Adderalll and starbucks

[Anonymous]

NP. She is a teenager. They make poor choices but she has her own money and can get to Starbucks on her own.

Yes I agree that OP should try to help her daughter see these as an occasional treat. But let's not pile on her.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. She is a teenager. They make poor choices but she has her own money and can get to Starbucks on her own.

Yes I agree that OP should try to help her daughter see these as an occasional treat. But let's not pile on her.

Exactly. My 13 yo gets an espresso/latte every morning (DH or I make it). The caffeine is a nice kickstart while we're waiting for the meds to kick in. We have discussed with all our kids that caffeine in the afternoons can be problematic but at some point they're going to have to be responsible for their own choices.

[Anonymous]

I agree that the sugars probably not great and I would worry about the blood sugar crash-- but on the other hand, I had unmedicated ADHD as a teen and consumed enormous amounts of sugar daily. When I graduated high school, I weighed 94 pounds (at 5'4") so plainly no weight issue. (I'm still only a size 4 or 6, as peri menopause sets in, it's harder to keep off the weight.). Some kids with ADHD just have really different metabolism, I think.

[Anonymous]

That's like having an ice cream sundae for breakfast every day. Tell her to get regular coffee and use honey or raw sugar instead of the dessert breakfast.

[Anonymous]

Ned Hallowell, one of the big ADHD writers, says that he medicates his ADHD with caffeine because meds have side effects for him. You can combine as long as she doesn't feel like her heart is racing. The calories, as others have mentioned, is probably the part that is the least healthy.

[Anonymous]

I would show her the sugar chart as she may not realize how much sugar it has. Make her understand that having that every single day is not healthy for her -- like eating 2-3 candy bars a day. And then go on a taste test with her -- your treat -- and sample some other better options she can have on a daily basis (eg, skim vanilla latte, cafe au lait with cinnamon on top, etc.).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would show her the sugar chart as she may not realize how much sugar it has. Make her understand that having that every single day is not healthy for her -- like eating 2-3 candy bars a day. And then go on a taste test with her -- your treat -- and sample some other better options she can have on a daily basis (eg, skim vanilla latte, cafe au lait with cinnamon on top, etc.).

I'm guessing you don't have a teenager.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our developmental pedi told me that coffee is really a mild version of the ADHD meds. She hit the nail on the head when she told me that some parents of ADHD kids probably have ADHD themselves but just self-medicate with coffee (that's me). Anyway, it's probably fine. One of my co-workers takes Adderall and drinks coffee but he has to carefully regulate it or he will get anxious if he drinks too much coffee. If she's functioning well, it's probably fine.

My son's pediatrician asked me if my brother had ADHD. I'm sure he did but back in the 80s, nobody was diagnosed with it. My son has ADHD and he said it often runs in families. He asked me how much coffee my brother drinks each day so I texted him and he replied that he drinks no less than 6 cups a day! I guess he found his meds.