Concerta Caffeine Posts

Concerta Caffeine

Concerta Caffeine in Q&A

Can concerta and stimulants used to treat ADHD have negative effects on my singing voice? I hope to someday be a profesional musician, but recently I been having increasingly annoying problems with pitch and tonality. My chorus teacher blames it on vocal tension. I have read that vocal tension is caused by stimulants such as caffeine. Unfortunately, I also have ADD and take concerta twice a day to help me with my schoolwork. Is this hurting my voice? Is there a solution that allows me to both practice singing and still be able to function at school?

Chellee Dub replied: "Everybody's different. Most people would never think of eating grease before a performance, but I'm told that Kathy Battle will have a Big Mac, fries, and a shake right before an entrance and still sound like an angel. Almost everything can affect your vocals. The only way to answer that question for you personally though, is to pay close attention to what's going on with your voice for a period of time both on and off the medication. As far as hurting your voice, I doubt that the meds would have any permanent effect. But, I'm no doctor...if you go to a throat specialist, many of their patients are vocalists, and that sort of doctor could answer your question more thoroughly. Pitch and tonality...you never had these problems before? It could be from anything...you need to assume that you're doing something wrong and work to identify and fix it. Could it have something to do with placement? If you're singing in the throat, you can be sure that will cause tension. So will pushing, or over-singing. All I can tell you is, practice listening, practice sight reading to help train the ear, and work on your technique. If you are sure it's the meds, maybe try drinking calming tea before you have to sing."

InquisitBoy replied: "YES!!! It's the Concerta. I use to have the same problem. I work in sales, and most of my time is on the phone. Every time when I take concerta, 54mg, my voice gets squeaky and really annoying. I have a really commanding voice but after taking concerta, my voice get so squeaky that it just piss people off. I have not found any solution to the problem, but if you don't believe me that the concerta is causing this, try going to school without using the concerta, you will have your voice back. If you can, don't take concerta when you go to your singing session, just take it when you do school work. Hope it helps."

Little Angel replied: "Now I'm not sure on this...but from what I understand...yes concerta and those other ADHD and ADD medications are stimulants to most people, but from what I understand, they act as depressants to people with ADD and ADHD, and I've taken concerta, adderall, and ritalin, and I never had any problems singing along with the radio, but of course each person is different. If you really think it could be the concerta, I'd ask a doctor if it's possible. As another person said, if possible, don't take the concerta when you have to sing, but if it's during or after school then you kinda have to take it to be able to concentrate during your other classes. I'm not 100% positive on what I said, but I'm pretty sure about it, I'd ask a doctor. Hope this helped."

need to chose adderall or concerta? Tomorrow I am going to the doctor's office and I am thinking about switching from concerta to adderall. Lately I have been having a harder time concentrating. That has caused me to ingest large amounts of caffeine for me to stay focused. I have read from websites saying that Concerta can make a person feel tired. That is probably why I have felt the need to drink so much caffeine. I want to be able to have a healthy diet and also stay focused. Ordinarily I do not need caffeine. It is only when I take concerta in the morning that I still feel tired. I just wanted to get some input as to what I should do. Is it worth switching to Adderall?

shari_p729 replied: "These all sound like valid questions, but I think you would get better answers from your doctor than from anyone on here. Good luck."

Case D replied: "Adderall is definetely a lot stronger than Concerta. Just be careful. When I took adderall, I wasn't ever hungry, I just drank a lot of water. It made me talk a lot and extremely hyper. A lot of people have problems with it being very addicting, so if you decide to switch monitor it very carefully!"

