Oprah’s going to ruin everything! | ADHD Information

I wonder if the majority or even some of the student taking these meds to help them with exams are actually undiagnosed peopel who have ADD or ADHD. It seems to me that if the drugs help you that they might be helping you overcome something. Has anyone thought about it this way? We say that nondiagnosed ADDers will try to self medicate. Maybe that is what these students are doing.

If the ADD meds help you to focus and perform better on tests, isn't that why we all take them and give them to our kids? Perhaps they are self medicating because they need it.

Anni, as it was explained to me by the experienced, knowledgeable about ADHD, psychiatrist who assessed, diagnosed and prescribed for me: ALL people will notice an improvement in focus, etc. with ADHD meds; ADHD people will show a much bigger improvement. well its a nice thought anni --- and maybe some of them are but some of them probably definitely aren't. it's not as though when a non-ADD person takes a stim it has no effect.

they use them in the army (as "go pills") - truck drivers use stims to keep on driving long-distance, athletes use them for performance enhancement and upping endurance levels in training, city workers use them for pulling an all-nighter, clubbers use them...

essentially they will make a 'normal' more energised, more focused, more confident, more out-going, more sociable and just a whack load more energy --- that's what normal stims such as cocaine do - that's why they are so popular. despite what they say it's so not just for the "high"...

i think in the London a few years ago - they did a random test of thousands of 10 pounds notes and found that 92% of them had traces of cocaine on them!!!!

it's very popular - for a reason. particularly among high-flying finance boys who need to be on FORM on certain occasions. including 'entertaining' wealthy possible clients and taking them out all night and be ready to go back to the office at 5 am to start trading again.

you couldn't do that kind of punishing schedule without a little 'extra' help. the difference, i reckon, is that ADDers used to self-medicate with it (and not get addicted) and normals would end up completely physically addicted, needing more and more and snorting 00s of junk up their nose - until they end up in rehab.

and i guess that's where the worry is. i mean - i don't know. maybe not.

and the best thing about adderall or similar (forget not having the high) is you can be sure of the quality. it's not going to be laced with baking soda or washing powder or talc or any old crap that somebody felt like throwing in to make more money... it's safe, effective and if you can get a prescription legal too. no need to worry about PC Plod either!

chjones38844.7155555556add drugs by nature are performance enhancing thats why we use them[QUOTE=kibbles002]

ok, a little off topic for the thread. but why do you have to see your Dr. every month to get refills? Mine will write a new perscription for me when I call in for a refill once a month. I go pick it up and get it filled.

I don't need to make an appt. every time. Is my Dr. the only one that does it this way?

Don't get me wrong. I saw him once a month while adjusting to meds, now I see him once every 2 - 3 months for a check up.

Sherry

[/QUOTE]

I think many pdocs do that once they are sure you are on the right meds and right dosage and everything is working for you well. I have to go in every month because pdoc loves to see me. JK Really I'm on a slew of head meds , not just one or two. I think that's why anyway.

[QUOTE=Countrygirl] [QUOTE=kibbles002]

ok, a little off topic for the thread. but why do you have to see your Dr.
every month to get refills? Mine will write a new perscription for me when
I call in for a refill once a month. I go pick it up and get it filled.

I don't need to make an appt. every time. Is my Dr. the only one that
does it this way?

Don't get me wrong. I saw him once a month while adjusting to meds,
now I see him once every 2 - 3 months for a check up.

Sherry

[/QUOTE]

ok, a little off topic for the thread. but why do you have to see your Dr.
every month to get refills? Mine will write a new perscription for me when
I call in for a refill once a month. I go pick it up and get it filled.

I don't need to make an appt. every time. Is my Dr. the only one that
does it this way?

Don't get me wrong. I saw him once a month while adjusting to meds,
now I see him once every 2 - 3 months for a check up.

Sherry

[/QUOTE]

My doc says it's because the drug is controlled and what not. But it's
probably b/c this is student health and apparently the stims are all the
rage among students. Before she wrote my 1st prescription she gave me
a speech about how she'll cut me off if she finds out I've shared my meds
or if I "lose" my prescription slip more than once. I'm off to bed; have an
early appt. to score more drugs...[/QUOTE]

Yeah, the losing one kills me. I actually did lose my perscription the very first time I recieved it! They made me wait a week before I could get a new one. At the time, I didnt understand why it was taking so long. The nurse wouldnt explain to me that they were waiting for the perscription to expire. Geez, I'm an intellengent person! If they would have told me that little tidbit of info, I wouldnt have kept calling to remind them every other day!
THe way the nurse treated me, I kept thinking that she didnt believe that I had lost it... I am guessing she has been burned once or twice...
she is really nice to me now. I guess she realized that I'm not going to abuse the meds, and that I"m just an airheaded ADHD er..

