3 ms·

Didn't we used to? IIRC Adderall is just plain old amphetamine, and you used to be able to buy that freely OTC. Looks like it was scheduled in the US in 1971.

• LoganDark 3y ago
  > Adderall is just plain old amphetamine Adderall is a mix of 3:1 dextroamphetamine to levoamphetamine. It is not "plain old amphetamine", also known as racemic or "free-base" amphetamine (equal mix of dextro- and levo-). I can't take levoamphetamine, and need dextroamphetamine directly. Unsure if that was ever sold OTC on its own.
  • Nursie 3y ago
    By plain old amphetamine I meant structurally, rather than a specific stereoisomer mix. Though I guess I had assumed it was 100% dextroamphetamine. I think Dexedrine was sold OTC in the 50s and 60s, hard to be sure, sources I can find talk about it being popular for use by anyone and everyone, from dieting housewives to truck drivers and athletes, but don't specifically mention it being OTC or prescription.
    • NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
      Charles Whitman was dependent on Dexedrine, and he packed a good supply of it on that last day of his life. Dexedrine and other psychotropic pharmaceuticals have figured prominently in most mass shootings since that time.
      • Nursie 3y ago
        > Dexedrine and other psychotropic pharmaceuticals have figured prominently in most mass shootings since that time. Any sort of source to back this up? I'm not arguing for dexedrine etc to be freely available, FYI, just discussing that it used to be.
        • NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
          Yes; just check the label of SSRIs and other drugs when they first came out. Many carried an FDA-mandated, black-box warning of increased incidences of homicidal ideations. Not merely suicidal ideations, homicidal ones. This was largely regarded as a bad idea and detrimental to sales, so it was walked back.
          • Nursie 3y ago
            That's tangential at best and I'm not sure it supports the strong claim - "Dexedrine and other psychotropic pharmaceuticals have figured prominently in most mass shootings since that time" I'm not saying I don't find it plausible, but a warning message on the box isn't exactly the confirmation I was looking for.
          • heavyset_go 3y ago
            There is no black box warning for SSRIs warning of increased incidences of homicidal ideations.
            • NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
              Yes, that's quite astute, there are currently no warnings. Present tense. Well said.
              • heavyset_go 3y ago
                There's no indication that there will be such warnings, and studies on exactly this have show the opposite of what you're saying.
      • carlmr 3y ago
        Assuming this was true, did most shootings also involve cigarettes? A lot of people smoked at that time, so I would presume there were a lot of smokers doing shootings. Sounds more like correlation to me than causation.
• TeMPOraL 3y ago
  Hmm. You know that feeling that most impressive leaps in engineering and technology in general all happened in the 20th century, especially between 1950s and 1980s, and that we've somehow lost the ability to do big things? > Looks like it was scheduled in the US in 1971. Maybe that's the answer.