4 ms·

Do we all have ADHD or are stimulants just good? Seriously. Pretty soon all of us will be on legal meth and we sit back and go "hey this is fun I get this from

Do we all have ADHD or are stimulants just good? Seriously. Pretty soon all of us will be on legal meth and we sit back and go "hey this is fun I get this from my doctor it's good" and yet as a society we judge meth, crack and cocaine addicts. Nearly anyone will respond well to a stimulant.

phaedrus 4y ago
The difference is a person with ADHD will be calmed by a stimulant rather than amped up by it. The ADHD brain can't focus because it doesn't produce enough dopamine to reward the neural circuits for maintaining focus. So there's this paradoxical effect where something that in typical brains would lead to hyperactivity leads to calmness and clarity in an ADHD brain. It's qualitatively different.
- whalesalad 4y ago
  this is the classical DSM-V answer you hear thrown around but honestly times are changing, our understanding of this disorder is changing, and I do not think that is unequivocally true.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- frgtpsswrdlame 4y ago
  I don't think the way you've phrased it can possibly be true. I would assume whether you have ADHD or not an amphetamine is going to raise your heart rate.
  - falcolas 4y ago
    Not at ADHD clinical doses. And not all ADHD meds are stimulants.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
weakfish 4y ago
This is patently false and also misleading as comparing adderall to meth is like comparing dynamite to a nuclear bomb Edit: parent replied snidely to me, then deleted the comment. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- waqf 4y ago
  Read this and see whether you think the same: https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/know-your-amphetamines https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/know-your-amphetamines
  - weakfish 4y ago
    Sorry, but substack is _not_ what I would qualify as a reliable source.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - sverona 4y ago
      I get jumpy around Scott but he is a working psychiatrist and good about citing his sources.
- cheald 4y ago
  Just as an aside, the comment is flagged and dead, not deleted.
  - weakfish 4y ago
    Gotcha, thanks, I thought flagged comments usually showed up as “flagged,” TIL they disappear
fein 4y ago
HN doesn't seem to like to be told to stop taking heavy drugs. I agree with you. These things seem to be handed out like candy to whoever says the right things to a shrink. I think every single one of my neighbors has an addy script from willy wonka internet docs. When I was a kid, my parents were told to put me on meds as I didn't want to participate in school activities that I didn't find interesting. They smartly ignored that advice. I played with pharmaceutical stimulants in college and they are absolutely amazing, which is why I don't touch them any more. It's not a thing I would ever want to become reliant on. And I still have problems doing things I don't find interesting, which is also known as a normal state of existence.
- whalesalad 4y ago
  Give virtually any human being on this earth an adderall prescription and they will spend the next few months espousing how wonderful it is and how much better their life is. No shit buddy! It's amphetamine! Put it in the water supply to strengthen our GDP.
  - striking 4y ago
    What's your take on caffeine?
    - fein 4y ago
      Unless you're dosing your morning coffee with amphetamines, why make the comparison?
time_to_smile 4y ago
I was diagnosed with ADHD as a teen and recall being perplexed by the mixed messages of "don't do drugs!" and "here take this stimulant so you can do better in school!" If I'm going to take drugs, it's going to be to feel good not to work hard. I'm not taking drugs so that I can fit into an insane world's view of what a productive member of society looks like.
agentultra 4y ago
Not a doctor. As I understand it, caring for someone diagnosed with ADHD, the response to stimulants is quite different in people with ADHD. When a neurotypical person with control of their executive function takes stimulants it will increase their energy levels but it will also interfere with their executive function. They will lose impulse control, have intrusive thoughts, difficulty focusing. An ADHD person has difficulty regulating their executive function to begin with. All the different parts of the brain that have to work together in concert to perform a task have a leader that is easily distracted and they have a hard time controlling the leader. They start with confused thoughts and it can be struggle to maintain their focus on long-term plans/tasks. When they take stimulants it appears to help them regain control over their executive function. It increases their energy levels a bit but they way they react is quite different -- it can seem almost like it calms them down. So no, we don't all have ADHD. And not everyone will respond the same way to stimulants. They're one tool that can help people who have trouble regulating their executive function.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
falcolas 4y ago
Ever heard of Executive Dysfunction? It's when your brain says "turn off that lightswitch", and the part of your brain responsible for implementing the commands can't find the lightswitch. It's very real, and it's a royal pain in the ass. It's also an exceptionally common issue for those with ADHD. And yes, meds help with it.