Sherry

[QUOTE=IMac] When I first went on meds ten years ago, my doctor was able to write a triplicate form prescription for six months worth of meds. A few years down the road, he was only able to write for three months worth. As of last year, my doctor was able to use an ordinary prescription pad, but still only the three month supply.

Where I am (USA), the docs are only allowed to write an Rx for 1 month at a time...no refills. Reason being Dexedrine is a Class 111 drug-I think this is correct as for the Class-and is considered dangerous. The other meds for ADD must be in another class (?) I know I didn't explain this correctly, but you get the gist ...gotta research this.

marzie

I don't need to make an appt. every time. Is my Dr. the only one that does it this way?

Don't get me wrong. I saw him once a month while adjusting to meds, now I see him once every 2 - 3 months for a check up.

Sherry

TL_c, I will check out the Oprah website and email the show. I'm still waiting for them to do a REAL show on ORDINARY people who have ADHD, but perhaps that wouldn't be controversial enough to get ratings?

chjones, as usual, brings up lots of great points.

A thought:
Non-ADHDers using ADHD meds are not using them at prescribed, therapeutic levels. The drugs are "safe" within those limits.
tl_c, I tried, but couldn't find the info about this show idea from Oprah.com. Help, please. You make perfect sense about the allure of 'performance enhancing'
drugs for a profit-centered society. Ain't it the truth?!

I just hate that the debate ends up hurting people who legitimately need
the drug to meet (not exceed) their potential, or for that matter, to keep
from accidentally burning down their house because they absent-
mindedly tossed their pajamas on a lit candle, not because they're stupid
but because they're having a real ADHD day...

Anyways, I don't like the fact that I had to wait six months and pay 0
for an evaluation before the university would treat me or provide
accommodations, which is a little late considering the semester is all but
over. I don't like that I have to pay to see my shrink monthly to get a
prescription because the classification of ADHD meds disallow refills.
Perhaps the show won't even address the legitimacy of ADHD. But, I think
it's part of a rhetoric that will continue to contribute to barriers for
ADHDers seeking treatment.

However, if the show takes your angle and demonstrates to the world that
these so-called abusers are making life difficult for the rest of us
(because the government has made a determination about their safe/
unsafe use in non-ADHDers--what you said), then that would be cool.
But, I don't have that much faith in the media.Oh, dang. Looks like they're done recruiting. I found the link in my history,
though...

https://www.oprah.com/plugger/templates/BeOnTheShow.jhtml?
action=respond&plugId=217200001Actually, you are right on topic, Kibbles. When I first went on meds ten years ago, my doctor was able to write a triplicate form prescription for six months worth of meds. A few years down the road, he was only able to write for three months worth. As of last year, my doctor was able to use an ordinary prescription pad, but still only the three month supply.

tl_c, you are very justified in feeling angry about the anti-med lobby and the drug abusers who make it difficult for those of us who need the meds to improve the quality of our lives. I've been criticized for challenging druggies posing as patients on these message boards, but I know the talk and I'm damned if they are going to mess with honest people.

[QUOTE=IMac]but perhaps that wouldn't be controversial enough to get ratings?

True, true, true. IMac.

A few years back the producer of the _Judge Judy_ show phoned my daughter to ask details of the case she had against her landlord. After they spoke at length, the producer didn't choose her case. It seemed it wouldn't be as entertaining-though the producer used a euphemism for *entertaining-as others' due to my daughter having had her file/facts in perfect order, along with her professional presentation (via phone). (Having worked as a legal secretary in many facets of law for 21 years, she knows how, when and where to use legelese.) Oh, I forgot...The case was too "cut & dried." Sheesh.

marzie

yeah i agree Imac --- but i worry less about the 'drug abusers' who are doing it consciously and know what they are letting themselves in for than some of the people who seem to me might have been misdiagnosed.

there was a girl on this forum not long ago - married, two kids, stable marriage, stable job just a little exhausted i think. going onto ADHD meds - hmmmm, like big hmmmmmmm ----

you know it is going to be those 'innocents' who end up getting the meds banned. with their "horror stories" of getting addicted to the meds. they are just perfect fodder for anti-med sites. i reckon. you can imagine the story:

"i had a loving family, a good job, lots of friends - a pillar of the community and i LOST it all because i got addicted to that evil Adderall." well, the question is - with all that going for you ---- how on earth could you have ever considered yourself ADD? but because the meds vaguely 'work' - help with the exhaustion from trying to be a 'super mom' make them feel temporarily better/less stressed/more organised and energised - they immediately assume that they did have ADD rather than are normal but a little over-stressed by their environmental pressures around them.

that worries me (although i don't know why as i am not taking meds anyway). perhaps i should say - that would worry me slightly more than the 'drug abusers' - if i were on the meds. because it will be those people who will have the ability to pressurise the meds to be taken off - because of the fact that they are normals and can 'work' the system. the system is set up for them.

genuine drug abusers'll never get round to it - the majority of them won't anyway - like ADDers they tend to be fairly useless at getting organised or focused enough to do it.

the legitimacy of adult ADD i don't think is in doubt.

the problem will be how to stop non-Adders using the drug for performance enhancement. in the end if it is not that harmful to them - then i can't see that they are not going to take it....

nobody wants exams to become a question of who has the best drugs - but the question is how can you say to one set of people (including children as young as five and apparently pregnant women) these drugs are harmless, effective and safe. then turn around to the non-Adders and say these drugs are dangerous, ineffective and addictive. they won't believe it. even though, in essence, it's true - the different way our brains are set up means we don't become addicted. but, nonetheless the feelings of well-being, confidence and focus are still effective for a normal and it is such a competitive world out there now - if it means the difference between a first and a two-one (or however university is graded in america) i bet you half the parents will be encouraging their children --- "just for this semester! as it is so important! and otherwise you will be at a disadvantage against all the other examinees..."

as long as you can get away with it - why wouldn't you? the most you can say to stop people is to appeal to their sense of fair play and decency (yeah right! in this day and age hahahaha) to try to rationalise that academic qualifications are NOT everything (hahahahaha - when everyone spends their life saying the opposite) or to point out that often performance enhancing drugs may have unexpected long-term effects as has happened with many athletes - remember flo-jo??? out of nowhere suddenly the fastest runner aged 29 or something???? dropped dead at 38.

but no-one is ever gonna fall for that.

so what can you do? if it's out there - people are gonna use it. such is life. they are not going to stop out of consideration for 3 - 5% of the population of ADDers who genuinely need it. why should they give a sh*t about you?????

and in the end - does anybody actually care? it's weird that america has done such a volte-face on drugs from them being the evil incarnate twenty years ago and people being put into prison for 20 years for having a line of cocaine on them --- to the "it's all good and you are being abusive if you don't provide your child with this medication..." --- no room for half-measures. madness. so nobody is likely ever to believe anything the govt is gonna say about it. and business probably profits from having it's workers be able to give that extra 20%. so why should anyone care. it's all about profit in the corporate world. much as children are encouraged to go on ritalin - maybe in ten years time or so blue collar workers will be 'encouraged' to take a productivity pill to 'help' them. and if they don't - well, they won't be able to keep up and voila - loss of job.

so who cares. the majority of us are just cogs in the machine. slaves to provide wealth to the top 10% - so take the pill and quit whining! your job is to work and consume otherwise we have no use for you.

(sorry i am in a BAD mood today - it's the freaking pollution in LA it does my head in)

chjones38844.4348726852Well, maybe not. I shamefully admit that I visit oprah.com to get gift
ideas from her favorites lists. Hey, mother's day is coming up soon.
Anyhoo, I was snooping around and noticed that they are working on a
show about people (18 and older, hence the ADHD Adult post) who use
ADHD drugs to get through school.

It's bad enough that ADHD meds are getting such bad press because of a
few Adderall abusers, we certainly don't need Oprah convincing the world
that ADHD meds exist for non-ADHDers to get a leg up in school. So I
think that we should send the Oprah show a reminder that ADHD meds
are prescribed to people to treat a real disability (well, I guess that's
arguable since I think that ADHD is a gift, if not for our linear construct of
our society). I'm tired of the media giving people the impression that
ADHD meds are illicit drugs.

Okay, so maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but I think ADHDers
seriously don't need to deal with any more problems with people
dismissing our issues.

Who wants to go on Oprah with me to defend the legitimacy of adult
ADHD?!

I have to agree - People are going to do whatever they think is in their inerest most of the time.

Frankly, I don't really care that much if adults choose to take drugs to improve their performance. Because they are adults, I feel they should be able to weigh out for themselves the risks and benefits involved.

However, I hope that someone on Oprah does point out that the drugs are also used as medication for people with real disabilities.