5 ms·
Stimulants all downregulate. They will end up having to use more unless they take breaks to resensitize ( couple weeks off take a tiny dose then another week of
by galangalalgol 8y ago
Stimulants all downregulate. They will end up having to use more unless they take breaks to resensitize ( couple weeks off take a tiny dose then another week off).
The antidepressants are worse. In people with violent thoughts (are there people without?) they can make people more likely to act out those thoughts. In everyone else it destroys libido and has has physical withdrawal. Anecdotally I have also noticed people on them don't draw boundaries where they should. They are OK with treatment from employers and friends that they shouldn't be.
- jointpdf 8y agoYet for others, stimulants and/or antidepressants are a potentially life-stabilizing treatment that cannot be achieved any other way. The only thing your dismissive comment could achieve is to make people who need them feel discouraged (which is potentially dangerous).
- galangalalgol 8y agoThe context is 75% of a profession in training taking these drugs to handle the pressure they are under. Not people with ADHD or chronic depression/anxiety that doesn't respond to therapy.
- jointpdf 8y agoI also meant to say that stimulants and antidepressants shouldn’t be expected to solve the entire problem. Stimulants, in particular, are a double-edged sword that can amplify sleep deprivation, anxiety, poor-diet, etc. and make problems worse in the long term. But I wouldn’t hesitate to encourage someone to seek medication that they need. I can see how the line gets a bit blurry with medical and PhD students—at what point does chronic academic stress crossover into anxiety/depression/ADD? We don’t want people popping Adderall as an academic requirement. In any case, I think preventative mental health education and destigmatization would be a more effective solution overall.