phaedrus 4y ago

The difference is a person with ADHD will be calmed by a stimulant rather than amped up by it. The ADHD brain can't focus because it doesn't produce enough dopamine to reward the neural circuits for maintaining focus. So there's this paradoxical effect where something that in typical brains would lead to hyperactivity leads to calmness and clarity in an ADHD brain. It's qualitatively different.

whalesalad 4y ago
this is the classical DSM-V answer you hear thrown around but honestly times are changing, our understanding of this disorder is changing, and I do not think that is unequivocally true.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
frgtpsswrdlame 4y ago
I don't think the way you've phrased it can possibly be true. I would assume whether you have ADHD or not an amphetamine is going to raise your heart rate.
- falcolas 4y ago
  Not at ADHD clinical doses. And not all ADHD meds are stimulants.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

weakfish 4y ago

This is patently false and also misleading as comparing adderall to meth is like comparing dynamite to a nuclear bomb Edit: parent replied snidely to me, then deleted the comment. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
waqf 4y ago
Read this and see whether you think the same: https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/know-your-amphetamines https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/know-your-amphetamines
- weakfish 4y ago
  Sorry, but substack is _not_ what I would qualify as a reliable source.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - sverona 4y ago
    I get jumpy around Scott but he is a working psychiatrist and good about citing his sources.
cheald 4y ago
Just as an aside, the comment is flagged and dead, not deleted.
- weakfish 4y ago
  Gotcha, thanks, I thought flagged comments usually showed up as “flagged,” TIL they disappear

fein 4y ago

HN doesn't seem to like to be told to stop taking heavy drugs. I agree with you. These things seem to be handed out like candy to whoever says the right things to a shrink. I think every single one of my neighbors has an addy script from willy wonka internet docs. When I was a kid, my parents were told to put me on meds as I didn't want to participate in school activities that I didn't find interesting. They smartly ignored that advice. I played with pharmaceutical stimulants in college and they are absolutely amazing, which is why I don't touch them any more. It's not a thing I would ever want to become reliant on. And I still have problems doing things I don't find interesting, which is also known as a normal state of existence.

whalesalad 4y ago
Give virtually any human being on this earth an adderall prescription and they will spend the next few months espousing how wonderful it is and how much better their life is. No shit buddy! It's amphetamine! Put it in the water supply to strengthen our GDP.
- striking 4y ago
  What's your take on caffeine?
  - fein 4y ago
    Unless you're dosing your morning coffee with amphetamines, why make the comparison?

time_to_smile 4y ago

I was diagnosed with ADHD as a teen and recall being perplexed by the mixed messages of "don't do drugs!" and "here take this stimulant so you can do better in school!" If I'm going to take drugs, it's going to be to feel good not to work hard. I'm not taking drugs so that I can fit into an insane world's view of what a productive member of society looks like.

agentultra 4y ago

Not a doctor. As I understand it, caring for someone diagnosed with ADHD, the response to stimulants is quite different in people with ADHD. When a neurotypical person with control of their executive function takes stimulants it will increase their energy levels but it will also interfere with their executive function. They will lose impulse control, have intrusive thoughts, difficulty focusing. An ADHD person has difficulty regulating their executive function to begin with. All the different parts of the brain that have to work together in concert to perform a task have a leader that is easily distracted and they have a hard time controlling the leader. They start with confused thoughts and it can be struggle to maintain their focus on long-term plans/tasks. When they take stimulants it appears to help them regain control over their executive function. It increases their energy levels a bit but they way they react is quite different -- it can seem almost like it calms them down. So no, we don't all have ADHD. And not everyone will respond the same way to stimulants. They're one tool that can help people who have trouble regulating their executive function.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

falcolas 4y ago

Ever heard of Executive Dysfunction? It's when your brain says "turn off that lightswitch", and the part of your brain responsible for implementing the commands can't find the lightswitch. It's very real, and it's a royal pain in the ass. It's also an exceptionally common issue for those with ADHD. And yes, meds help with it.