My Doc confirms Mountain Dew | ADHD Information
This is so weird because I just logged on here to ask a question about caffiene and ADHD!
My question is,
My son is on 10mg of Ritalin 2x a day. I find it is to much for him because I lose that charming little monster that lives in every little boy! But 5mg is not enough for him to function. I heard that caffeine had a positive effect on children with ADHD and I am wondering if giving him a cup of coffee with his 5mg of ritalin would work better than the 10mg? What do you think?
ALSO, I missed a thread or somthing! Why Mountain Dew?
Thanks
Cindy
I just wanted to share some facts about mountain dew so each parent could decide if this is a viable option for their child.
The average 12oz can of mountain dew contains 46 grams of sugar. Thats ten teaspoons of pure calories and also ten teaspoons of sugar. Diets high in refined sugar can promote obesity which increases the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. Sugery soft drinks also promote tooth decay. Caffiene has to be consumed in large quantaties in order to achieve the desired effect and it is also addictive. I urge parents to speak to a child psychiatrist who is also a medical doctor in order to make an informed decision.
I used mountain dew for my son to help him fall asleep at night (once again ty singledad). I have taken him off of meds and I limit his caffeine intake to none except for that ONE bottle of mountain dew about 1/2 before bed time. Now if your child has an issue with sugar intake...a diet mountain dew has no sugar. It wont work for all children...just like some meds wont.
Luvmykids02...I understand the point you are making but also think of this...the meds we sometimes have to put our children on cause liver damage, heart issues, are addictive, and other major issues. The tooth decay is an easy thing to fix...they just have to brush more and see the dentist twice a year as they are supposed to. Now don't get me wrong...I am not saying you are wrong...but in each case you need to do what is right for your own child. ME...I prefer the chances of what a soda can do compared to what meds can do to my son. BUT that's just ME. That is the joy of being a parent...you get to decided what is right for your own child. (BTW...I love your saying in your signature line...I always say that )
Anyway...that's my two cents on the subject...I know it works like a charm for us but it might not for someone else. My monkey used to have to take Strattera 80mg every morning and Clonidine 0.1mg tablet (1/2 in the am and full tablet at night). Now he is not on anything...is very hyper but we are working as a team to get him in control...we have key words I can use (that we figured out together) to remind him to get into control...he doesn't want to be on meds and didn't like the bloody noses he was getting from them. He wasn't going to sleep until 12/1 am every night until he started drinking the mountain dew. Now with the mountain dew and me rubbing his hair (like when he was a baby) he's out in about 5 mins. That is just OUR life...everyone needs to do what is right FOR THEM.
This is interesting and I may try it
My concern is...Chocholate is caffine isn't it? Because whenever my son eats chocholate he bounces off every wall 100 times LOL seriously I can't give him ANY sugars and I was told by a doc that it's an old wives tale that sugar makes kids hyper; well you take an already hyper kid and give him sugar and he is absolutely nuts. Anyway my question is if chocholate has caffine added why doesn't have the same effect as mountain dew?
<~~~going out to buy mountain dew and experiment
Chocolate has a lot of sugar... that is why I am so curious about Mountain Dew!I am thinking about the long term effects of the issues at hand...That is why I don't want to ruin my son's body with meds that could cause him to mess up his liver or cause heart disease (both which run in my family badly).
That is ME...someone else might not have the issues that run in my family. But the way I see it is this...if many of the people in my family already have these health issues and they WERE NOT on meds as a small child...what are chances that giving my son these meds are going to cause him health issues when he is, say 30 or 40?
Everyone has to do what THEY feel is right. A bottle of soda might not seem right for everyone. It works for us...for now. Maybe it wont in say two or three weeks down the line. BUT that is okay for us...we will then try to find something else that does. I CHOOSE not to have him take meds to fall asleep...that is my choice (with his will added in...cause he doesn't want to have to take meds either). If you don't like the whole mountain dew thing...that's okay...not everyone likes everyone else's ways of doing things.
