Questionable ADD | ADHD Information

It's my understanding that no one will be prescribed ADD medication without a diagnosis of being ADD.  As for what effect the medication has on the person - that needs to be coordinated with the doctor that gave the prescription.  I've read that some people do not get any benefit from the medication - and they have ADD.   Some people have side effects that outweigh the meds' benefits.

And certainly no one should be taking ADD medications without a proper diagnosis of being ADD.  I've also heard of parents taking their kids' meds because they think they have ADD.

Would a person who is not ADD benefit from ADD medication. I am not talking about abuse but normal prescribed usage. Or would the medication have no effect on the individual? 

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Would a person who is not ADD benefit from ADD medication. I am not talking about abuse but normal prescribed usage. Or would the medication have no effect on the individual? 

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In my opinion, the meds are basically speed. Anyone can get more done on speed, including ADDr's. And frequently doctors prescribe these meds to anyone who suspects they might have ADD.

Aren't most of these medications basically methamphetamines? Thanks for the response. I was just wondering from a neurochemical stand point. I am actually on strattera which is not a controlled substance...but I can understand if someone who is not ADD and takes adderall they may feel an effect.  actually strattera is not a methamphetamine and works like an antideppresent by restricting the uptake of certain neurochemicals.Everyone with or without ADHD will feel more alert and focused on a stimulant (amphetamine, Adderall, Ritalin).  Only people with ADHD will get more organized, sleep better, less anxious or more motivated.  Strattera increases the norepinephrine in the brain like certain antidepressants.  Strattera may have a weak antidepressant effect.  "Speed" is most properly referring to amphetamine (Adderall, Dexedrine) or methamphetamine (crystal meth, Desoxyn).  Ritalin is methylphenidate which is just a different type of stimulant.  Stimulants are used as add-on treatments for some lethargic depressions by the way. ADHDMD38526.7516550926methamphetamines are about 20x more potent than amphetamines, it couldn't be used as a medication as it drives you mad within a few hours. if u want quite a good explanation of the side effets of meth, try watching this movie spun

Thanks for the clarifications.  Due to an extended family member getting caught up in methamphetamines in the past, our family has learned the horrible dangers of long term use of this drug.   I don't want to have anything to do with such a drug and I'm glad to get the differences of the medications from such a drug.

autumn

That one I haven't seen but there were several that we've watched, as well as network documentaries on the long term effects: how people on Meth age DRAMATICALLY within a short period of time and how they now believe that it turns people schizophrenic for life - even if they can get away from it.

Sleep disorders.  Lack of quality sleep can cause a lot of the same "symptoms" of ADD.  That is why it is very important to talk to a regular physician before starting medications to be sure that there isn't an underlying physical condition that could be treated. 

My youngest son started showing signs of being ADD and with myself and my oldest son being diagnosed it sounded like a no-brainer, but something in me (call it mommy instincts) just didn't feel right about it.  Sure enough he had enlarged tonsils and adnoids, he had surgery just last Thursday. 

What if someone was mistakenly diagnosed with ADD/ADHD and had something else. I know that sometimes they say that ADD and manic depression have very similar symptoms. Is there anything else out there that could be mistaken for ADD?

Thanks!

I'm not trying to defend drug abuse, but there seem to be some misconceptions here.

Ritalin works as a dopamine reuptake inhibitor; it makes you what already have in your brain, stick around longer and thus be in greater concentration.

Methamphetamines have been demonized, but actually are 50% more effective than amphetamines as a CNS stimulant without as many as the peripheral (IE: cardiovascular) effects.  They can be a better option than amphetamines but are almost never prescribed, even when it would benefit the patient's health, because it isn't politically correct.

Amphetamines work as a noradrenaline agonist and reuptake inhibitor, and also release dopamine.

The illegal use of these drugs is mostly for the same reason people with ADHD use them, for increased concentration and to get work done (amphetamine abuse is HUGE in Japan because of their productivity demands).  It doesn't matter whether you have ADD or not, they will help anyone's mental function.

