30 Responses to “Brain Steroids”

1. Maureen Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 1:46 am

   In my opinion anyone stupid enough to take prescription medication that they don’t need and probably aren’t getting from a Dr. are not smart enough to read an article about how unhealthy it is….
   But as someone that is on a few medications - it is always good to step back a minute and think - do I really think I still need to take these medications… then talk it over with the Dr……
   Maureen

2. Sandeep Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 3:13 am

   Somewhat ironic and probably atypical ancedote, but the mini-blackmarket in ADD meds a few years back actually helped me to seek out the diagnosis. I have inattentive ADD and was able to progress fairly far into college before it became clear to me that the re-occuring failures with attention, organization, planning wasn’t just isolated behavior (thought it was a matter of what I was studying, but the problems remained after switching from major to major). I come from a culture whose attitudes are biased against acknowledging something like ADD could be geniune disorder and not just lack of effort (though with my diagnosis it’s become clear other family members had similar problems), so despite having researched the diagnosis and matched myself to it on a number of traits I wasn’t going to get my parents help to see a doctor until I had some sort of assurance that the treatment could actually help me. I ended up seeking out some people at a school who I knew were selling adderall to get high (crushing it and snorting it) and bought a bunch off them with the intent of trying them as medication. After a few days of trying them the effects were pretty immediate, the difference in focus was monumental and I had the confidence to approach my parents to seek out help. I’m not sure how long it would have taken for me to get help without going this route, I was very depressed by the particular failures that lead me to start reading up on ADD and before taking the pills I was very much of the attitude that this was just personal failure of effort on my part. Another thing was at the time I also was taking a semester off of school, so I couldn’t see a physican from the student health services. I’m not at all suggesting this is how people should go about getting diagnosed but all the same it is a bit of an interesting anecdote.

3. Vikki Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 4:07 am

   This is called drug abuse. It is nothing new and it is the reason why our medications are a controled substance in the US.

   The differences is that without my Concerta I cannot drive, organize, or choose to focus. My Concerta does not keep me from sleeping or eating.

   Railing against it or condemning it does nothing to stop it. The best thing we can do is stand calmy and show how the meidaction we take does different things for us than it does for them. Unless we abuse it ourselves.

4. Anthony Kane, MD Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 5:36 am

   Hi Maureen-

   I agree with you that anyone who is taking these meds for performance enhancement will not be reading this blog post. But not because they are too stupid. They don’t have the time.

   We are living in a world of intense competition. This is true in the sports world. It is true in the business world. And it is even more true in the academic and scientific world.

   On the lowest level, intellectual performance in the “publish or perish” academic world will determine salaries and career paths. There may be hundreds of extremely qualified candidates for a handful of tenure track positions that open up each year.

   So, very literally, getting an extra thirty minutes or an hour a day of high level intellectual functioning may be the difference between having a career in an area you have invested the past 10 to 20 years and needing to fill out applications to law school. I know people who were in this position, both in universities and in law practices. And strong coffee does not give you that level of function.

   That is in the academic world.

   The research science and technology world is worse. We all know and understand how athletes take drugs to enhance performance (though maybe we don’t approve of it). The scientific world is much more brutal. .

   In science and technology you are either first or you are not. There is only one Nobel Prize. There are no silver or bronze metals. The one who gets to the patent office first, gets the patent. The guy who shows up the next day may have worked twice as hard, but he walks away with nothing.

   In addition to that, in every cutting edge field of science and technology, the amount of information being uncovered on a daily basis is too much for even the experts to master. In a world where all knowledge is interconnected, having the time to grasp an extra 5% may give the scientist the ability to make that breakthrough.

   In that environment, taking brain enhancing drugs makes a difference. It enhances productivity, it enhances performance and it can shape lives and careers.

   I am not condoning or condemning the use of drugs for intellectual performance enhancement. I am just glad that in my part of the world, at least for now, having to make such a choice is not necessary.

