Posted by garnet71 on February 16, 2009, at 1:37:26
In reply to Is it okay to take Ritalian or Adderal for school?, posted by HappyChaiTea on February 15, 2009, at 16:13:35
Unless you have ADD/ADHD, then NO - it is not ok to take any drug for an illness which one does not have! Because people w/o disorders take drugs recreationally, that's the reason why some of us get treated as drug seekers and left to lose our minds by ER physicians and/or don't get the treatment that we need; or, are almost forced to self-medicate with illegal drugs and alcohol.
I understand those who self-medicate, due to lack of support or health insurance. There is a quite a bit of difference, imo, from recreational use and self-medicating...although recreational use can lead to addiction-an illness. It's unfortunate that, some of us can get all these drugs and more illegally-easier than some can legally.
Another angle is stigma - the stigma for ADD/ADHD is high. So many believe it does not exist, even though research has shown that 1. there is more grey matter in the brain vs. white matter in non-ADDers and 2. people with ADD/ADHD have been shown to have low dopamine levels. Who knows what other factors in the brain effect our cognition, or what the most accurate research says..but I'd like for those who deny its existence to go through one day of my son's life and see what they think of it then...after having one injury after the next...so hyperactive that you form bald spots on your head, jump out of your crib over and over--often landing on your head at 6 months old(and teen mother gets accused of child abuse for 'not holding baby enough') being punished throughout school for speaking out and forgetting something EVERY day....that would include forgetting desirable things, like NFL tickets for a game--not just homework...just seeing his frustration with schoolwork made ME frustrated...and dozens of other daily issues..or to have to sit through classes like me, seeing how every tiny piece of information a professor says relates to everything in the entire world...and not being able to take true or false tests because every answer is both true AND false. It wouldn't be so bad if the world conformed to us, but we have no other choice, of course, to conform to people who possess the most common brain chemistry among us. I've tried my damnest to 'think like others' - I just can't see things the way most others do, no matter how hard I try to conform.
Just like the stigma from alchoholism - because some people can drink socially/occasionally, some think everyone else can..
Similar to those with chronic pain - and depend on medications to KEEP them from getting depressed and functioning in their life - are often denied relief from debiliating pain becaues illegal use of pain medications. I had tremendous pain in my neck and back for years, and didn't know it was from anxiety at the time. I refused pain meds but decided to go to a pain management center, knowing that a 60 minute massage kept me out of pain for 2 weeks. The pain management centers don't even offer that!! Some remedies that have desirable effects carries stigma or denial from insurance companies. Yet, the same insurance company paid for me to have hundred of dollars of xxRIs per month..but wouldn't permit massage - which has many beneficial side effects.
Or the stigma for cancer patients who smoke weed, an herb you can grow in your back yard. People that are terminally ill--and know they have 6 months to live. How sad.
And like the stigma of depression; it's not a 'real' illness; people take Prozac to be happy; they/we are lazy and have no self discipline so we take a drug instead of 'solving' our own problems. if people only knew that Prozac makes so many of us miserable and UNhappy.lol.
It appears drugs that have desirable side effects carry a stigma, often manifesting as a stigma surrounding the actual illness they are prescribed for. People who use such drugs recreationally really hurt those with illnesses.
Sorry to go off in a tangent; this issue has caused me tremendous pain, personally. There are PLENTY of college kids out there who take ADD medication - and other scripts obtained illegally - and have never seen a doctor (but can afford to).
Chai, do you think you might have ADD/ADHD?
poster:garnet71
thread:880320
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090213/msgs/880416.html