4 ms·

I think that the bigger issue is that we're masking societal dependence on stimulants by pretending that they're medicine (yes, sometimes they are) and not just

by yarg 3y ago

I think that the bigger issue is that we're masking societal dependence on stimulants by pretending that they're medicine (yes, sometimes they are) and not just uppers. There's never a chance to resolve any issue with having an honest objective conversation. Beyond the fact that our society doesn't like those conversations in general, you're never going to have the conversation that needs to be had in this particular case as long as legislators are in bed with the pharmaceutical industry.

catiopatio 3y ago
I just wish my doctor had explained that getting off of Adderall would be incredibly difficult — not because of any addiction to the high, but because the chemical dependency means that I’ll be absolutely incapable of focusing on work whatsoever for months. I’ve been very gradually decreasing my dose, but the underlying ADHD hasn’t gone away, and the chemical dependency just makes dealing with it that much harder. I should have just stuck with coffee. My sleep was terrible, and I could only focus on things I was very interested in, but at least I wasn’t permanently addicted to an expensive, highly controlled stimulant that I have to take every day of my life to remain a basic functioning adult.
- ta988 3y ago
  I've heard that so many times... I wish it was told that you would pay it after and the negative impact it will have on your life with all you miss when you are hyper focused.
- xyzzy_plugh 3y ago
  I wasn't aware that stimulants could even reliably create dependence when prescribed to treat an appropriate underlying condition versus being abused. I'm a bit confused: is the dependence you refer to any different than if you were simply unmedicated? That is to say, that your livelihood depends on being medicated? Or that you will have even further reduced focus than normal due to long term usage? The latter is completely novel to me, if that's indeed the case. I cannot possibly imagine becoming addicted to stimulants. It's a chore to remember to take them. Tolerance builds quickly so I have to take regular breaks (or reduce the dosage) or the effects simply disappear. I treat myself to a "cheat day" every once in a while where I just don't take any and it's always extremely not productive but otherwise fine. I'd love to find an alternative but the alternatives seem strictly worse. When I was younger I would frequently let my Adderall prescription lapse (because it's such an ironic chore to maintain) and sometimes would go months without any medication without any discernable negative effects.
  - catiopatio 3y ago
    Yes, my livelihood now depends on my being medicated — if I don’t take a pill, I don’t get work done. No matter how hard I try to force myself to sit down and work. It’s as if my original ADHD has been dialed up to 100. If you can go months without Adderall, and struggle to even remember to take it, I seriously doubt you ever had ADHD in the first place.
    - xyzzy_plugh 3y ago
      So people who haven't been diagnosed yet don't have ADHD? I don't understand. We're in the same boat, I assure you. What I do not understand is that stopping medication makes everything significantly worse. I've been on a lot of different medications and I've never experienced that. Are you at a high dose? It took me a long, long time to realize a lower dose is ideal, but I build tolerance rapidly. Managing this has been significant.
      - catiopatio 3y ago
        The “significantly worse” part is being completely unable to function at work. If I don’t have to work, I have no problem stopping cold-turkey — I skip taking it entirely on vacations, for example.
        xyzzy_plugh 3y ago
        That doesn't sound like a dependency in the traditional sense. Being completely unable to function at work is often a symptom prior to acquiring medication, and I'm not exaggerating. Are you saying you were able to work before being medicated?
        catiopatio 3y ago
        I can assure you it’s a chemical dependency.

by yarg 3y ago

catiopatio 3y ago

I just wish my doctor had explained that getting off of Adderall would be incredibly difficult — not because of any addiction to the high, but because the chemical dependency means that I’ll be absolutely incapable of focusing on work whatsoever for months. I’ve been very gradually decreasing my dose, but the underlying ADHD hasn’t gone away, and the chemical dependency just makes dealing with it that much harder. I should have just stuck with coffee. My sleep was terrible, and I could only focus on things I was very interested in, but at least I wasn’t permanently addicted to an expensive, highly controlled stimulant that I have to take every day of my life to remain a basic functioning adult.

ta988 3y ago
I've heard that so many times... I wish it was told that you would pay it after and the negative impact it will have on your life with all you miss when you are hyper focused.
xyzzy_plugh 3y ago
I wasn't aware that stimulants could even reliably create dependence when prescribed to treat an appropriate underlying condition versus being abused. I'm a bit confused: is the dependence you refer to any different than if you were simply unmedicated? That is to say, that your livelihood depends on being medicated? Or that you will have even further reduced focus than normal due to long term usage? The latter is completely novel to me, if that's indeed the case. I cannot possibly imagine becoming addicted to stimulants. It's a chore to remember to take them. Tolerance builds quickly so I have to take regular breaks (or reduce the dosage) or the effects simply disappear. I treat myself to a "cheat day" every once in a while where I just don't take any and it's always extremely not productive but otherwise fine. I'd love to find an alternative but the alternatives seem strictly worse. When I was younger I would frequently let my Adderall prescription lapse (because it's such an ironic chore to maintain) and sometimes would go months without any medication without any discernable negative effects.
- catiopatio 3y ago
  Yes, my livelihood now depends on my being medicated — if I don’t take a pill, I don’t get work done. No matter how hard I try to force myself to sit down and work. It’s as if my original ADHD has been dialed up to 100. If you can go months without Adderall, and struggle to even remember to take it, I seriously doubt you ever had ADHD in the first place.
  - xyzzy_plugh 3y ago
    So people who haven't been diagnosed yet don't have ADHD? I don't understand. We're in the same boat, I assure you. What I do not understand is that stopping medication makes everything significantly worse. I've been on a lot of different medications and I've never experienced that. Are you at a high dose? It took me a long, long time to realize a lower dose is ideal, but I build tolerance rapidly. Managing this has been significant.
    - catiopatio 3y ago
      The “significantly worse” part is being completely unable to function at work. If I don’t have to work, I have no problem stopping cold-turkey — I skip taking it entirely on vacations, for example.
      - xyzzy_plugh 3y ago
        That doesn't sound like a dependency in the traditional sense. Being completely unable to function at work is often a symptom prior to acquiring medication, and I'm not exaggerating. Are you saying you were able to work before being medicated?
        catiopatio 3y ago
        I can assure you it’s a chemical dependency.