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Adderall: ADHD, Cheating, and Legalization [W:13]

Adderall & ADHD Poll:

  • ADHD/ADD exists.

    Votes: 9 56.3%

  • ADHD/ADD does not exist.

    Votes: 1 6.3%

  • Only ppl with prescriptions should use medication.

    Votes: 8 50.0%

  • Adderall should be legalized for all.

    Votes: 1 6.3%

  • It's cheating for normal ppl to use drugs like Adderall.

    Votes: 2 12.5%

  • It's not cheating for normal ppl to use drugs like Adderall.

    Votes: 3 18.8%

  • ADHD/ADD shouldn't be treated with drugs.

    Votes: 2 12.5%

  • ADHD/ADD is overly-diagnosed.

    Votes: 11 68.8%

  • Adderall and other drugs like it aren't addicting.

    Votes: 1 6.3%

  • ADHD/ADD meds are too expensive.

    Votes: 3 18.8%
  • Total voters
    16
I was "diagnosed" with ADHD when I was a kid. I was about 11. IMO, my parents took me to a psychiatrist because they sucked and didn't have the parental discipline to consistently hold me to a standard. I think they wanted the psychiatrist to have some sort of golden ticket to making me the kid they wished I was but didn't want to put the work in to have. They tried to put me on meds. I didn't take them. Sure, I notice that I have issues concentrating. Guess what? I rely on God and personal discipline to push through that and get the job done. I am self aware enough to notice when I am attempting to multi-task but getting nothing done. I simply stop, reorganize, and keep going. IMO, people who rely on meds to fix their brain are taking the easy way out. Sure, there are extreme cases. I don't think ADHD is one of them. TBI is an issue that may need meds. Guess what, I have both. No meds. I think most people need to cowboy up and stop looking for some sort of magic solution to their lack of drive, self-discipline, and self-awareness. Just because a person doesn't want to study or work, doesn't mean they need meds. It may mean they need a solid size 10 up their butt.
 
Wake said:
While I can agree with the fact that students are looking for the next best tool to survive the pressures of college...

...Adderall is nowehere near a few ups of caffienated coffee and such. If ADHD/ADD could be fixed on coffee alone, they'd be prescribed caffiene. Adderall is dangerous for normal people who don't need it.



It's overdiagnosed, but it's not BS in the slightest. It's a genetic and neurological disorder that can be inherited via adults with it. My views is that it's cheating if normal peopel take it, but "leveling the playing field" when people with the damaged mind (ADD/ADHD) take it to be normal and receive a better quality lifestyle. Imagine being highly intelligent, but not being able to focus and remember, thus not being able to really retain and use information. That, and Adderall ALSO treats the social and other behavioral issues of the disorder, like anxiety and innatentiveness. There are also side-effects, like loss of creativity, cold fingers, nausea, and major lack of appetite (all of which I'm feeling right now).

I don't have OCD, and I don't understand it really at all... Sounds like it's a different sort of struggle.

Dosage is definitely key, so it's typical medical practice to start patients off on lower doses and slowly increase it, considering the patient's blood pressure, reactions, side effects, improved quality of life, etc. It's sensitive data, but my doctor yesterday put me on a low-sodium diet plan to counteract that BP-increasing effects of the medication. My BP was 160/90, so if I keep eating bad foods and not doing much to lower my BP, I could face stroke, heart attack, and other cardiovascular problems. Every week I need to check my BP twice and jot it down on a chart my doctor gave me. I've got a month, and if I can't get it at or below 120/60(?), I'll have to stop taking it and take beta-blockers to bet my BP under control. Dosage and observace is key.
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I don't think anyone should take an addictive drug and risk addiction. I know persons that crank up with Meth don't sleep for days and sometimes even get something done. Then they crash for a day or so. I'm not even sure it should be prescribed for ADD or ADHD. Just an opinion.
 