   Warmly,

   Anthony Kane, MD

   http://addadhdadvances.com
   http://ccparenting.com

5. Luthien Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 6:07 am

   What bothers me the most is that these people misusing / abusing ADD meds only feed the wide-spread fear and misconceptions that so many people have .. and of course sensationalist media eagerly stand in line to milk out stories like that. So more people will fall into the hands of ‘alternative’ quacks or shy away from treatment that could help them. Or will make it harder and harder for us to obtain the medication that really helps us - I mean, I even had a psychiatrist who was convinced that Ritalin is totally addictive and refused to prescribe it to adult ADD patients. I read stories like that a lot. It worries me..

6. Deirdre Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 6:19 am

   One of the problems for people taking ADD/ADHD medication is amongst the teenagers. I deal with addiction as a counseller and a number of clients a say that they can get Ritalin on the street for a quick buzz. As with all drugs,legal or not, there is very little thought given to the consequences of taking them . This is true for those taking them illegally or just for “fun”. It is a very slippery slide when people start to mess around with medications:I see the consequences.

7. Lynda Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 6:43 am

   I’m of the opinion that our Society is always looking for a quick fix/solution. It is expedient to swallow some Adderall XR if it gets you to focus and pass an exam. It is irresponsible to not be diagnosed with the condition of ADD/ADHD and self-administer these psychotropic drugs.

   I am still awake at 3:40 a.m. from having taken 40 mgs of Adderall XR when I should have only taken 35mgs. I am experiencing some rebound effects so I’m not a happy camper right now. Major headache. Very wired. So I’ve been drafting and sending emails for the past 6 hours to key folks who can help me with my self employment goals etc.

   I was diagnosed 5 years ago, I waited one full year before trying any medication. My meds help me. But I wish I didn’t have to use them. I don’t like the side-effects.

   Cheerio!

8. Catherine Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 12:43 pm

   my son’s Phsychiatrist prescribes imipramine as it ios easiest to access in Jamaica he was diagnzed with ADHD. I was curious and wanted to know the effect of the meds on hin he is suppose to take two tab in one dose 50mg i took 1 tab 25 mg the first time i did i slept for half the morning and felt quite loggy. I thought i was just tired or not feeling well as my so was ok.

   the next time i tried it i was meeting with a study group the mediucation took a bit longer to kick this time it was a different brand (Tafranil ) or i dont know if it is because my brain was working but what i do know is that when the meds were in ful effect ik just could not stay up i felt drugged no matter how hard i tried i just had to put my head on the desk to relax for a while. while all this was going on with me my son was outside raiding a mango tree, climbing and for a while the effect on him was not as great about an hour or 90 mins before he wanted to sleep. from then i just came to the conclusion that there was something wrong with him and nothing wrong with me. but for me it was out of curiosity in the first instance as i was deppressed as well i waqnted to concentrate but i really see where it is not a logical thing to do

9. Lynda Says:
   June 6th, 2008 at 2:26 pm

   Hi Dr. Kane,

   I read your comments on Dr. Kenny’s blog post. I just wanted to say I take exception to your use of the phrase, “intellectual performance enhancement” even though I do understand what is meant by that.

   I am afraid for myself and other ADHD folks who find they do need to take their Adderall or Concerta etc. because without it they are unable to focus, sustain attention on a particular task, and maintain a high level of productivity in the workplace.

   I have a particularly difficult time in the workplace because even though I can focus with the help of psychostimulant medication, I struggle with other issues related to an adult-onset Borderline personality disorder. My core mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance is poor (for substantive reasons) and when I see this phrase “intellectual performance enhancement” bandied about, it makes my blood boil as I really feel it toys with my survival.

   Human Resource departments may start cracking down on us employees in an effort at levelling the playing field - which we were finally figuring out how to play on, maybe for the first time ever, in our chaotic ADHD lives. I read an article about this very thing happening at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. They disallow psychostimulants on the basis of it being a performance enhancing drug, like the steroids used by physical athletes.

   Well, when you put on your spectacles, you are enhancing the performance of your eyes. I see the ADHD medications we take very similarly. Our meds enhance the performance of our brains. Period. Another good comparison is the use of insulin and diabetes.

   Our ADHD medications do not add intelligence, Sir. It allows us to access intelligence that previously already existed. I am finally able to retrieve it. I can now get my intelligence out from being locked up inside my brain and into my Life!