Jimmy replied: "Well, Adderall might help with not feeling so drowsy, but on the other hand its possible that you might have problems sleeping then. It would be best to talk to your doctor about it."

captan_lunch replied: "Well first thing, did you already tell your doctor about your tiredness, and he suggested the switch? I dont know your relationship with your doctor, but being too forward in about changing your concerta to adderal may; make your doctor believe you want the adderal to abuse. Just be cautious when suggesting the switch, but I know for most people, switch from concerta to adderal whould probably help. Concerta is a long acting time release med, and if you manage to crack one open, inside there are three layers and you'll notice that it seems to be made of some weird sort of hard plastic sponge material with the medicine impregenated into it. It works so long because the stuff slowly leaches out of it, into your system. One layer releases its load of Amphetmines reletively quickley, while the other two take nearly all day to get out of your system. My guess its that slight crash after the inital payload that leaves you feeling down and your drinkin coffee to compensate. Aderal has a "mixture of amp. salts" that supposably have different onsets, so the whole 20-30 mg dont hit you all at once, but it's really the tiny beads that give it it's time release properties, and its potenial for abuse. They absorb water, mainly while traveling in your intestines and break down, there your body slowly absorbs it. Anyway, switching would more than likely cure your mid-day lethargy, and you'll probably feel more focused, but how you feel after the six-hour mark may change depending on how long you've been taking ADD meds, and your age n'stuff.."

Gordo replied: "Hey I have ADHD and I use to take Adderall and it made me go crazy. Now I am on concerta I have to take on pill per day. Good Luck with your ADHD or ADD Best Regards, Gordon"

caffeine and concentration? I have problems with concentration...I am in my first year of college, and have a hard time focusing on school work. Are there any ways, other then Adderall or concerta and the like, to improve my concentration? i have been on the prescribed stimulants that are available, but they make me extremely agitated so I stopped taking them. Any ideas on how to improve my concentration? Also, does caffeine help focus?

sk8ter replied: "caffeine will only make you hyped up and less able to concentrate, talk to your Dr. about things that might help you"

If im taking Concerta that i don't have a prescription for, but it doesn't give me a rush or anything is it ok I just use i once in a while because i have a hard time staying awake. Its just like caffeine for me. im taking the 54mg version

Fuzzy replied: "If it seems to be working for you, perhaps you should be honest with your doctor and say "hey I tried some of this, and it really seems to help my condition do you think it would be a good for me to start taking it on a regular basis?""

Can caffeine in combination with medication make you shake? Yesterday I took one 20mg adderall XR pill around 4pm and another at 8pm. I didn't sleep at all last night and today I took a 54mg concerta (which is essentially really delayed time release adderall) at like 3pm. I then drank a large coffee around 6pm, and am currently sipping an energy drink now (it's 11pm). I've noticed that my hands have begun slightly shaking and I feel rather jittery. I haven't had that much caffeine, so could this be the 54mg of concerta I took today? Also, I'm not prescribed that medication I just needed to cram for a major test. Anyways, should I try sleeping? Eating something? PS: Don't bother telling me I'm stupid or that I shouldn't be doing this, the past is in the past and you're not going to change any decisions I make in the future. My heart isn't going to stop, the amphetamines were spaced out over 2 days and it's a low dosage of each. Most kids the same age of me get prescribed twice that everyday, I only took it once. Anyways, should I maybe drink water or take a cold shower or something? I stopped drinking the energy drink, I only had a few sips but I think that triggered something. My hands are alot better now.

caylo2ooo replied: "yes, too much caffeine can make you shaky. it can also cause a heart attack if you have a pre existing heart condition that you aren't aware of. its not a good idea to overdo the caffeine. it can be very dangerous."

Christy SD Nurse replied: "YOur drinking caffeine and using amphetamines, of course you are shaking. It takes time for these to run through your system. Hopefully your heart doesn;t stop before that happens."

Mamapie2u replied: "You really don't have a clue do you? Even if you didn't take the medications and only drank a large coffee and an energy drink...you sure enough could get the shakes from that alone."

Energy drinks seem to help with ADHD. Why? This is strange. Every morning I take Concerta for ADHD. When it wears off, I usually experience an awful rebound while "coming down" where I experience symptoms worse than before. Last night I happened to drink an energy drink with a ridiculous amount of caffeine when it wore off. To my surprise, the rebound period was a lot less dramatic. It was smoother and was almost like I never came off Concerta. it was like it was taking its place. This is interesting, but why did it happen? Caffeine = concerta? Sorry, I dont drink pop or coffee

Barbara replied: "Many kids with ADHD will get this effect from caffeine...it calms them down. Ritalin, an older ADHD medication, is actually a stimulant for normal healthy adults. It is theorized that kids with ADHD are metabolically different, so it has the opposite effect than on other people with normal metabolisms. When you get older, you will probably grow out of this effect, so don't expect this to last forever for your rebounds. I would talk to your doctor about the rebounding to get you on a better dosing schedule."

