5 ms·

I'd say one of the causes for over-medication is the lack of willingness of both parents and children to work on ways to succeed without use of medication. I h

I'd say one of the causes for over-medication is the lack of willingness of both parents and children to work on ways to succeed without use of medication. I have (fairly bad) ADHD and my doctor did give me medicine, but only half the light dosage of Strattera, which isn't a stimulant. Long story short, I ended up hating feeling comatose from the medicine so much I began to work through my ADHD by structuring my life and finding things I was actually interested in. But it would've been so easy to give me some Adderall and let me just do my thing, which I believe a lot of parents and doctors do. It's the quick and easy route, but arguably worse in the long run when the children grow up to be adults dependent on managing their ADHD with a crutch instead of on their own.

rwbcxrz 12y ago
I'm glad that worked for you. I was diagnosed with ADHD not long ago. Before my diagnosis, I was about to quit a job that I actually liked for the second time. I like my job. I liked my last job. I like programming, I liked my coworkers. Given a challenge, I was always able to rise to the challenge. Given something more mundane, I lost all motivation and capability. For years, I had blamed myself. I thought I was lazy and a shitty person. I was prone to binge eating and drinking. I was depressed as hell. Most people can't restructure their lives to work around their symptoms. I don't feel like I should have to. I certainly don't want to.
- molsongolden 12y ago
  Are you managing with medication now? I wonder if those who are able to restructure are lower on a spectrum. Your situation sounds similar to mine and attempts to restructure have been difficult. I haven't used medication for years because I bought into the idea that it would limit me and I could overcome if I just work hard enough but finally I've realized it just feels like every single thing is harder than it needs to be. I feel like I've wasted a lot of time beating my head against the wall.
iandanforth 12y ago
I would be interested in reading a longer blog post on your process. Any chance you've written one?
silencio 12y ago
I'm not sure I agree with calling drugs a "crutch". Nobody in their right mind would tell me that Singulair or Dulera is a crutch for my asthma. Nobody would call albuterol inhalers overprescribed or asthma overdiagnosed either. My allergist always has to tell me not to work my life around my triggers past a certain point too. Yet I hear it all the time about the Adderall and Vyvanse I used to take, and about ADHD. All. the. time. I have pretty bad ADHD too. My parents didn't want to put me on any meds, so I learned all the coping mechanisms the hard and expensive way _and_ feel that I lost out on a lot of opportunities when I was younger as a result. It's the only childhood issue I still hold a grudge over. When I could finally do whatever I wanted, I felt like a huge burden was lifted with meds because I never stopped struggling with said coping mechanisms anyway. Including stuff like "take a shower" and "eat lunch" on my daily-todo HabitRPG checklist. Unfortunately I'm trying to get pregnant and had to get off almost everything, so now I'm back to digging myself into a hole, getting frustrated with even my non-standard and fun life. If it wasn't for the fact that I have a partner to rely on, I probably would be telling my obgyn to go fuck herself about her judgment call regarding non-stimulant ADHD meds known to be safe. ADHD is a huge negative impact on my life, and I'd even qualify it as being worse than something potentially life-threatening like asthma >:P Obviously not everyone is the same, and abuse is definitely a problem. That doesn't equate to a crutch IMO. Not to mention there's a million other problems in the way, one in the US being a lack of accessible and affordable quality health care so people with ADHD can easily get help with non-medication options...
- ahknight 12y ago
  I watched a talk by Dr. Barkley a while back and he had a wonderful way of phrasing it (paraphrased): "Suppose you had a person in a wheelchair who needed in your building. Would you build a ramp and then after 30 days take it down, saying 'Well, by now they should have figured out how to get into the building.' NO! It's a remedy for a handicap. Neither should you deny medication to someone with another kind of handicap when they need it." After I let that sink in I suddenly didn't give a crap about the anti-pharma crowd. I have what I need and it helps me, so fuck 'em. And yes, without it the daily routine isn't one. Completely there.
  - 12y ago
warfangle 12y ago
Strattera usually isn't the first drug chosen, because it doesn't work for everyone. It primarily works on norepinephrine as a reuptake inhibitor. It's basically in the same class as bupropion (which is sometimes also prescribed off label for ADHD, though it's usually used as an antidepressant for those with cyclothymia or to aid in smoking cessation). Ritalin works by inhibiting the re-uptake of dopamine and norepinephrine. Amphetamine (adderal) works on dopamine, norepinephrine and seratonin. Not only is it a re-uptake inhibitor, but it actually "reverses the polarity" on neuron vesicles, causing them to dump their loads. For some with ADHD, strattera works just fine. For others, strattera will make them feel like a zombie (or do nothing at all), while as little as 5mg of amphetamine salts a day will be sufficient. A lot of folks with ADHD do just fine without medication. And others struggle with the thought of taking "the easy way out" for decades, and end up with a shitload of additional problems - primarily in the self confidence zone. Some only need the medication to get things back on track, establish routines and so forth ... but others really do need it. Chronically untreated ADHD is painful, debilitating, embarrassing, and so unnecessary.
- Kudos 12y ago
  > Strattera usually isn't the first drug chosen, because it doesn't work for everyone. Strattera is supposedly the first avenue of treatment in Europe follwed by stimulants, the reverse of the US.
  - barsonme 12y ago
    Oh, that's interesting. I live in the U.S.!