   I know you used the phrase “intellectual performance enhancement” but I just want to say this is a risky phrase and I’d rather not see it used. There is so much at stake.

   There is so much MISINFORMATION out there and the general layperson can get foolishly excited about something on the surface and not take the time to really look hard at the issues the ADHD population faces. They often do not realize the true hardship of the condition and are incapable of treating it and us with respect, compassion, dignity and empathy.

   Our journeys are incredibly difficult at times, leading some to suicide.

   There are very subtle nuances and intricacies involved in the management of something as complex as the brain.

   Managing ADHD and its high rate of very real and debilitating two or three accompanying comorbidities is a complex science.

   Please, be careful with how you talk about ADHD and its treatment. The public isn’t kind. The public is ignorant and desperately needs to be educated.

   Using careless phrases is the equivalent of playing with people’s lives. My very survival is at stake. Without the ability to retain employment I will starve.

   Best Wishes,

   Lynda Wise

10. Catherine Says:
    June 6th, 2008 at 3:10 pm

    I agree with what Vicki had to say…This is called drug abuse. I’ve been a bit disturbed lately. I can’t drive, organize, or choose to focus since they took Dexedrine of the market. I was prescribed by my doctor several years ago taking small doses in duration of the day. Others talked and questioned if I was abusing the drug and so were some pharmacies. But I and my doctor knew what I needed and I took what my body needed. I was sleeping also. This was the first time I had reached a point when I was able to feel I was headed toward success in my life, considering I didn’t go to college. I was lucky enough just to graduate getting F’s all through school. And I studied; my mother tutored me all through high school.. It was frustrating witnessing my friends BS there way through school when I actually studied only to get F’s. They only passed me because I tried. I still never learned anything. Now I sit hear and type with two fingers, ha, ha. This is not only drug abuse but abuse to the people who need the meds. I don’t hear of people talking away meds for heart problems or insulin for diabetics. Maybe I’m just not aware of it. I probably don’t make sense and sorry if I don’t but I try. I have tried Adderall and all the other meds and Dexadrine even in generic form. I still am looking for a solution. Thanks for listening.

11. lisa rizzo Says:
    June 6th, 2008 at 4:33 pm

    Hi Dr.Handelman;

    I would like to ask a question regarding disaplining adhd kids, the reason I ask is because I’ve been getting your newletter for some time now and I find very little in the disapline area. My 11 year old son is adhd (fallen from mom’s apple tree…)as well as defiance disorder and although we do our best as parents to be encouraging and positive with him, the fact still remains that he does do things that he needs to be disaplined for. In our home, we try to treat our son’s equally…even though 1 has adhd and 1 doesn’t…I (mom) refuse to use his adhd as an excuss for disruptive behaviour as well as I believe that our son has to learn to adjust himself to the world around him, not the other way around. I feel that I would be doing him a great injustice if I were to coddle him when he needs disapline because he “can’t help it” when I know that in his adult life, the world will not coddle him or tollerate disruptive behaviour. Now all this being said, what kind of disapline would you suggest for an adhd child who is not to concerned about losing privlages (i.e: tv, video games, going outside, playing with favorite whatever) because he doesn’t focus on these privlages long enough to care about losing them. I send him to his room but he can manage to focus on a crack in the wall or some other tiny distraction which keeps him from “thinking about his actions”. Not to mention that fact that when I do have to disapline him, I have to hear his dramatic outbreak about the action not being his fault in the first place (always someone elses fault). My son needs to know what behaviour is accaptable and which is not in order to be a productive member of society once he reaches adulthood…I (mom) try very hard to be consistant with him, however, consistancy is not to strong a characteristic of mine since I myself struggle with gettling through the day with my apple tree…(adhd issues).

    If any of this makes since to you and you can give me suggestions, this mom would be ever so gratefull.