Pegasus90 replied: "Caffeine has an affect on insulin production or reactivity. If ADHD is a symptom of hypoglycemia (which I suspect but medical science has not yet proven), which is also an insulin related condition, then drinking caffeine may slow down the "lows" of low blood sugar and thus slow down the lows of ADHD. has basic information about low blood sugar. If you get curious, check the symptoms link to see how many symptoms it has in common with your ADHD."

supercityrob replied: "If caffeine helps you, buy it in tablet form. Wal-Mart pharmacy has this in a generic, 200mg Caffeine and it is non-prescription--right there in yellow near the pain meds."

EmilyRose replied: "Caffeine is a stimulant, just like many ADHD meds. I don't know about Concerta specifically, but Ritalin is actually a chemical derivative of caffeine. The reason that stimulants help ADHD is that they increase the levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine in the brain. Epinephrine you might have heard of - it's also known as adrenaline. Anyway, these two neurotransmitters are invovled in alertness and focus. Higher levels help you focus better (ADHD or not). Caffeine helps everyone focus, regardless of whether they have ADHD. For that matter, so do the prescription stimulants used to treat ADHD. There's nothing "metabolically different" about kids with ADHD, and caffiene is not having the "opposite effect" as it does on most people. Caffiene improves focus and concentration for EVERYONE. It's not acting as a sedative in people with ADHD, it's acting as a stimulant. Stimulants increase the production of epinephrine and norepinephrine, which allow you to focus, and also improve impulse control. It's the improved impulse control that lets you seem less "hyper." For people who don't have any problem with impulse control to begin with, having more energy makes them more active, or "hyper," but it's not the same "hyper" as what's associated with ADHD. The hyperactivity part of ADHD is more to do with a lack of impulse control than an excess of energy. Stimulants fix that lack of impulse activity by increasing frontal lobe activity. They do the same for people who don't have ADHD, but it doesn't produce a noticable change in behavior because they weren't deficient in it to begin with."

angie15x replied: "It could be that the stimulants in the energy drink calm you down. It could also be that your ADHD symptoms are caused by a nutritional deficiency (mine were) and the vitamin overload of an energy drink gives you the nutrition that you need which eases the ADHD symptoms."

Adult ADD/ADHD meds: which work for you? I have adult ADHD (mostly ADD, per my psychologist) and after trying various things that don't involve prescription pills, I think I'm ready to cave in and try one, because I can't seem to get my life and brain in order! :( I already have problems with anxiety and insomnia, and I'm easily hyped up by stimulants like caffeine, albuterol or even chai tea, so I feel strongly that stimulant-based meds like Adderall or Concerta would NOT be right for me and my body chemistry. I'd like to start with non-stimulant Strattera and see if that helps, and only take a stim as a last resort. I've heard mostly good things about Strattera in adults, but also some bad things. As for Adderall and Concerta, I've heard a pretty even mix of good and bad. And then there's Attend, a non-prescription, natural remedy (w/ long ingredient list) I've read some very promising things about! As you can tell, I'm still researching. I'd love to know YOUR experiences with any/all of these remedies, or others! :) To person #1: thanks for the most off-topic and useless answer I've gotten all week! Clearly you only replied so you could earn 2 points. ;) But hey, that's ok - we all have our motives!

Guido06 replied: "You need to join the US Armed Forces. This will get your mind off your problems. You will feel good about yourself, AND you will get to kill people."

DODA replied: "ASK YOUR DR ABOUT A RELATIVELY NEW DRUG FOR AADD CALLED STRATTERA IT IS STIMULANT FREE IT MAY TAKE SEVERAL TRIES TO GET THE DOSAGE RIGHT. I HAVE GOTTEN EXTREMELY GOOD RESULTS WITH LITTLE SIDE EFFECTS. ONE WEIRD ONE THOUGH FOR THE 1ST COUPLE OF WEEKS MY FRONT TOP MIDDLE TEETH WENT NUMB. THE DOSAGE THAT IS WORKING FOR ME IS 40MG AT 7:00AM AND 40MG AT 1:00PM AS FOR" ATTEND" I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT I'D BE VERY WEARY ABOUT TAKING IT IF YOU ARE ON ANY OTHER PRESCRIBED MEDS. CLICK ON MY ICON IF YOU NEED TO REACH ME. BEST OF LUCK."

