4 ms·

Oh my, that's hilarious, in a twisted sort of way. I was aware that meth was prescribed, but I guess I had no reference point for how prevalent it might be.

by asxd 5y ago

bshipp 5y ago
I knew I was taking an amphetamine derivative but I had no idea my ADHD prescription was literally the same as meth. of course, I'm taking a tiny daily amount. No wonder they give me such a hassle about filling my script when I'm traveling!
loxias 5y ago
I'm on a very similar one, which also has a GoodRx coupon. In case you're not familiar with the details of psychopharmacology, or are lucky enough to have a more "normal" brain, it's quite common for one to spend a long time with their doctor, doing trial and error with different compounds that are variants on the same structure, even different isomers can have a noticeable effect for the patient. At one stop on my journey, I was prescribed dexedrine, which I previously had only heard of in the context of the great Paul Erdos. Sadly, despite my hopes and dreams, there was no noticeable increase in the proliferation of my math output.
- asxd 5y ago
  I was in a similar boat, and spent a decent chunk of time during adolescence going through that trial-and-error process. At one point we tried Ritalin, which ended up just giving me horrible headaches and causing my grades to plummet. Dexedrine, on the other hand, was much more effective for me, even more so than adderall for some reason. I know Ritalin works for a lot of folks, and I find it pretty fascinating that the same medication can affect different people in such drastically different ways. Completely tangential, but regarding Paul Erdos, I recall hearing about a story where a colleague of his was concerned about his amphetamine use and offered to pay him a sum of money to go cold turkey for a month. Erdos was pretty adamant that amphetamines were a boon to his math research, so he went cold turkey for a month to prove he could, took the money, and then promptly resumed his usage. Not sure if it's true or what lessons are to be learned there, but it's a fun story :)
  - loxias 5y ago
    > I know Ritalin works for a lot of folks, and I find it pretty fascinating that the same medication can affect different people in such drastically different ways. Same!! (Ritalin doesn't work on me either). On my "journey to what works" the least pleasant, and most amusing in retrospect, was Strattera. Somehow, that medicine cranked up the "impatient asshole" knob in my brain to 11. I was cursing out people on the street for no rational reason, and carrying myself with more confidence than I've ever felt in my life. Things where I would normally have a patience of minutes became seconds. I found myself getting pissed off at dear friends for talking too slowly, interrupting them "can you fucking speed up please?". I quit after 5 days. :) At the time, my doctor seemed skeptical of the side effect, but a decade later I found documented evidence of it in others. Curiously, the medicine works quite effectively, no side effects, for someone who shares half my DNA. Brains are weird! Tangentially, I've heard a variant of that Erdos story too! Clearly it must be true. ;-)
- Nursie 5y ago
  > even different isomers can have a noticeable effect for the patient Case in point - L-methamphetamine is or was used in Vicks inhalers in some countries, notably the US, as it has none of the euphoriant effects of D-methamphetamine but it does still cause vasoconstriction, which can help with a blocked nose!

Oh my, that's hilarious, in a twisted sort of way. I was aware that meth was prescribed, but I guess I had no reference point for how prevalent it might be.

by asxd 5y ago

Oh my, that's hilarious, in a twisted sort of way. I was aware that meth was prescribed, but I guess I had no reference point for how prevalent it might be.

bshipp 5y ago

I knew I was taking an amphetamine derivative but I had no idea my ADHD prescription was literally the same as meth. of course, I'm taking a tiny daily amount. No wonder they give me such a hassle about filling my script when I'm traveling!

loxias 5y ago

I'm on a very similar one, which also has a GoodRx coupon. In case you're not familiar with the details of psychopharmacology, or are lucky enough to have a more "normal" brain, it's quite common for one to spend a long time with their doctor, doing trial and error with different compounds that are variants on the same structure, even different isomers can have a noticeable effect for the patient. At one stop on my journey, I was prescribed dexedrine, which I previously had only heard of in the context of the great Paul Erdos. Sadly, despite my hopes and dreams, there was no noticeable increase in the proliferation of my math output.

asxd 5y ago
I was in a similar boat, and spent a decent chunk of time during adolescence going through that trial-and-error process. At one point we tried Ritalin, which ended up just giving me horrible headaches and causing my grades to plummet. Dexedrine, on the other hand, was much more effective for me, even more so than adderall for some reason. I know Ritalin works for a lot of folks, and I find it pretty fascinating that the same medication can affect different people in such drastically different ways. Completely tangential, but regarding Paul Erdos, I recall hearing about a story where a colleague of his was concerned about his amphetamine use and offered to pay him a sum of money to go cold turkey for a month. Erdos was pretty adamant that amphetamines were a boon to his math research, so he went cold turkey for a month to prove he could, took the money, and then promptly resumed his usage. Not sure if it's true or what lessons are to be learned there, but it's a fun story :)
- loxias 5y ago
  > I know Ritalin works for a lot of folks, and I find it pretty fascinating that the same medication can affect different people in such drastically different ways. Same!! (Ritalin doesn't work on me either). On my "journey to what works" the least pleasant, and most amusing in retrospect, was Strattera. Somehow, that medicine cranked up the "impatient asshole" knob in my brain to 11. I was cursing out people on the street for no rational reason, and carrying myself with more confidence than I've ever felt in my life. Things where I would normally have a patience of minutes became seconds. I found myself getting pissed off at dear friends for talking too slowly, interrupting them "can you fucking speed up please?". I quit after 5 days. :) At the time, my doctor seemed skeptical of the side effect, but a decade later I found documented evidence of it in others. Curiously, the medicine works quite effectively, no side effects, for someone who shares half my DNA. Brains are weird! Tangentially, I've heard a variant of that Erdos story too! Clearly it must be true. ;-)
Nursie 5y ago
> even different isomers can have a noticeable effect for the patient Case in point - L-methamphetamine is or was used in Vicks inhalers in some countries, notably the US, as it has none of the euphoriant effects of D-methamphetamine but it does still cause vasoconstriction, which can help with a blocked nose!