    Also; Thank you for your newletter that mentioned about parents of adhd kids feeling like bad or inadequate parents, I feel like a bad parent most days (including the good days) and again, I refuse to use my son’s adhd as excusses but I am getting so tired of other people telling me how to handle my son and that I just need to tell him how to behave…do they think I’m stupid…my son hears how he should behave about 200 times daily…I wish every parent could have a child with adhd for a day to see what every minute of my life is like….

    sorry for the long comment…..thanks for listening…

    lisa rizzo

12. Luthien Says:
    June 6th, 2008 at 9:37 pm

    Dr. Kane,

    after reading your post I could not stop thinking about it .. something about it kept nagging.
    First of all, I absolutely believe what you say about the competition in the scientific world being as murderous as it is.

    But it is not a solution to start using “doping”. Maybe it will help one individual to get the deciding headstart on a rival that was not so ’streetwise’ to use adderall. But it is just another example of a mechanism that my dad used to call “the Right of the fish-market”. In this scenario, the merchant that has the loudest voice sells the most fish.

    Until, one day, the megaphone is invented. One merchant is a bit more into gadgetry than the others and acquires a megaphone. The next day, his stentorian voice overpowers the whole market and he gets all the customers and all the business.

    That is - until the other merchants get the trick too and buy their own megaphone. The next day, the market is a virtual cacaphony - and the first merchant’s business headstart has vanished. The only difference is that everyone now uses megaphones, and all customers wonder why it is such a pandemonium on the market. It has become a place where no-one works and shops with pleasure. It may even go through multiple stages as more and more powerful megaphones are invented.

    The same thing happens when you start taking “doping” (i.e., in this case, Adderall) in the race for tenured positions. All of a sudden, it is no longer *the best candidate* who will get the position, no, it is the one that first discovers that Adderall has more uses than helping ADD people. So this person, despite that s/he may not have won the position without doping, does win it this time. And before you know it, *everyone* uses it.
    Simply because - if you don’t - you don’t stand a chance.

    But in the end, the chances of getting a tenured position or winning a Nobel Prize have not increased.
    The only thing that has increased are the cardiovascular (and other) stress of the candidates that have to take more and more stims to keep them in the (rat-)race.

    I think that the reasoning to justify taking Adderall for these reasons may deserve it’s own logical fallacy. Like a pyramid game, it will only benefit the first ones who use it - and the rest pays. With their health, with an increasingly inhumane working environment.

    This is very, very bad for science as a whole; for nearly everyone involved; and for us ADD people.

    Lúthien Méliel
    ADD

13. Lynda Says:
    June 6th, 2008 at 11:44 pm

    I want to say THANK YOU to Dr. Kenny Handelman for this ADHD Blog site. It is a much needed service.

    I also want to say THANK YOU for posting my 2 posts from earlier today.

    I want to now say to Luthien Meliel - I enjoyed reading your post very much. You have hit the nail on the head! Thanks for your humour - “The next day, the market is a virtual cacaphony ” that cracked me up and it is so true.

    I said this also at the outset of when I began taking meds 4 years ago. I want to distance myself from the “system” and the rat race. We are given an amazing opportunity as ADHD’ers, to have a special insight into ourselves, and given the appropriate help and thru increasing self-knowledge can engineer our own best-fit occupation that plays to our strengths, minimizes our weaknesses and wean ourselves off these meds. I really do not like abusing my mind like I did last year in order to keep up with my job in (you’ll never believe where!) the Calgary Health Region! It wouldn’t be so bad if the meds were not accompanied by such severe side-effects. It’s a hard line.

14. jennifer Says:
    June 7th, 2008 at 3:42 am

    Hi Everyone!

    As a college student, I have witnessed ADD medication abuse first-hand; there are MANY factors to consider while discussing this topic. I will list the problems on both sides. I find that it is logically hard to come to one problem and solution. **Everything is a logical catch-22, and this is the main problem with this topic!**

    Issue: Students abuse ADD medication for recreation
    Source of problem: People without ADD should not have access to these medications.
    Solution: Restrict the amount of people obtaining ADD medication, because some people are giving it out or selling it.
    Problem with the solution: People truly in need of ADD medication will not be able to get it.

    [Which would, then, become a new issue..]

