4 ms·

Who prescribes narcotics to people with ADHD?

by adamwk 4y ago

cheeseomlit 4y ago
Are you familiar with 'amphetamines'?
- robotresearcher 4y ago
  Typical use of 'narcotics' means opiates and similar drugs (narc = sleep), and not amphetamines.
  - cheeseomlit 4y ago
    My mistake, I meant it in more of an 'often-abused mind-altering addictive scheduled drug' connotation. Not that a drug being scheduled is proof of harm in and of itself, but it seems like many people (particularly on HN for some reason) are in heavy denial that they are addicted to amphetamines and that it maybe isn't such a healthy way to solve behavioral problems. If you're an adult then fine you can make your own decisions, but the fact that people give amphetamines to children because they cant focus in school seems very sick to me.
    - Tao3300 4y ago
      > many people (particularly on HN for some reason) are in heavy denial that they are addicted to amphetamines and that it maybe isn't such a healthy way to solve behavioral problems You've coasted into the territory of self-appointed expert on ADHD. To me, this reads as "I have no idea what ADHD is like or how to manage it. My mind can't imagine that other minds may work differently, so what would work for my mind must work for all the other minds." > behavior problems Whether or not you're aware of it, that's an ableist dog whistle for "why don't you just stop being _______?" usually followed by a JBP reading list about lobsters and room cleaning.
      - cheeseomlit 4y ago
        No need to get so defensive, I don't think it's beyond the pale to characterize ADHD as a 'behavior problem'. And I don't think our minds are as different as you say- I take adderall sometimes when I have a lot to do and it helps me focus immensely. It does that for almost everyone believe it or not, you don't have be diagnosed with something for amphetamines to help you focus- it's what they do. I can absolutely understand someone who has trouble focusing seeing it as a godsend. But this hostile defensive reaction that many ADD-diagnosed have when you point out that taking amphetamines every day of their life isn't healthy is well, not healthy. Not to mention normalizing it for kids as I mentioned.
        Tao3300 4y ago
        > No need to get so defensive Yes there is. You're mischaracterizing a disorder and thereby marginalizing people who suffer from it while making normative statements about it despite not being an expert. That's offensive. > I take adderall sometimes when I have a lot to do Are you saying that you have a diagnosis? Or are you just taking it illegally / in a country with lax drug laws? It's a prescription medication that's currently in short supply, so unless your healthcare provider is proscribing it for you you're really being a douche canoe.
    - brazzledazzle 4y ago
      In an ideal world each child would have private teachers and tutors developing custom tailored curriculum and schedules for them. We don't live in an ideal world and success in public school essentially requires you be neurotypical or use medication to simulate it as much as possible. By all means try without it first but it's going to cost you time or money you may not have. With any luck future gains in understanding the human brain will lead to medication that has the pros without the cons but today we have to use the tools we have.
  - filoleg 4y ago
    It could be that the person is not from the west and/or not a native english speaker. And unnecessary specific example goes here. In russian language, every (99% of the time, illegal) drug that is associated with abuse is called a narcotic (including cannabis). There isn't a russian language equivalent word for "drugs", "drugs" is a synonym for "narcotics" there. There is "medicine" and there is "drug"/"narcotic". Which is why I saw, more than once, middle schoolers there in an English language class giggling once they saw a "drug store" sign in a photo, as it led to the "hehe, why do they sell drugs/narcotics at pharmacies there, US is a weird place huh" jokes.
    - ljf 4y ago
      Even here in the UK, we don't call medicine 'drugs' - when someone refers to drugs here they nearly only mean illegal drugs. As school kids we had the same thought about 'drug stores' - and I even found it amusing when a Pharmacy/beauty shop opened called 'Superdrug' - seemed such an odd turn of phrase to someone who had only heard of drugs as the illegal and dangerous things...
- Tao3300 4y ago
  Not sure where you are, but in the US, narcotic has different meanings legally and pharmacologically. Amphetamines are classified as narcotics under neither. Maybe a mistranslation or you're conflating narcotic with "controlled substance"?

