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As usual, a bunch of people are commenting on Adderall not being medication but a performance enhancing drug and... In any other context these people are proba

As usual, a bunch of people are commenting on Adderall not being medication but a performance enhancing drug and... In any other context these people are probably fine with marijuana legalization and libertarian-esque drug policy in general ("What you do with your body is none of my business..."). When it comes to Adderall, suddenly everybody becomes moralizing and sanctimonious.

tomdell 3y ago
I was prescribed Adderall as a child and was made to take it twice daily for many years. I had serious problems sleeping due to it and turned from an outgoing and popular student to a solitary and angry child. It isn't good for the development of children to be prescribing them a lighter version of meth. I was fortunate that my parents allowed me to choose to stop taking it before high school. I don't think anybody is proposing prescribing marijuana to children and forcing them into a lifelong dependency on it. If Adderall is just available, sure, whatever - but a lot of current users of it were initially forced into it without a clear understanding of the consequences.
idlewords 3y ago
It's possible to simultaneously believe Adderall is a performance-enhancing drug and be just fine with people taking it. We live in an odd moment where you can get legal, high-quality amphetamines online by speaking on video chat with a nurse practitioner who will ask a bunch of leading questions and conclude the five minute interview by prescribing you a highly effective stimulant. Just like with marijuana in some states, you have to observe the proprieties and treat it as a medical intervention. And just like with marijuana, there are some people for whom this really is a life-changing medication. The only area where I'd moralize about Adderall is that we give it to so many kids. There are grade school kids taking a daily dose that would keep me up for three days, and doing so for years. That's beyond messed up. But adults, if they want to, should have at it while they can.
- xyzzy_plugh 3y ago
  When I first sought a prescription, it took several attempts to find a medical professional who would take me seriously and actually help me understand and tackle the underlying issue. They all volunteered a prescription without batting an eye. The regulatory situation in the US is truly a mess. In other countries I have had the exact opposite experience, such that it took years of tests to justify a prescription that was laborious to maintain. What's the point of a drug schedule if it can be abused so openly?
  - idlewords 3y ago
    It's not just the regulatory situation, but the fact that there is not even a diagnostic standard for adult ADHD. Everybody right now is just winging it.
- habitue 3y ago
  > It's possible to simultaneously believe Adderall is a performance-enhancing drug and be just fine with people taking it. I agree, and this was largely my point: if you think it's ok for adults to take drugs just for fun, then you should be ok with them taking drugs for any purpose whatsoever.
tomcam 3y ago
Hey, I was moralizing and sanctimonious long before Adderall
sva_ 3y ago
My poison > your poison
dang 3y ago
Please don't take HN threads into flamewar. It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for. We want curious conversation here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

tomdell 3y ago

I was prescribed Adderall as a child and was made to take it twice daily for many years. I had serious problems sleeping due to it and turned from an outgoing and popular student to a solitary and angry child. It isn't good for the development of children to be prescribing them a lighter version of meth. I was fortunate that my parents allowed me to choose to stop taking it before high school. I don't think anybody is proposing prescribing marijuana to children and forcing them into a lifelong dependency on it. If Adderall is just available, sure, whatever - but a lot of current users of it were initially forced into it without a clear understanding of the consequences.

idlewords 3y ago

It's possible to simultaneously believe Adderall is a performance-enhancing drug and be just fine with people taking it. We live in an odd moment where you can get legal, high-quality amphetamines online by speaking on video chat with a nurse practitioner who will ask a bunch of leading questions and conclude the five minute interview by prescribing you a highly effective stimulant. Just like with marijuana in some states, you have to observe the proprieties and treat it as a medical intervention. And just like with marijuana, there are some people for whom this really is a life-changing medication. The only area where I'd moralize about Adderall is that we give it to so many kids. There are grade school kids taking a daily dose that would keep me up for three days, and doing so for years. That's beyond messed up. But adults, if they want to, should have at it while they can.

xyzzy_plugh 3y ago
When I first sought a prescription, it took several attempts to find a medical professional who would take me seriously and actually help me understand and tackle the underlying issue. They all volunteered a prescription without batting an eye. The regulatory situation in the US is truly a mess. In other countries I have had the exact opposite experience, such that it took years of tests to justify a prescription that was laborious to maintain. What's the point of a drug schedule if it can be abused so openly?
- idlewords 3y ago
  It's not just the regulatory situation, but the fact that there is not even a diagnostic standard for adult ADHD. Everybody right now is just winging it.
habitue 3y ago
> It's possible to simultaneously believe Adderall is a performance-enhancing drug and be just fine with people taking it. I agree, and this was largely my point: if you think it's ok for adults to take drugs just for fun, then you should be ok with them taking drugs for any purpose whatsoever.

tomcam 3y ago

Hey, I was moralizing and sanctimonious long before Adderall

sva_ 3y ago

My poison > your poison

dang 3y ago

Please don't take HN threads into flamewar. It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for. We want curious conversation here. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html