    Issue: People in need of ADD medication are not able to get it.
    Source of problem: Students abusing ADD medication caused restriction in prescriptions. Due to that occurrence, the general public created more misconceptions about ADD.
    Solution: Do not restrict doctors’ power to prescribe ADD medication.
    Problem with the solution: Students abuse medication for recreation.

    ***Someone needs to break the cycle!***

    I have read that people’s reactions to ADD medication is entirely different based on whether they have ADD or not. Furthermore, I have witnessed this occurrence. This is a small solution to the problem. I have ADD, and I take Adderrall. I take my medication exactly as prescribed; my doctor told me to take my morning dose and an optional evening dose (if I need it). I have also seen college student’s, whom are not diagnosed with ADD, on Adderrall by the medicines. Our reactions are entirely different!! My medication makes me more calm, focused, and pleasant; it stabilizes the unequal “ADD” part of my brain. When individuals without ADD take Adderrall, they become significantly unequal; they act notably strange. My medicine stabilizes me, and I am more pleasant to be around. The non-ADD individuals act as if they took some type of hard drug.

    Further Information:

    I found this (from http://www.addadhdblog.com/brain-steroids/#comments) very interesting:

    “Many substances including sugar have the potential to be abused by certain individuals. A genetic predisposition for addiction is not the only cause of addiction. Who becomes addicted and who doesn’t is determined by a variety of factors. Environment, stress, trauma, life circumstances, and coexisting conditions such as depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and AD/HD are important contributing factors.
    Stimulant medication such as Adderall, Dexedrine, and Ritalin are abused by those who are drug seeking, or addicted. Most people who take stimulant medication to treat their AD/HD do not abuse it. As a matter of fact, the greater problem is that they forget to take it.
    Research indicates that those with untreated AD/HD are at greater risk to self-medicated with substances. Stimulant medication has a protective effect for some with AD/HD and decreases self-medicating. Medication should not be used as the sole treatment for AD/HD. A comprehensive treatment plan is the most effective way to avoid medication abuse or addiction.” (http://www.addadhdblog.com/brain-steroids/#comments)

15. Marwa El-Mallah Says:
    June 7th, 2008 at 5:40 am

    I’m asking about risperdal as medication for ADHD?

    is it safe for children aged 3 & half year old?

    she takes only 2 drops 3 times daily.

    I’ll be so thankful for you, waiting for your kind reply.

    Best regards,
    Marwa El-Mallah

16. Lynda Says:
    June 7th, 2008 at 1:28 pm

    If you are someone with ADHD and you receive your medication from your doctor’s prescription, it is your duty and responsibility to not share your medication with anyone for any reason.

    I, for one, have never ever given anyone my medication simply because I am not a doctor and there are risks involved in taking this sort of medication. I don’t want to be responsible for causing someone else to have a heart attack from my meds. I don’t know all their health issues and how my meds would impact them. It is risky business. Irresponsible, stupid.

    I have borrowed medication from my friend, Doug, who is on the same meds as me. It was when I was unemployed, ran out of meds, and did not have any money to buy my new supply. Once I was working again, I returned to him, the exact number of pills I borrowed. Nobody knew about this except for Doug, myself and our psychiatrist (we both see the same psychiatrist).

    Anyhow, if you are an ADHD’er and you share your meds irresponsibly or worse yet, participate in the illegal activity of selling them, SHAME ON YOU! That is jeopardizing the integrity of not only yourself, but all ADHD’ers and the current system of dispensing our meds.

    Grow up!!

17. Lynda Says:
    June 7th, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    I’d like to speak to Sandeep’s comment from earlier in this blog. Thank you, Sandeep, for your comment.

    When I read your story, (especially these words, “I come from a culture whose attitudes are biased against acknowledging something like ADD could be geniune disorder and not just lack of effort etc.”) my heart went out to you. That is abusive towards you, that your parents would not back you up without you having to go the illegal route.

    At the risk of sounding like I am slamming East-Indian “culture” - I desperately need to share my story.

    I am an Anglo-Indian, born in Bombay, India. Most do not understand what an anglo-indian is. Well, I’m a product of the British having colonized India for 500 odd years. I’m not a first generation anglo-indian. My parents are anglo-indian themselves.