rwbcxrz 12y ago

I'm glad that worked for you. I was diagnosed with ADHD not long ago. Before my diagnosis, I was about to quit a job that I actually liked for the second time. I like my job. I liked my last job. I like programming, I liked my coworkers. Given a challenge, I was always able to rise to the challenge. Given something more mundane, I lost all motivation and capability. For years, I had blamed myself. I thought I was lazy and a shitty person. I was prone to binge eating and drinking. I was depressed as hell. Most people can't restructure their lives to work around their symptoms. I don't feel like I should have to. I certainly don't want to.

molsongolden 12y ago
Are you managing with medication now? I wonder if those who are able to restructure are lower on a spectrum. Your situation sounds similar to mine and attempts to restructure have been difficult. I haven't used medication for years because I bought into the idea that it would limit me and I could overcome if I just work hard enough but finally I've realized it just feels like every single thing is harder than it needs to be. I feel like I've wasted a lot of time beating my head against the wall.

iandanforth 12y ago

I would be interested in reading a longer blog post on your process. Any chance you've written one?

silencio 12y ago

I'm not sure I agree with calling drugs a "crutch". Nobody in their right mind would tell me that Singulair or Dulera is a crutch for my asthma. Nobody would call albuterol inhalers overprescribed or asthma overdiagnosed either. My allergist always has to tell me not to work my life around my triggers past a certain point too. Yet I hear it all the time about the Adderall and Vyvanse I used to take, and about ADHD. All. the. time. I have pretty bad ADHD too. My parents didn't want to put me on any meds, so I learned all the coping mechanisms the hard and expensive way _and_ feel that I lost out on a lot of opportunities when I was younger as a result. It's the only childhood issue I still hold a grudge over. When I could finally do whatever I wanted, I felt like a huge burden was lifted with meds because I never stopped struggling with said coping mechanisms anyway. Including stuff like "take a shower" and "eat lunch" on my daily-todo HabitRPG checklist. Unfortunately I'm trying to get pregnant and had to get off almost everything, so now I'm back to digging myself into a hole, getting frustrated with even my non-standard and fun life. If it wasn't for the fact that I have a partner to rely on, I probably would be telling my obgyn to go fuck herself about her judgment call regarding non-stimulant ADHD meds known to be safe. ADHD is a huge negative impact on my life, and I'd even qualify it as being worse than something potentially life-threatening like asthma >:P Obviously not everyone is the same, and abuse is definitely a problem. That doesn't equate to a crutch IMO. Not to mention there's a million other problems in the way, one in the US being a lack of accessible and affordable quality health care so people with ADHD can easily get help with non-medication options...

ahknight 12y ago
I watched a talk by Dr. Barkley a while back and he had a wonderful way of phrasing it (paraphrased): "Suppose you had a person in a wheelchair who needed in your building. Would you build a ramp and then after 30 days take it down, saying 'Well, by now they should have figured out how to get into the building.' NO! It's a remedy for a handicap. Neither should you deny medication to someone with another kind of handicap when they need it." After I let that sink in I suddenly didn't give a crap about the anti-pharma crowd. I have what I need and it helps me, so fuck 'em. And yes, without it the daily routine isn't one. Completely there.
- 12y ago

warfangle 12y ago

Strattera usually isn't the first drug chosen, because it doesn't work for everyone. It primarily works on norepinephrine as a reuptake inhibitor. It's basically in the same class as bupropion (which is sometimes also prescribed off label for ADHD, though it's usually used as an antidepressant for those with cyclothymia or to aid in smoking cessation). Ritalin works by inhibiting the re-uptake of dopamine and norepinephrine. Amphetamine (adderal) works on dopamine, norepinephrine and seratonin. Not only is it a re-uptake inhibitor, but it actually "reverses the polarity" on neuron vesicles, causing them to dump their loads. For some with ADHD, strattera works just fine. For others, strattera will make them feel like a zombie (or do nothing at all), while as little as 5mg of amphetamine salts a day will be sufficient. A lot of folks with ADHD do just fine without medication. And others struggle with the thought of taking "the easy way out" for decades, and end up with a shitload of additional problems - primarily in the self confidence zone. Some only need the medication to get things back on track, establish routines and so forth ... but others really do need it. Chronically untreated ADHD is painful, debilitating, embarrassing, and so unnecessary.

Kudos 12y ago
> Strattera usually isn't the first drug chosen, because it doesn't work for everyone. Strattera is supposedly the first avenue of treatment in Europe follwed by stimulants, the reverse of the US.
- barsonme 12y ago
  Oh, that's interesting. I live in the U.S.!