Large quantites of these drugs, particuilarily in a form *other* than ingestion (injection, smoking, snorting) trigger a much greater dopamine release and "high".

But, doing so is very dangerous from a health perspective.  The drugs are relatively safe in ingested low dosages and have few side effects.

Both amphetamines are methamphetamines were legal once, and were mostly used exactly like they were intended.  But, a few cases of abuse and overdose, and they got banned.

Meth doesn't make you age, but if you take enough of it and don't eat (it is an anoretic) you will begin to look undernourished.  It also doesn't cause schizophrenia, but the sleep deprivation you get from being awake taking high doses chronically *resembles* schizophrenia-- but the fact is, sleep deprivation isn't schizophrenia.  In conclusion, not eating enough and sleeping enough are bad for you.

I would personally recommend never abusing stimulants, the risk of a heart attack or stroke is too great, I do not feel drug abuse is worth the health costs to you, no matter if the drug is legal or not.
RandomUser38527.4827777778

OK (trying to understand here)  So you're saying that Meth in small prescribed doses help people with certain necessary needs - such as those of us with specific AD/HD disorders...  Am I getting that right?

And just as with ANY drug or substance, using large doses are dangerous no matter what it is...

So a couple questions just popped in my brain - hopefully I remember them to get them out - for the people making the meth in their own homes - how dangerous is the fact that they're making these drugs on their own without knowing how true meth prescriptions are made by companies?

And I'm wondering (as the earlier posts were asking) if small prescribed doses of these meth drugs are helpful to specific people - what effect would large illegal doses do to people who just small doses would help?  And what effect would these large doses do to people who don't need the meth drugs at all?

Sorry if these are stupid questions, just trying to understand...

A pharmaceutical form of meth exists in a drug called Desoxyn, it is not prescribed much anymore but used to be for people who had adverse reactions to amphetamine's effects on the body, as you can get the same mental stimulation from meth with less effects on the body (and especially the heart).

It has historically been used like amphetamines were for alertness and to put off sleep for professionals and soldiers (meth's original use), and to treat ADD and obesity.

The main danger in meth labs lies in phosphene production from heating the mixture too much, which is a poison gas and can kill whoever is making it.  The end result is a very impure form of meth that isn't high quality and has many impurities and an unknown amount of actual meth in it.

So you might take 5 illegally produced meth pills and get a consistent effect, then the 6th pill happens to be more pure, and you get a heart attack and die from the overdose.

A high/overdose will not be helpful; you'd probably end up talking incessantly, greatly enjoy cleaning all the windows on your house with a toothpick (or some similar stupid activity like that), perhaps get a euphoric buzz, not be able to sleep, not feel hunger, have involuntary jaw movement, have a greatly increased libido yet not be able to achieve release, and possibly die from a heart attack or stroke.

The long term consequences of such abuse are damage to dopamine receptors in your brain, cerebral hemorraging, inflexible and weak blood vessels, and enlarged/weakened heart muscle that cannot recover from a cardiac event.

They have the same effect whether you have ADD or not.  The caveat is people who get locked into thinking/focusing on one thing (such as OCD), and it will make that far worse for them.

At any rate, stick to the smallest amount you can take that gives you normal brain function.

Geez, thanks for going into that detail.  That helps me to understand.

ok, so how do they figure out what 'normal' brain function is compared to what we're dealing with?  Back to my old question I have - I didn't know that what I go through wasn't normal - so how do I know when I'll be 'normal'?!?

Well, "normal" brain function in the sense of ADD is normal prefrontal cortex activity which can usually show up on a SPECT gamma ray imaging scan, but even that isn't always right and doesn't tell you much by itself.

But the answer is more complex than that, because even once people with ADD have "normalized" prefrontal cortex activity with a stimulant, there may be behavior issues and negativity that can impact their lives as a result of living with the condition that stimulants cannot treat.

And really, sometimes not being normal isn't a wholly bad thing, I think in many respects ADD is as much of a blessing as it is a curse.