    The reason I disclosed this fact about myself, is: I was raised with a western viewpoint on things being an anglo-indian, although I lived in Bombay until the age of 14. The damage inflicted on me from Grades 1-8 in my schooling in Bombay, India due to this BIAS you spoke of, is untolled or should that be untold. I’ve never been able to figure that out. Untolled makes more sense to me. As in, it has not been tallied up? Sorry, I digress.

    Anyhow, in addition to my ADHD, I have an LD and most definitely it is a Math LD. The shame and suffering I went thru is still affecting me today even though I’ve now lived in Canada for 28 years.

    I cannot shed from within me this notion that unless I’m good at Math, I’m NOTHING! That, my friend, comes from my being immersed in a biased East-Indian culture, at a young and tender age, when I was literally defenseless against my environment.

    I despise east-indian culture as a result. The prejudices and stereotypes etc. My level of mistrust towards east-indians is so huge to the point of dysfunction. I am ashamed of these things, because all of us are God’s creation. But I am so damaged by my experiences from growing up in India due to my having to overcompensate for the absolute ignorance and abuse heaped upon me.

    In time, and with therapy, I look forward to balancing myself out.

    Thanks again for your blog entry. Good Luck to you!!

18. Vikki Says:
    June 7th, 2008 at 4:34 pm

    Sorry to kibbutz (and my typing and spelling are awful!) BUT I am kind of surprised this being touted as such a big issue in regards to ADD. This has been happening for years! As long as there are drugs people will take them either not as prescribed OR as prescribed but not for an FDA approved use. In fact, in the US most of the ADD meds are not “approved” for adults, only kids. They are catching up but remember the party line was “adults didn’t have ADD”.

    Every person who has taken more than aspirin has taken a medication for a condition that it was not “approved” for by the FDA. It is called prescribing off-label. It takes years for medication to be approved for “off-label” use. This does NOT mean we are taking the drugs inappropriately. These medications may work better for conditions other than those they were created for. Stratera is a great example. It was an ineffective anti-depressant but it is great for some of us and our ADD. Nicotine is another. Many people with ADD (along with other conditions) smoke because nicotine is a great frontal lobe stimulant. (And No I do not want this to turn into debate on nicotine and smoking - Please) A doctor is the best person to judge this provided we are honest with them. There in lies the problem.

    Addicts have been abusing drugs as long as they have been available. The Rolling Stones song “Mother’s Little Helper” was about a woman abusing Valium. So this is nothing new. Hydrocodone (vicodin, oxycontin, narco, etc…) is a synthetic opiate and is very widely abused. (Abused is considered not being taken as prescribed). When we lie to doctors, they try and help, and ………….Voila. Drug abuse.

    People have also abused stimulant medications for years. The difference is that we are assuming that they are reaping some sort of benefit from it that will harm us. I need my medication (just like someone in pain needs theirs) BUT I do not need larger and larger doses to function. An addict does and they eventually they either have to stop or they die. For years doctors have prescribed stimulants for people on the night shift, on diets, etc….. does this mean they are going to harm us? Only if we let it be singled out.

    It is very important that this issue be shown as part of a larger problem. It has always been an issue and always will be an issue BUT NOT JUST FOR ADD MEDICATIONS. It is essential that it be kept in perspective. Our medications are no more or less a problem than any other.

    ADD is invisible so often it is a joke or thought to be an excuse for being a slacker. It is essential that we educate others as to what it is like to have an invisible condition that destroys us if we are not helped but that with proper help we are amazing and beautiful and fantastically useful and productive. Often that takes meds. Same with a heart condition, high blood pressure, diabetes….. We are not different and we must keep gently restating this over and over and over.

    This is a great way to show what it is like to be us - It is from a wonderful website http://www.theattentionmovie.com/ check it out at show other people

19. Steven Tullis Says:
    June 7th, 2008 at 8:01 pm

    Very stupid if you ask me. Kind of like driving a piece of machinery after drinking. Plenty of ways to improve such as diet , sleep. Taking meds. without supervision dumb.