To ME the meds are quick fixes...but some people believe that is what is right FOR THEM. The way I look at it (and have gone trough it in the past 5 years or so) is that the meds wear off or need to be up because the child has grown used to them or they have gone through a growth spurt.
Now don't get me wrong...when we take my oldest (15) to get checked out for bipolar and the doctor wants to put him on meds...I told him it's HIS choice. The way I look at it he will be an adult in three years...he might as well start deciding what is right and what isn't for his own body. Of course, if it's something that is iffy then I have the right to veto it...after all I am still mom.
I must admit I have my concerns about this mountain dew fad you are all raving about atm.
Think about it peoples! just think about it !!!
Don't go for quick fixes! Think about long term affects !
maybe I dont know what I am talking about - but intuitively this whole mountain dew thing gives me the creeps!
Rae7038503.1425231481I WISH Mt. Dew WOULD work on my daughter. She never drink soda; by choice she only drinks water, milk, & the occasssional lemonade. last summer my hubby took her to a neighborhood picnic and she drank 4 cans of Mt. Dew. She was bouncing off the walls that night & up WAY later than normal! I'm not sure if its because her body's not used to such quantities of sugar, or what. She's had coffee before & it DOES calm her a little but not enough to make it an everyday thing!
Well, the past week has been bad with Jake. Every night around 6pm he has a huge rebound from the meds. (He started 2 weeks ago). I was on the phone with my doctor and asked him about the Mountain Dew. He said Yes, it would work. He said to get the full effect you;d have to drink alot, but that a glass should help a bit. We had people over tonight for a BBQ and I gave him a glass. No tantrum. No rebound, dare I say almost perfect behavior. THANK YOU singke dad 1! Oh, by the way, my doc also said that nicotine has the same effect. I asked him if I should get Jake a nicotine patch. He didn't think I was too funny!!
I LOVE mountain dew...really I do [QUOTE=aschu]
I was on the phone with my doctor and asked him about the Mountain Dew. He said Yes, it would work. He said to get the full effect you;d have to drink alot
[/QUOTE]I suck down bottles and bottles daily. Makes a huge difference and helps a lot. I don't think the sugar is good for the teeth so I try to brush a lot more through the day but hey, can you imagine if Mt. Dew used that in their promotions!Maybe we should contact them!I just stumbled across this topic. I'd LOVE to know more. If they have to have a lot of caffeine, then would a small amount of something like "Red Bull" have the same result with less sugar intake and less chance of having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night???? I'd love to know about this. Along with my son, I'm ADHD (diagnosed in '71 when it was called "hyperkinetic." Coffee has an amazing "I can do it all" affect on me. My thinking becomes more "clear." The only problem is the intake of caffeine seems to have to be increased over time. Leigh_GA_6638502.790150463
Hi all...my post was not intended to dissuade anyone from trying mountain dew to manage the symptoms of ADHD and I'm sorry if thats what was implied. I am all for alternative treatments and if a parent deems the alternative tretament is safe and effective short term or long term based on their own individual reseach, it is their absolute right to do what they feel is best for their child. It is a good thing for parents to question treatment methods because through our own research, we learn to distinguish between accurate information and junk science. Like many parents here, many years ago I was once also very new to this and like every loving, caring parent that comes here, I did my homework and learned my subject. Every parent has to decide what is fact and what is a myth and if a parent is comfortable with their choice in terms of treatment, their choice is the right one because no one knows the child better than the parent. For my son, alternatives, including caffiene where not effective in terms of eliminating the impulsivity factor nor the distractability factor so this was this was not a viable option but I only speak of my own personal experience. My choice in terms of treatment was the right one for my son because today as a young adult, he is thriving, has quality of life and is moving towards his goals in life. eecp9971....I also understand your point and thats why I stated in my original post that every parent has to determine if the alternative is a viable option for their child. No one has the right to tell any parent that their choices are wrong and no one should ever slam an alternative to give merit to medication because the alternative or the medication should stand on its own merit. Informed decisions should be based on accurate information, not fear and the more we learn in terms of accurate information, the less we fear and are better able to make informed decisions. The point of my post was to share information, not steer parents away from an alternative method. We all have our opinions and experiences and what I have found through the years is to take what we need in a post and leave the rest behind
Hi--
Just wanted to clarify--I gavehim DIET Mountain Dew with no sugar and about 6 oz. not a full can...I too, think this is kinda weird and don't think I could do it long term, but hey, it is another OPTION and that is what alot of us need!