MarineTpartier said:
I was "diagnosed" with ADHD when I was a kid. I was about 11. IMO, my parents took me to a psychiatrist because they sucked and didn't have the parental discipline to consistently hold me to a standard. I think they wanted the psychiatrist to have some sort of golden ticket to making me the kid they wished I was but didn't want to put the work in to have. They tried to put me on meds. I didn't take them. Sure, I notice that I have issues concentrating. Guess what? I rely on God and personal discipline to push through that and get the job done. I am self aware enough to notice when I am attempting to multi-task but getting nothing done. I simply stop, reorganize, and keep going. IMO, people who rely on meds to fix their brain are taking the easy way out. Sure, there are extreme cases. I don't think ADHD is one of them. TBI is an issue that may need meds. Guess what, I have both. No meds. I think most people need to cowboy up and stop looking for some sort of magic solution to their lack of drive, self-discipline, and self-awareness. Just because a person doesn't want to study or work, doesn't mean they need meds. It may mean they need a solid size 10 up their butt.
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This just perpetuates the stigma of mental illness/disorders/disabilities. I went through a deep depression several years ago that I pulled myself out of without ever seeing a therapist or going on medication. With that, I'm a lot like you in that I only needed myself to work on my mental health. However, just because I was able to do that doesn't mean that other people are "taking the easy way out" when they take medication. It's entirely possible that their brains are just different and that "God and self-discipline" are not enough for them. It's entirely possible and, in fact, probable that the brain is capable of being damaged beyond human control in the same way every other organ is.

You've really taken an incredibly ignorant position that seems like its only purpose is to help you elevate yourself above people who you think are weaker and less virtuous than you. Not a good look.

"Cowboy up." Give me a break.
 
ThePlayDrive said:
This just perpetuates the stigma of mental illness/disorders/disabilities. I went through a deep depression several years ago that I pulled myself out of without ever seeing a therapist or going on medication. With that, I'm a lot like you in that I only needed myself to work on my mental health. However, just because I was able to do that doesn't mean that other people are "taking the easy way out" when they take medication. It's entirely possible that their brains are just different and that "God and self-discipline" are not enough for them. It's entirely possible and, in fact, probable that the brain is capable of being damaged beyond human control in the same way every other organ is.

You've really taken an incredibly ignorant position that seems like its only purpose is to help you elevate yourself above people who you think are weaker and less virtuous than you. Not a good look.

"Cowboy up." Give me a break.
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You know what, I should elevate myself. I'm diagnosed with ADHD and have TBI from multiple exposures to explosions and I take zero medication for it. I'm proud of that. Having said that, my post's purpose was definitely not intended to do that. I identify with the topic because I've been personally affected by it and shared a brief synopsis of how I handled it. If you took it as me simply bloviating about myself, that is your personal interpretation. That wasn't the intent.
Now, on to the subject at hand. I'm with you on the brain being able to be damaged beyond human control. I said in my post that there are some things that need medication to be treated. I just don't personally believe that ADHD or ADD are one of them. TBI is something that MAY need meds. However, I've seen some guys that have it and don't take meds. I will cede that there are much more severe mental conditions that require sometimes heavy meds. However, the OP is speaking of ADHD which is what I was addressing.
You didn't like my cowboy up line man? How about bacon up? Found that in urban dictionary. Urban Dictionary: Bacon Up
 
I wouldn't advise anyone to use amphetamines regularly. I'd prefer something like efedrine. If you do use them, take em in the morning, don't use em on an empty stomache, and drink enough water. If you're thin allready, realise that this stuff ruines your apetite.
 
My brother was diagnosed with ADD when he was younger, he did have problems with concentrating, and so they put him on Ritalin, but this caused borderline depressive moods, and wasn't good for him, I remember one time we went fishing and he threw his medicine into the river, there were lots of fish that day, I guess they had help concentrating in one spot, but after he stopped with the Ritalin he started taking Omega-3 pills, and they helped a lot, but it made our fishing more difficult, so we'd wander up and down the river bank, talking about stuff, and he would notice my attention would wander and I couldn't stick to one topic, and these big paddle steamer boats would go past, and we'd reminisce about the time we went on one, and he got hives from the smoke, so we never did it again, hives can be dangerous, especially if they have bees or wasps in them, but if you learn to smoke, you can calm the bees down, steal their honey, and give them lung cancer.
 
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