20. Jennifer Says:
    June 7th, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    Lynda,
    I entirely agree with you. Sadly, since I know that ADD medication is in such “high demand” among not-ADD college students, it changes my personal coping methods. I do not even tell my closest friends at school that I have ADD. I am not ashamed of having ADD at all, please don’t get me wrong. However, I know that this will bring so much trouble to me. I already have trouble with distractions while I am trying to do homework. I don’t want to be the girl that people can attempt to “score” pills from. That would be offensive towards me and the entire ADD community. Furthermore, it is entirely unsafe. Since I do not tell people that I have ADD, my feedback is so weak in their eyes. None of these people are my friends, they are only in some of my courses. I originally discovered their illegal use while working in a study group with them. They were trying to get me to do it! Obviously this hit me emotionally.. but quietly. Living with ADD and knowing my daily stuggles, it is very hard for me to watch the world make a joke out of my problem. The only thing I can offer them is statistics, but this group of people did not even want to hear it.. and they are all straight A students! Being pre-law, I understand college pressure; It is no excuse for immoral and unhealthy behavior.

21. Lynda Says:
    June 7th, 2008 at 10:40 pm

    Well said, Mr. Steven Tullis!

    lw

22. Lynda Says:
    June 7th, 2008 at 11:29 pm

    Dear Jennifer,

    I hope you are in a good ADD support group then.

    I say this a lot: You can never underestimate your need for support.

    One day, when these college students (who apparently have no academic struggles since their minds do not have attention, organization and planning issues) are older and wiser, and have experienced being beaten down by LIFE in other areas (believe me, EVERYONE is dealing with SOMETHING), then maybe they will have the ability to see past the end of their noses. I mean, they will then have some awareness about the Big Picture, the big world, and who make up this world. Until then, they will raise kids who are equally as ignorant and repeat the same blunders their parents did with them.

    Tis true, we with our out of balance nervous systems etc., we are the real pioneers in society. They are just walking blind, like I once was.

    We can be thankful for our special insight.

23. Maha Says:
    June 8th, 2008 at 6:47 am

    It is shocking to see that people take pills that lightly, We all know that every medicine has its side effects and although it is sometimes a nessacity, still it needs us to be very careful on how to use it.
    We need to warn our children of the way they handle their needs.

24. Reta Russell Hougton Says:
    June 10th, 2008 at 11:42 am

    I think it is ironic that these “highly intelligent people” mentioned in this article are abusing these drugs and have no remorse or shame. I actually sensed a type of pride in their illegal activities. When you dress these medications up as “brain enhancing medications”, it makes it sound all the less illegal. It almost sounds like a nutritional supplement. When are they going to realize these medication do not make you smarter, they just help us function better.

25. Lauren Says:
    June 11th, 2008 at 10:33 am

    I began taking Adderall in college without a doctor and thought I had found the answer I’d been looking for. I went to the school pyschiatrist, got diagnosed with ADHD, and continued my use of ADHD drugs throughout college and after. While they did initially help me with studying and writing papers, I slowly developed a serious addiction to the medications and years later was unable to stop without serious withdrawal symptoms. I eventually had to check myself into rehab because I was 100% an addict. I may or may not have ADD or ADHD, but I had to learn the hard way that I definitely have a disease of addiction. I recommend anyone who thinks they need meds get a battery of tests from very good, experienced doctors in this field.

26. naine Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 1:16 am

    is risperdone .25 mg safe to use on kids i have an 11 yr old to be 12 in oct and just ad concerta increased to 36 mg from 27 as the dr saw little results however he is very irratable at times just normal tween behaviour not sure no testing done but started on risperdone?? is this ok to use with concerta will it lessen the effects of concerta?
    how long can you use risperdal i am worried re side effects as he is only a child

27. Alexis Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 5:14 pm

    Unfortunately, like others have commented, this is not a new problem. My Mother remembers it when she was in college 40+ years ago! I remember about 25 years ago, kids my age, (8 to 10 years-old) in elementary school taking other kids Ritalin “just to experiment”. Then as early as 7th grade, kids were using ADHD meds and “cross tops” (some form of Amphetamine pill with an “x” or cross on top) to cram for exams, and I’m sure they used them to get high on as well. That’s why they are considered to be a “controlled substance” (also mentioned above).

