Another case of ADHD?
I don’t think so, but if I do it’s pretty mild.
For the longest time, I could drink any amount of caffeine and be a-okay.
Then, out of nowhere, caffeine brings me existential dread. I still feel tired and sleep - but first I have to fight off the feeling that I am followed by Jack the Ripper across my living room. It also kicks in abruptly, sometimes after 2 espresso, sometimes after 1, sometimes not (I don’t dare drinking 3)
I don’t think that’s how you play cards against humanity
Give me a huge Dinner and I will be awake all night:(
Now I want an espresso… okay great it’s only 2:58pm
Is it not the 5 course dinner kicking in?
5 course dinner is probably worse than the coffee
