9 ms·

I got "diagnosed" with ADHD and tried taking the medicine for two weeks and it was terrible. What's the point of doing better in school if you feel terrible, lo

I got "diagnosed" with ADHD and tried taking the medicine for two weeks and it was terrible. What's the point of doing better in school if you feel terrible, lose your appetite, and have problems sleeping?

snerbles 8y ago
Compliance. You're more easily molded into an economically productive little cog for the workforce.
- organsnyder 8y ago
  In addition to making me a better worker, my ADHD meds also make me a better father, allow me to follow through on hobby projects, and other non-"cog" pursuits. I also started and ran my own business for a while. And my current workplace is about as un-factory-like as they come.
- andybak 8y ago
  I actually enjoy the meds. Not in every situation and not all the time but the effects are definitely not unpleasant. I don't get the "zombie" thing. Talking about Concerta/Ritalin. I actually asked to be taken off Vyvanse (more similar to Adderall) because it was a little bit too pleasant and disconcertingly similar to recreational substances.
- cowboysauce 8y ago
  Tell me, how do stimulants make someone more compliant? Why is it that when someone comes to the hospital in an agitated state, they aren’t given adderall? Why isn’t ritalin given before surgery? Why are people with schizophrenia given antipsychotics instead of vyvanse? This type of attitude is as ridiculous as it is cynical. People act as if the idea of a Ritalin zombie is the goal for ADHD medication. It’s not. I’m not going to deny that stimulants do make some people lethargic, but that’s the exception, not the rule. Do you want to know what it’s like to take medication for ADHD? For the first time in my life I can make choices. I can choose to clean up my desk without something deep inside me rising up to stop me. I can sit down and read a book and not feel the tensions building up inside me until it feels like a rubber band about to snap. I can wait at a restaurant without feeling the need for stimulation itch over me. My mind no longer jumps from idea to idea until I get lost in my own head. I can speak without stumbling over words because my mind is three sentences ahead. I can read a paragraph and actually remember what I just read. The notion that I’m just some lobotomized zombie shuffling to the strings of my corporate masters is frankly insulting to everyone that struggles to live a normal life with ADHD.
Mtinie 8y ago
If you reacted poorly to the medication, it could have been that your diagnosis was off, or that you didn’t benefit from the type the doctor prescribed. I’m not positive about adolescent applications but my ADD is treated well by Adderall/Vyvanse vs. Ritalin, as the active ingredients in Ritalin made me feel hyperactive and on the others I feel “normal.” After stopping your course of medication did the original symptoms which lead to the diagnosis go away?
HaseebR7 8y ago
have you tried a different medication ? a lot of the time some people don't respond to a medication that works well for most people.
roguecoder 8y ago
A good psychiatrist works with you to find medication that addresses your challenges with a minimum of side effects: the nice thing about most ADHD meds is that they work relatively quickly and don't have the terrible withdrawal symptoms some psychiatric meds do, so you don't have to wait six weeks to see if its working. And whether or not you are interested in medication, there are strategies and adaptations that can make it easier: support from a professional therapist can be super-helpful, with or without meds.

snerbles 8y ago

Compliance. You're more easily molded into an economically productive little cog for the workforce.

organsnyder 8y ago
In addition to making me a better worker, my ADHD meds also make me a better father, allow me to follow through on hobby projects, and other non-"cog" pursuits. I also started and ran my own business for a while. And my current workplace is about as un-factory-like as they come.
andybak 8y ago
I actually enjoy the meds. Not in every situation and not all the time but the effects are definitely not unpleasant. I don't get the "zombie" thing. Talking about Concerta/Ritalin. I actually asked to be taken off Vyvanse (more similar to Adderall) because it was a little bit too pleasant and disconcertingly similar to recreational substances.
cowboysauce 8y ago
Tell me, how do stimulants make someone more compliant? Why is it that when someone comes to the hospital in an agitated state, they aren’t given adderall? Why isn’t ritalin given before surgery? Why are people with schizophrenia given antipsychotics instead of vyvanse? This type of attitude is as ridiculous as it is cynical. People act as if the idea of a Ritalin zombie is the goal for ADHD medication. It’s not. I’m not going to deny that stimulants do make some people lethargic, but that’s the exception, not the rule. Do you want to know what it’s like to take medication for ADHD? For the first time in my life I can make choices. I can choose to clean up my desk without something deep inside me rising up to stop me. I can sit down and read a book and not feel the tensions building up inside me until it feels like a rubber band about to snap. I can wait at a restaurant without feeling the need for stimulation itch over me. My mind no longer jumps from idea to idea until I get lost in my own head. I can speak without stumbling over words because my mind is three sentences ahead. I can read a paragraph and actually remember what I just read. The notion that I’m just some lobotomized zombie shuffling to the strings of my corporate masters is frankly insulting to everyone that struggles to live a normal life with ADHD.

Mtinie 8y ago

If you reacted poorly to the medication, it could have been that your diagnosis was off, or that you didn’t benefit from the type the doctor prescribed. I’m not positive about adolescent applications but my ADD is treated well by Adderall/Vyvanse vs. Ritalin, as the active ingredients in Ritalin made me feel hyperactive and on the others I feel “normal.” After stopping your course of medication did the original symptoms which lead to the diagnosis go away?

HaseebR7 8y ago

have you tried a different medication ? a lot of the time some people don't respond to a medication that works well for most people.

roguecoder 8y ago

A good psychiatrist works with you to find medication that addresses your challenges with a minimum of side effects: the nice thing about most ADHD meds is that they work relatively quickly and don't have the terrible withdrawal symptoms some psychiatric meds do, so you don't have to wait six weeks to see if its working. And whether or not you are interested in medication, there are strategies and adaptations that can make it easier: support from a professional therapist can be super-helpful, with or without meds.