Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/03/29/the-price-of-endless-energy-the-prescription-adderall-epidemic.html
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I have contemplated trying it to help focus better during the day. My doctor said he would do it if I decided I wanted to, but he also said there was a big uptick in prescriptions during covid, and the FDA wanted to limit that so people either can’t get it or are getting different drugs that don’t work as well.
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Effective ADHD medications make ADHD minds calm.
And there are many, many different kinds of ADHD medications. Different drugs and dosages work better or worse for different people.
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Maybe people shouldn’t use prescription meds if they don’t have the condition they are meant to treat? One of the sure markers of ADHD is that you respond differently to these kinds of drugs than other people. Just like 80sBowie points out above.
The misuse and following moral panic will just feed misunderstandkng and prejudice against us who struggle with ADHD.
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Exactly. Many of these essays seem to describe abuse of Adderall by non-ADHD users. Manic behavior and racing thoughts are the opposite of Adderall’s effect on ADHD.
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For once I would love to see an article about how life saving this medication can be for people with true ADHD.
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I took Ritalin for about 5 years, stopped about 15 years ago, and I like to think I managed to make the transition to using routine to structure my day. One of the signs it was helping was that I didn’t notice its effects, but my ex wife was steadfast that I was calmer and concentrated better than when I didn’t take it. My psychiatrist also stated that I performed better on tests when I took the meds regularly.
So why did I stop? Well, as I wrote I didn’t really notice the change… except I did feel I lost something. I missed the chaos in my head of having no filters. I like being a quirky geek. But really, it was a chore taking it, it was a chore getting the prescription refilled, having blood drawn one every three months to check for adverse effects, all for something that I only heard others say made me better but I didn’t feel better.
I’m now 56, soon to be 57, and I feel like the medication did its job well, and I don’t regret taking it. I think it helped me find what is positive in ADD and to embrace it, but also to help me concentrate enough to get good habits in place. It gave me the breathing space I needed to build up my guard rails.
So I’m sorry, @Crystal_Williams , it’s Ritalin and not Adderall in my anecdote, but I feel the effect would have been the same.
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I took Adderall for a while, and when that didn’t really do much I tried Concerta, which also didn’t seem to do much. Though the first time I took Adderall I had a weird out-of-body experience where I was compelled to empty the dishwasher. In the long term, though, I couldn’t really tell the difference, so I decided it wasn’t worth the risk to my blood pressure and gave it up.
I ought to try one of the non-stimulant ADHD meds, because I’m kinda sick of having a gaping void in my mind where the executive function should live.
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Same! And the shortage isn’t just in the US, it’s a worldwide shortage and the impact it is having is widespread. While some of my friends are struggling to get the meds they need to function, others have been told that they won’t be started on the meds until the shortage eases up because they can’t be promised a steady supply.
As somebody with ADHD it would be nice to not be looked at as a drug seeker, and as somebody that has a sometimes debilitating disorder that is exhausting to have, and exhausting to get treatment for. I don’t need even more hurdles in my way, I’m already playing the game of life on hard mode.
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Up front, gonna admit I haven’t read through the article yet (12k words is a few too many before I’ve had my coffee). But based on the subheads, and as the parent of someone whose life was radically improved because of Adderall, all I can say to those using it who do not need it is a big ‘fuck you’ for the difficulties they’ve introduced into reliably and conveniently allowing my son to get the meds his beautifully weird brain needs.
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Right? I spent 40+ years playing the game of Life on Hard Mode and I’m really tired of being treated like a monster for trying to not do that anymore.
I used to get things done by being incredibly angry all the time and it’s exhausting and no one (not even me) wants to deal with me when I’m that way. But yes, I would love for this rando to tell me all about how Adderall is The Devil.
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If anyone has something for executive function disorders that panics their morals less I’m willing to talk. I sure didn’t pick this one because the extra hassle of schedule II is something I wanted to deal with.
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