autism and caffeine - your experience?

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What about the painkiller codeine? I can't have that either because it has the same effect as caffeine. Lots of medications combine caffeine and codeine. Percodan is cut with it (or maybe it's Percocet? I always get them mixed up. I can have one but not the other).

When I'm in hospital I need one of those red wrist band warnings to say I can't have any codeine. I can have morphine and other opiods but they keep me wide awake. I just can't have codeine or any medication with caffeine.

Caffeine is my drug of choice. It gets me in a really good mood. I feel alive, physically alert and mentally very sharp. When I was in my early twenties I didn't normally drink coffee. But some nights when I was out drinking with friends in a bar I ordered a cup of coffee. I always got a great effect of that combined with the alcohol I had been drinking.

I find caffeine beneficial, but only if I have something with a moderate amount of caffeine in it.

For example, a cup of hot tea, or a cup of hot coffee, or a caffeinated fizzy drink makes me feel nice, but if I have an energy drink, it is too much at once and I get anxious and if I have too many energy drinks I end up with palpitations.

If I eat a large meal and drink coffee straight afterwards it puts me to sleep.

I find that caffeine tends to make me relaxed. Whilst it can be calming, it also tends to dull things so it's not good for focus. Too much tea or coffee makes me fall asleep. My dad is the same way.

(Haven't logged in a long while, getting around to changing all my passwords after LastPass was compromised).

My experience has been I get jittery with too much caffeine, but more to the point, I get a nasty caffeine withdrawal headache, and its hard to tell if I am sick or its the withdrawal. This summer I said just one and only one cup of coffee in the morning, mostly so my wife has someone to drink it with. Flavored carbonated waters in a recycleable container, or ice water. Our house (in the USA) was built in 1962 and the copper pipes were soldered with lead, so I am very hesitant to get a refrigerator with an ice maker. Run the water before making morning coffee.

I hate the smell of coffee and tea so I don't know what affect they have on me.

Soda provides a slight boost, but not a lot. If I'm sluggish it sometimes means I'm thirsty and need to drink some water.

On rare occasions I will have an energy drink, usually because I have to get up abnormally early. There are only a few I can stand the taste. They give me a noticeable boost. Sometimes I will crash several hours later; sometimes not. I've joked it reminds me of why people use cocaine, then reminds me why using cocaine is bad.

An important factor is that I usually keep a very consistent sleep schedule, getting 7-8 hours and waking up at almost the exact same time seven days a week. I can't emphasize enough how beneficial consistent sleep time is.

A female friend with ADHD, OCD, and maybe undiagnosed ASD has delayed sleep issues most of her life. She ends up drinking coffee several times a day as a matter of necessity. If she could ever find a way to reliably get to sleep at a normal time she might not need to.

I don't feel like I gain anything out of caffeine that a NT wouldn't. However I do know that autism seems to have high comorbidity with ADHD, so I can definitely see it benefiting some of us beyond the usual benefits. It may be even more effective when paired together with L-Theanine for a stronger boost in focus and calmness.

I start my days out with coffee because it gives me a buzz. When I'm buzzed up, words roll off me like water off a duck's back.

Cold Brew.....!........it works for me.
but those sugar free "monsters " are almost more addictive.but actually the list of Ingrediants is pretty good.
been researching them ,or most of the better ones in them. Taurine helps recovery after it starts to wear off .
But still love the taste of the Coffee...been sampling different types of coffee from all places i have found available or types of roasts ,That I could find for years. No caffiene for me for after two days ,can be three days of Headache. Am leaning towards imported coffee beans, Same as above listed.
Sumatra , And Guatamalan Antigua...do far best , to my taste buds. Deep full body..if coarsely ground almost no bitterness . Been to many cuppings(samplings) of coffee at coffee shop owners requests.
YUP ...am almost catagorizing mysrlf as a coffee snob....? possibly a long term perseveration? >>>
btw cannot fault anyone for drinking Ethiopian coffees, (Lighter flavour)

I like coffee