Comments on: Nascar and ADHD

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 04:47:56 +0000

I had an accident, my fault, at 2-3 mph. I was tired of waiting in the line at the post office. When I was driving home all the cars stopped at the light, including me. When the guy moved up a bit I did too but when he stopped I didn’t.

By: Leigh Ann

Leigh Ann — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:56:25 +0000

I guess what I’m pondering is, does the ADHD make him a better racer than others?

By: Leigh Ann

Leigh Ann — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:54:28 +0000

CR – what do you mean?

By: CR Campbell

CR Campbell — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 03:37:10 +0000

Leigh Ann – your son’s brain is stimulated by racing.

By: Leigh Ann

Leigh Ann — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:37:30 +0000

I would LOVE to know the answer! My son has ADHD and he is rising up the ranks in racing. I always wondered if the ADHD helped him – might his brain be processing what’s going on at higher speeds quicker than the non-ADHD person?

By: Dr. Kenny Handelman

Dr. Kenny Handelman — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:02:32 +0000

My opinion is that ADHD medications are not performance enhancing if you don’t have ADHD. They may increase alertness, and may cause insomnia (so that people can stay awake longer), but the biggest impact on the concentration comes from people who have ADHD.
I don’t really have real facts as to what was found on the testing, so I can’t really do more than report what was reported in the press.
I was excited to see that he has come forward with his ADHD (even if it wasn’t completely intentional).
Best,
Dr. Kenny

By: todR

todR — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:35:37 +0000

A couple of questions:

1) Would this be considered a “performance enhancing” medication in NASCAR? Other sports?

2) The lawsuit is messy and the testing lab did both the “A” and “B” samples.

By: Adi Jaffe

Adi Jaffe — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:31:53 +0000

I have long held that people with ADD and ADHD, a condition closely related to many addictive disorders, are probably also more likely to engage in other risky behaviors that are more socially acceptable, like X sports.

Great post!

By: Randy Feldman

Randy Feldman — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:47:51 +0000

Thank God someone is finally listening. As a fan of NASCAR for the last 20 years that has ADD I was appalled that this driver was suspended for using and ADHD drug!

I too hope that this case can be used to promote people seeking treatment for ADHD and those that have been diagnosed to keep taking their meds on a regular basis.

To answer the good doctors question…I can name with utmost certainty at least 6 drivers that are in the race cars today have ADD or ADHD! I would love to share them privately with the doctor.