Reply to Psychiatrist recommendation for caffeine?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Well caffeine is a stimulant which are known to be helpful to people with ADHD. maybe the thought is to see whether you can get the result you want with a natural one since you are looking only to take the edge off. Your description makes it sound like she’s doing really well without medication and that you are reluctant. [/quote]

I'm actually not at all reluctant. I just know that medication isn't going to fix everything and that it's probably a combination of medication, therapy, and accommodations. She can't remember to brush her hair or get dressed in the morning without numerous reminders (plus checklists) and my having to place the brush in her hand and stand there. Meltdowns take 30 minutes of full blown screaming and it's just her. My husband and I don't really even raise our voices, just ignore her until she calmer. Mostly I'm just looking for someone to take the issues seriously rather than a cursory glance esp. if we're paying $400/hour. I guess what I don't understand is if this is normal procedure.[/quote]

Op, what you're describing wouldn't be changed at all by medication.  It's not instantaneous.

Read the Kazdin method for behavioral approaches.
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Actually, medication helps all of that.  Behavioral approaches work too, but many kids need both.  Recommending caffeine is ridiculous.  You'd have to drink 20 cups of coffee to match what you get from a prescription stimulant.[/quote]

One, stimulants are fast acting but not that fast.  It’s not as though a kid will take a pill at 7 am and automatically get dressed a few minutes later because of the medication effect.  Two, if the kid is inattentive, stimulants generally aren’t prescribed.  Their purpose is to focus hyperactive kids.  Third, the op’s built up behavioral patterns that can be quickly addressed.
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You are wrong on the first two counts, and half wrong on the third.  Of course it won't solve everything immediately.  But the difference is dramatic and you can literally watch your kid change before your eyes.  And doctors prescribe stimulants for inattentive all the time, many parents on this board have said so, and I've never seen a reference anywhere that said not to do it.  "Focus hyperactivity" doesn't even make sense.

Yes long term behavior therapy is indicated.  But it works much better with medication than without.      [/quote]

For pete’s Sake, here from the nih, “For many people, ADHD medications reduce hyperactivity and impulsivity and improve their ability to focus...”
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd/index.shtml

Stimulants are supposed to be for impulsivity and hyperactivity.
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Umm, yeah it says it reduces hyperactivity and improves focus.  Please find a reference somewhere that says stimilants [/quote]

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