Quote:
Originally Posted by GMScud
Don't get me started on the BS that is Ritalin and Adderal. It's prescription speed. The technical name for Ritalin is methylphenidate. As in, methamphetamines.
During my sophomore year of high school my grades had dipped quite a bit, and my parents had me tested for ADD. After some stupid therapist took me through an array of tests, she determined I was ADD and reccomended a doctor to give me Ritalin. In hindsight my grades dipped because I had discovered girls and was too caught up in playing sports and not focused enough on academics. Plus my parents marriage was falling apart, and that was obviously a big distraction for our family. But ADD was so trendy, and so many doctors were writing Ritalin prescriptions like it was candy.
Anyway, I ended up taking Ritalin during my junior and senior years in high school and on into college. My grades did improve initially, but I think it was more that I was growing up and cared about getting into a good college than it was Ritalin.
In the second half of my senior year, I started upping my own doses of Ritalin. Instead of 20mgs 3x a day, I pushed it to 30. Then 50, and on and on. I had become physically addicted. Hell, I was given prescription meth for two years, it's not surprising that it turned into an addiction. I knew it was bad, but I couldn't really stop myself. Aside from that, my life was in order at that point, so I wasn't suffering any consequences that would force me to stop.
But it spiraled out of control over the next year and a half. I lost tons of weight, failed out of my freshman year of college, was lying, stealing, and doing anything I could to get my hands on more Ritalin. And the crazy thing was, it did nothing positive for me, I knew that, and I still wanted more. I had literally become a full fledged drug addict. It even got to the point where I was crushing it up and snorting it. Disgusting and embarrassing. My parents had suspected a problem for a while and, after failing out of college, they organized an intervention.
I broke down and was honest with everyone about what had been going on. I ended up going to rehab to get clean. It worked, I haven't touched Ritalin since, I went back to school, and life is good. I don't do 12 step meetings or anything like that, I just needed serious help to get away from the damn prescription speed.
The sad part is, I never needed Ritalin in the first place. I just needed to learn to balance school, sports, and social life. I don't even think I have ADD, despite what that quack told me back in the day. I think Ritalin and Adderal are awful, awful things to give to kids.
That nearly two year stretch right after high school was the worst part of my life thus far. I learned a lot though, and I'm better for it today. I was hesitant to share this because it's personal and sensitive, but we're kind of anonymous here, so there it is.
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While I understand that ADHD is a way over diagnosed condition, it certainly isn't a non-existent condition. I'm very sorry that you had the problems you did with the drug, and its incredibly unfortunate that you had to go through all that. With that being said, there is a popular trend in society to say that ADHD and the medication for it is complete total bullshit.
It's correct that adderall is in the same drug catagory as speed. They are both stimulants, and both can exhibit many of the same side effects. But people who genuinely have ADHD have different brains, and stimulants can chemically alter their brains to wire more normally. It stimulates
There is some crazy weird brain chemistry going on, and for some people (including me) the good medication brings way outweighs the bad. I hate the feeling of the side effects, but I also love being able to not leave the oven on every time I cook my food. I also really enjoy being able to do school work, and not have to re-read the same page four times because I keep zoning out.
I understand that there is major problem with over diagnosing ADHD, but also understand that there are people who genuinely do have it, and lead better more successful lives because of the option of medication.
See
"The brain of someone who does not have the disorder operates at a baseline of stimulation, so psychostimulants would put them in a state of overstimulation, resulting in the rush drug abusers seek. But when an ADHD patient is given a stimulant, he or she drops dramatically to a state of understimulation for a few minutes, then gradually reaches a baseline of normal stimulation that allows him or her to concentrate."
-http://www.ocweekly.com/2008-08-28/news/this-is-your-brain-on-adderall/