Self-medicating with energy drinks

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I just found a web site that seems to do an especially good job of addressing many of the issues about caffeine this thread covered. Here is the link: Sleep Education

This article is concise, and gave me some new information of interest. For example, it pointed out that the effects of caffeine is greater when taken intermittently, since the body builds a tolerance for it.

Wow. I have been self-medicating with energy drinks for 6 years.

I'm trying to quit drinking energy drinks because they affect my intelligence and I get memory problems.

I didn't work and would sleep 'til like noon, because I watched a TV show at 12.
I would have one energy drink a day, when I got up to have that show.
I would still need to have a nap that afternoon.

I used to be really tired. I had my tonsils out, they were huge, and that's helped.
I am able to work now and have a job and work 8 hour shifts. I used to have a hard time volunteering for short periods of time.

I have this severe fear of energy drinks, and I've never had one in my life. It's probably a good thing. I just worry that I'm going to explode from all the energy if I drink one. I drink caffeinated soda all the time, but I bet a Red Bull has ten times as much caffeine than a Pepsi.

The link in my above post includes the following info:

Energy Drinks





No Fear

16 oz

166

Full Throttle

16 oz

144

Jolt

24 oz

142.4







Sodas





Pepsi One

12 oz

54

Mountain Dew

12 oz

54

Mello Yellow

12 oz

52.5

Diet Coke

12 oz

46.5

Pepsi

12 oz

37.5

Diet Pepsi

12 oz

36

Coca Cola Classic

12 oz

34.5

Caffeine free Coke, Pepsi

12 oz

0.0

Sprite, 7-Up

12 oz

0.0

No Red Bull, but three other energy drinks might give you some idea.

Omega 3 is your healthiest alternative, but if you're slamming down sugary high in caffeine energy drinks you might not feel the effects. I'm sensitive to them and within the hour I get a boost of energy. It's supposed to take longer than that, like two weeks.

Everyone is affected differently with energy drinks but some can feel jittery and restless on them, feel nothing or get more energy from them. I avoid them like the plague.

Fortunately I'm on Ritalin so I either get plenty of energy or I have energy enough without taking my meds, just slowing down and focusing on just one thing is the hard part.

Were you breast fed?

I never had any addiction issues with Ritalin. When I ran out of my last prescription I had no withdrawal symptoms; I never have. Coffee, on the other hand, does get me addicted--though the withdrawal is something I can manage with an over the counter painkiller. I don't know what you were doing with that Ritalin, but you must've been either overdosing ridiculously or smoking it or something, because I sure don't get "high" on it. It actually feels very much like coffee to me, only without the physical jitters.

I've never done meth or smoked a cigarette--both of them are extremely unappealing to me. I think if it came down to that, I'd rather just deal with the scatterbrained ADHD symptoms and hope I didn't flood, burn, or bury the apartment in trash before I managed to find a way to cope. I don't know if what I have can be called ADHD proper; I do know that I have problems with executive dysfunction, and that this is the main trait of inattentive ADHD, and that Ritalin helps (well, Concerta--same chemical, only extended release). I don't think it's important to know exactly which category I fall into, really; if it helps, it helps, and it doesn't matter what the specific label is.

Meth... no. Heck no. Drugs are bad, m'kay?

It looks to me like Ritalin and Concerta are prescribed instead of caffeine, because caffeine is only effective for intermittent use. People who ingest the same amount of caffeine every day build up a tolerance to it.

I have a friend who swears by 5hr energy. I personally like the FRS drinks, but I try to avoid too much caffeine and sugar. I already take 40mg paxil and 2mg clonazepam, and smoke cannabis; My only problem is I'm either on or off with things, either 100% or 0%, and its people and interruptions that break my focus and make me lose track of what I'm doing at any given time. However I am getting better dealing with the distractions.

In my case: Yes. Caffeine is natural and easily available, but it's not ideal because of the tolerance issue. Thank goodness for decaf coffee, though, or I'd almost prefer the caffeine route despite the drawbacks. I just love the taste.

I am addicted to caffeine. Probably more so beacuase of my ADHD. I suffer more with that than aspergers which seems easier to deal with to me. They are both linked so it could be helping both. I drink energy drinks for work as they have banned me from sweets! It works wonders! If it works for you then carry on regardless.

I had been suffering with low energy so badly I could barely get round to doing the washing up or any mentally taxing tasks however small. I had suffered serious brain damage before but did not respond to any of the therapies other than making me even more tired and depressed. I started to research autism as my brothers are diagnosed with aspergers and autism.

I have good physical energy but my mind was dead until I used some creatine to help boost my energy levels and regain some weight. I have only been taking it for two days and something has seriously changed. I slept better and I am more alert/focused. I have felt lost for weeks after an intense "therapy course" left me shaking with mental tiredness but two days on this stuff and some probiotics (multibionta started a month ago) and I feel human again. I only took half the dose it said on the bottle too. It boosts cellular energy in all tissues including the brain.

After some googling found it has been used to treat symptoms of autism and really think it is worth trying as low cellular energy (ATP Adenosine-5'-triphosphate) is reported in a large number of people tested with autism spectrum disorders. I may or may not have any conditions myself and could just be supporting the extra energy needed to bypass all the disruption in my brain after the injury but allot of things make sense to me now after researching these sites for my brothers.

If you just google something like autism treatments or suppliments many things pop up you can try that are very natural like certain vitamins often found to be lacking or even some foods to include/exclude rebalancing your body.

I am hoping to regain energy in a natural way without using your typical quick fix of the average office worker running himself into the ground and so far Im doing ok at it. I have relearnt spelling and recovered ten times faster than predicted using lifestyle changes and good food/herbs/supplements/extracts. Take a look at the bigger picture one day and experiment

Google creatine autism ( I cant post links im new (are you local!)

A lack of energy can indicate a number of things, have you looked at your diet? Most people don't consider what they put in their mouth as a reason for health issues.
If you think your eating habits aren't so great, maybe look at changing your diet, or visit a nutritionist if you can afford it.

I have the same issue - caffeine is very helpful in maintaining my energy and focus... If you don't want to do caffeine, then use "greens" drinks - that green mud you can get from Odwalla or Bolthouse 'superfood' (at any grocery store). I also put chlorella powder in these, which enhances focus almost as much as caffeine does. Not sure why, but it does.