Q: I left my sons Adhd medication at my moms house a few hours away is there something I can replace it with for the day to at least to reduce his hyperness
Hi there
Just checking in to see how your son has fared without his medication. How did it go? I honestly don't think there is anything to replace your son's prescription medication. The best you could do is maybe allow him to burn off some energy doing something physical. If it is cold outside...I realize this is hard to do. My son calms down to taking a warm bath. But this is not going to replace medication.
I hope you guys have survived. Let us know how you are doing.
I have heard of people using caffeine to help. Because of the paradox effect, caffeine reacts differently in ADHD people. I often make a cup of coffee to help me relax and go to sleep. And you find that many undiagnosed ADHD people tend to consume large quanities of caffeine in either coffee or drinks like Mountain Dew. You could try a cup of coffee in the morning and see if it helps. I would not use this regularly for a smal child. The following is from the ADHD Information Library. I hope this helps.
Reta
It is estimated that 100 mg of caffeine is equivalent to 5 mg of Ritalin, which is the lowest therapeutic dose, and the usual starting dose for children. It is similar to Ritalin in that caffeine is absorbed and begins working in about 45 minutes, and the benefits wear off after about three to four hours. And, of course, caffeine can have the same kinds of side effects as other stimulants.
There may be times when it would be advantageous to have caffeine available for someone with ADHD who is successfully using stimulant medication, such as to avoid the “rebound” or “trough” effects of the stimulants, or on weekend outings, etc.
Also, if 5 mg of Ritalin is a successful therapeutic dose, parents and physicians should at least talk about using caffeine instead.
Caffeine is the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world, with about 80% of the world’s population drinking down caffeine every day. The average daily consumption of caffeine among American adults and teens is about 260 to 300 mg per day, but about one person in four consumes more than 600 mg each day. And yes, caffeine in large amounts, over a long period of time, is addictive.
How does America get its caffeine? Here’s a pretty good list:
- Coffee, 8 oz cup has 135 mg
- Instant coffee, 8 oz cup has 95 mg
- Expresso, 1 oz shot has 50 mg
- Tea, 8 oz cup has 60 mg
- Green Tea, 8 oz cup has 30-40 mg
- Coca-cola, 12 oz has 35 mg
- Diet Coke, 12 oz has 45 mg
- Dr Pepper, 12 oz has 40 mg
- Mountain Dew, 12 oz has 55 mg
- Pepsi cola, 12 oz has 37 mg
- Sunkist Orange, 12 oz has 40 mg
- Red Bull, 8.5 oz has 80 mg
- Full Throttle, 8.0 oz has 70 mg
- SoBe No Fear, bottle has 160 mg
- Pain Relievers such as Excedrin, Bayer max strength, Midol have 60-65 mg
http://newideas.net/adhd/adhd-diet/caffeine
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