Kristi C replied: "As you stated you're an adult, I can't speak about Straterra, as I only know about from my son's perspective and that was that it has a risk of suicide for children using it. ADD/ ADHD is inherited & we know that my son got it from me, however I've never used medication. Have you talked to your doctor about natural alternatives to medication? I don't know how severe of an issue it is for you. I personally have used such methods, for myself and my son, as changing diet, working with supplements, self designed exercise program, etc. here's my website if you'd like to look into it more, but please talk all decisions over with your medical professional first. "

19 year old girl needs help with concentration/focus? I have problems with concentration...I am in my first year of college, and have a hard time focusing on school work. Are there any ways, other then Adderall or concerta and the like, to improve my concentration? i have been on the prescribed stimulants that are available, but they make me extremely agitated so I stopped taking them. Any ideas on how to improve my concentration? Also, does caffeine help focus?

Thomas G replied: "Please visit, they have some natural science based products that may assist you."

revsuzanne replied: "Hit the health food store... the preparation is called "Holy Basil"... I like the stuff made by New Chapter. It will assist in concentration and take the cloud off of you. You don't need any more stimulants. You need good quality sleep... New Chapter makes something else called "Tranquil Nite" that helps you sleep well. Stay away from the caffeine and sugar. Eat protein for long-lasting energy... raw nuts (almonds, pecans, filberts, walnuts) or eggs are great. Cheese is good if you are not allergic (messes with your sinuses). If you still need some sugar, eat raisins or an apple... something real."

Yenta replied: "if you're in college, & this is the first time that concentration is a problem, it probably isn't ADD. You may just have a lot on your mind. When we "have too much on our plate", our brain just starts shutting off some things... randomly ! -- which is not real convenient ! (lol !) Assess how you learn best, & use that. For example: If you need quiet, & your dorm is a noisy one, study at the library . If you can't focus when you're physically uncomfortable, dress in comfortable clothes & seek out a place where the temperature won't distract you. believe it or not, allergies can zap a person's focus or memory. If you're exposed to mold, that can be a problem. & no, caffeine doesn't help you focus. Reishi mushrooms will, though; it's legal, over-the-counter, natural, & can be used long-term without bad side effects."

pali@yahoo.com replied: "start 'yoga' exercises specially breathing (called 'pranayam'). increases not only concentration, yoga throws out toxins from the body, opens pores and breathes in fresh air and thus providing oxygen to purify blood, gives your entire body freshness, clears your thinking thus making u alert and agile, healthy"

possibly an ADHD med allergy? I've tried quite a few ADHD medicines including: Adderal Focalin Concerta and I am currently on Daytrana. All of these medicines make me feel as if I have had to much caffeine. For example I get shaky and anxious. Is there a common ingredient in all of these that I am allergic to. Has this happened to anyone else, what have you done?

Out of control replied: "Are you starting at a dose higher than you need that's perhaps causing this? Or have you given each med at least a couple of weeks for your body to get used to."

Mike replied: "That is how the medication works. You are experiencing side effects either from the dosage being too high or you do not need to be on the medication. You should talk to your doctor about lowering the dose or being reevaluated for ADHD."

Anonymous replied: "it probably is just the normal reaction to the medication. since adhd is a disorder which had consistent symptoms, pharmeceutical companies tend to use the same or similar ingredients to fix those symptoms. your body might not be used to a certain dosage of a chemical so it will just react that way and sooner or later, your body will get used to the dose reccommended. if it was an allergy, it would most likely have been more severe. if the anxiety and the shaking don't stop in a few weeks to about a month or so, you should either talk to your doctor to find a medication suitable to you or take a lower dose and use a pill splitter or something. you can find a pill splitter at most pharmacies and they cost around 3-5 dollars for a normal one."

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