I'm picking up some MD this afternoon. As far as calories go, I don't mind it for my son. With his light appetite while on meds, I won't ever have to worry about obesity for him. Cross your fingers it works for us - we have t-ball practice tonight ;-)Luvmykids: As always you are very informative in your posts and I really take your information to heart. I generally find that I agree with you, whether I post or not. Your information is usually sound and comes from what appears to be a wealth of experience. Being informed is the best bet. Thanks for the post!Hey guys check out this guys way of attracting attention to his ADHD/ODD family. Kind of unique and worth a peek and if any of you can help, may be helpful for him. At least look at it and read his story. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=55858 04915&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT&rd=1
Diet Mountain Dew works wonders for my son. I don't think there is a high enough concentration of Caffine in Chocolate.
chuckles101301 wrote:
Luvmykids: As always you are very informative in your posts and I really take your information to heart. I generally find that I agree with you, whether I post or not
Chuckles, this is quite a compliment coming from a parent who is as well versed as you are. Thank you so much and I feel the same way about you. I find your posts to be extremely informative and supportive. The journey is long and hard for parents as well as the children when a child has a disability because its not the childs problem, its a family problem. Every family has different dynamics so what seems to be a solution for one family may not be for the other depending on the circumstances. When my child was originally daignosed with ADHD there were no computers so therefore, I had to search near and far to find a support system and support services so its comforting to see that parents today can find support simply with the click of a mouse. While the struggles are hard, knowing there are people all over the world that understand and feel your pain eases the pain because having hope makes all the difference. There is hope and there is a light at the end of the tunnel and this is what I try to convey to parents more than anything. Thanks again Chuckles. You made my day
I understand the concerns about the sugar in Mountain Dew, but what about coffee? Like I said, 5mg of Ritalin is not enough for my son and 10mg is to much! What if he had a cup of coffee with his med??
Has anyone tried this?? What do you think?
Cindy
I gave my daughter a cup of coffee with a little milk to cool it off & she was ASKING me to go to bed an hour later! LOL!! yeah, ok do you really believe that story? how much ot it is really true? Gee, if the wife's depression and anxiety weren't bad enough, they have likely reached a whole new level now if she knows her issues have been advertised on ebay. Yikes!
Cindy,
Can you break the Ritalin tablets to make a 7.5 mg dosage? If it's not extended release, you should be able to do this. We were directed by my son's doctor to do this when he was on regular Adderall. I'm almost certain you can do this with Ritalin (as long as it's a tablet and not an extended release). Ask the doctor first. :o)
I'm not clear on this - is it the caffeine in Mountain Dew that works? Why MD and not Diet Coke? Does MD have a special property?
Just curious because Mountain Dew in Canada does not contain caffeine.
I did not know that there was such a thing as Mountian Dew without caffeine in it. I know that it is the caffeine that seems to do it though. So coffee would work well that or even tea I would think. Here in the States Mountain Dew is the highest caffeinated soda of the regular kind and nonenergy drinks. I know that the caffeine in Diet Coke is lower than that in MD thoughThat's too bad because my son loves Mountain Dew. What about Red Bull? Has anyone tried that?I have done this, but it is soooo time consuming! The pills break into little pieces and it just makes a big mess! If a little cup of coffee or moutain dew does the same thing... I wanna try it!lol