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> There's no simple physical process you can put prodrugs through to turn them into something that will get you high; The fact that Vyvanse is a prodrug is emp

> There's no simple physical process you can put prodrugs through to turn them into something that will get you high; The fact that Vyvanse is a prodrug is emphasized heavily in its marketing, but the anti-abuse potential is overstated, IMHO. Even some very cursory searching on Bluelight, et. al. will yield a dozen ways to either magnify or dampen the effects of Vyvanse using common foods, etc. > with Adderall/Ritalin, there is a high chance that any voluntary self-diagnosed case will turn out to be a junkie/drug-seeker/drug-seller. Well, we can't prescribe any psychiatric medication, addictive or not, to people who are "self-diagnosed".

derefr 13y ago
> Well, we can't prescribe any psychiatric medication, addictive or not, to people who are "self-diagnosed". I meant "self-diagnosed" as in "books an appointment with a therapist because they think they have X, whereupon the therapist tests them for X, and then sends them to a psychiatrist who tests them more carefully for X and, finding that they do have X, prescribes them medication for X." Junkies can and do game this by looking up the tests online (which are, if you didn't know, just battery self-assessments of correlated behaviors.) But the only way to prevent this (besides coming up with objective measures for ADHD involving fMRI scans, like they've done for depression) would be to only prescribe neuroaffective medications to people whose lives take such a bad turn that they end up talking to a psychiatrist involuntarily (i.e. in a mental ward), thus preventing anyone who is self-aware-enough to notice that they have a problem from solving it.
- bayesianhorse 13y ago
  How exactly is it supposed to work then? People don't recognize the symptoms of mental disorders in themselves or others. Sure, you can tell if someone is having an extreme psychotic episode, or an extreme depression. In less extreme cases outwardly "harmless" symptoms of depression or ADHD are wrecking people's lives. The potential abuse of the system does not mean it doesn't do more good than harm.

derefr 13y ago

> Well, we can't prescribe any psychiatric medication, addictive or not, to people who are "self-diagnosed". I meant "self-diagnosed" as in "books an appointment with a therapist because they think they have X, whereupon the therapist tests them for X, and then sends them to a psychiatrist who tests them more carefully for X and, finding that they do have X, prescribes them medication for X." Junkies can and do game this by looking up the tests online (which are, if you didn't know, just battery self-assessments of correlated behaviors.) But the only way to prevent this (besides coming up with objective measures for ADHD involving fMRI scans, like they've done for depression) would be to only prescribe neuroaffective medications to people whose lives take such a bad turn that they end up talking to a psychiatrist involuntarily (i.e. in a mental ward), thus preventing anyone who is self-aware-enough to notice that they have a problem from solving it.

bayesianhorse 13y ago
How exactly is it supposed to work then? People don't recognize the symptoms of mental disorders in themselves or others. Sure, you can tell if someone is having an extreme psychotic episode, or an extreme depression. In less extreme cases outwardly "harmless" symptoms of depression or ADHD are wrecking people's lives. The potential abuse of the system does not mean it doesn't do more good than harm.