Who prescribes narcotics to people with ADHD?

by adamwk 4y ago

Who prescribes narcotics to people with ADHD?

cheeseomlit 4y ago

Are you familiar with 'amphetamines'?

robotresearcher 4y ago
Typical use of 'narcotics' means opiates and similar drugs (narc = sleep), and not amphetamines.
- cheeseomlit 4y ago
  My mistake, I meant it in more of an 'often-abused mind-altering addictive scheduled drug' connotation. Not that a drug being scheduled is proof of harm in and of itself, but it seems like many people (particularly on HN for some reason) are in heavy denial that they are addicted to amphetamines and that it maybe isn't such a healthy way to solve behavioral problems. If you're an adult then fine you can make your own decisions, but the fact that people give amphetamines to children because they cant focus in school seems very sick to me.
  - Tao3300 4y ago
    > many people (particularly on HN for some reason) are in heavy denial that they are addicted to amphetamines and that it maybe isn't such a healthy way to solve behavioral problems You've coasted into the territory of self-appointed expert on ADHD. To me, this reads as "I have no idea what ADHD is like or how to manage it. My mind can't imagine that other minds may work differently, so what would work for my mind must work for all the other minds." > behavior problems Whether or not you're aware of it, that's an ableist dog whistle for "why don't you just stop being _______?" usually followed by a JBP reading list about lobsters and room cleaning.
    - cheeseomlit 4y ago
      No need to get so defensive, I don't think it's beyond the pale to characterize ADHD as a 'behavior problem'. And I don't think our minds are as different as you say- I take adderall sometimes when I have a lot to do and it helps me focus immensely. It does that for almost everyone believe it or not, you don't have be diagnosed with something for amphetamines to help you focus- it's what they do. I can absolutely understand someone who has trouble focusing seeing it as a godsend. But this hostile defensive reaction that many ADD-diagnosed have when you point out that taking amphetamines every day of their life isn't healthy is well, not healthy. Not to mention normalizing it for kids as I mentioned.
      - Tao3300 4y ago
        > No need to get so defensive Yes there is. You're mischaracterizing a disorder and thereby marginalizing people who suffer from it while making normative statements about it despite not being an expert. That's offensive. > I take adderall sometimes when I have a lot to do Are you saying that you have a diagnosis? Or are you just taking it illegally / in a country with lax drug laws? It's a prescription medication that's currently in short supply, so unless your healthcare provider is proscribing it for you you're really being a douche canoe.
  - brazzledazzle 4y ago
    In an ideal world each child would have private teachers and tutors developing custom tailored curriculum and schedules for them. We don't live in an ideal world and success in public school essentially requires you be neurotypical or use medication to simulate it as much as possible. By all means try without it first but it's going to cost you time or money you may not have. With any luck future gains in understanding the human brain will lead to medication that has the pros without the cons but today we have to use the tools we have.
- filoleg 4y ago
  It could be that the person is not from the west and/or not a native english speaker. And unnecessary specific example goes here. In russian language, every (99% of the time, illegal) drug that is associated with abuse is called a narcotic (including cannabis). There isn't a russian language equivalent word for "drugs", "drugs" is a synonym for "narcotics" there. There is "medicine" and there is "drug"/"narcotic". Which is why I saw, more than once, middle schoolers there in an English language class giggling once they saw a "drug store" sign in a photo, as it led to the "hehe, why do they sell drugs/narcotics at pharmacies there, US is a weird place huh" jokes.
  - ljf 4y ago
    Even here in the UK, we don't call medicine 'drugs' - when someone refers to drugs here they nearly only mean illegal drugs. As school kids we had the same thought about 'drug stores' - and I even found it amusing when a Pharmacy/beauty shop opened called 'Superdrug' - seemed such an odd turn of phrase to someone who had only heard of drugs as the illegal and dangerous things...
Tao3300 4y ago
Not sure where you are, but in the US, narcotic has different meanings legally and pharmacologically. Amphetamines are classified as narcotics under neither. Maybe a mistranslation or you're conflating narcotic with "controlled substance"?