    I appreciate reading all of the comments, and I also worry about not being able to have my ADHD meds because some idiot abused or misused the medication that allows me to function.

    p.s.To lisa rizzo’s post on June 6th, 2008 at 4:33 pm.
    Please! Someone tell her to read “The Explosive Child: A New Approach for Understanding and Parenting Easily Frustrated, Chronically Inflexible Children” by: Ross W. Greene, Ph.D. If you can/will not endorse it, ADHD expert Dr. Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., author of “Driven to Distraction” does. And I personally work with “explosive children” in a middle school for youth that experience severe behavior and emotional disorders/problems. This amazing book is ADHD friendly for ADHD parents too.

28. Pamela Egan Says:
    June 12th, 2008 at 9:44 pm

    I suppose it’s just a matter of time now before the Senate demands an investigation and starts indicting college students to speak before a grand jury.

    Sorry, I don’t mean to make light of the issue. But on a serious note, besides the gambling, what’s the difference between a baseball player using substances to gain a competitive advantage and a college student doing the same thing?

29. Reta Russell Hougton Says:
    June 13th, 2008 at 9:48 am

    Pamela, the difference is both actions are ILLEGAL and these people have no idea of the potential longterm and possible permanent damage they are doing to their bodies.
    This reminds me of something all the adults would ask you as a kid–” If all your friends were jumping off a bridge, would you do that too?”
    These people are not thinking things out and making things more difficult for those that truly need these medications. I see the same thing for people with chronic pain. Just because we have these recreational users, prescription for pain medications are very stricty regulated and often the chronic pain suffers are left suffering.

30. Lynda Says:
    June 14th, 2008 at 11:08 pm

    Responding to VICKI’s comment posted June 7th 4:34pm - THANK YOU for the link to the 5 minute Attention Film. I forwarded this to all my ADHD contacts and everyone really appreciated that film. So did I! Thank you again.

    This is a great way to show what it is like to be us - It is from a wonderful website http://www.theattentionmovie.com/ check it out at show other people

    ***

    ADD is invisible so often it is a joke or thought to be an excuse for being a slacker.

    THX FOR SAYING THIS… I, too, to this day even, am plagued by negative & hypercritical self-talk fuelled by memories from my schooldays when teachers and others were ignorant about ADHD, LD’s etc. As you and I and other good folks now know, IT IS NO JOKE. And it is FAR from being an “excuse for being a slacker” - and DON’T LET ANYONE tell you so! Fight this for all you’re worth. How dare we (this is a collective WE) be slandered in this way! At 42, I am championing our cause in my own life and hopefully to benefit our whole ADHD community. This is such a narrow-minded, fear-driven, divided & loveless world! The public at large doesn’t realize how wide a reach ADHD has in the mental health consumer population! ADHD’ers have more than one thing going on with them - and to dismiss ADHD’ers as they do - endangers all of human society - the true test of character of a society is how the strong support their weak - how the mentally fit care for those who do not share their good fortune to be mentally free of attention, organization and planning issues.

    ***
    It is essential that we educate others as to what it is like to have an invisible condition that destroys us if we are not helped but that with proper help we are amazing and beautiful and fantastically useful and productive. Often that takes meds. Same with a heart condition, high blood pressure, diabetes….. We are not different and we must keep gently restating this over and over and over.

    Well said, Vicki! I’m afraid I need to improve my “gentleness” in restating things over and over. Education is the key. Yes.
    I have often said that I wish I had a visible, physical handicap because what I have is invisible making it that much more difficult for supervisors and coworkers to understand my challenges. People are less willing to accommodate folks who LOOK normal but aren’t. It is way more challenging to have an INVISIBLE disability, I’m sure of it. Because everyone expects me to perform as if I had no disabilities. All of my life, this has been an unreasonable and unfair expectation of me. As a result, my self-esteem is practically non-existent! I am furious over this fact. Dr. Gabor Mate’s wisdom and nurturing,wise counsel in SCATTERED MINDS (under the book name SCATTERED, in the U.S.) is a God-send to me in this regard.

    Bye bye now.
    Lynda Wise

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