Amphetamine use in America's workforce • Hacker News Board

Re: Amphetamine use in America's workforce

#191

Post by DigitalJack » Thu, Jun 02, 2016, 9:44 AM UTC

coredog64 wrote: post #143

yarou wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdotally, I can attest to this. I took melatonin for 3 days straight and my circadian dysregulation crept up again on the 4th. I've found that simple sleep hygiene habits (no blue light exposure 30 mins before, taking a shower, etc) facilitates better sleep than melatonin.

I use melatonin to recover from jet lag. It's not to _get_ to sleep, it's to stay asleep when my body normally thinks it should be getting up. If you can find one, I'd recommend* an S+ by ResMed. It uses radar to track your sleep and can discern what phase of sleep you're in. It tracks how long it takes you to go to sleep and can offer specific hints to address issues you might be having. The app hasn't been kept up…

I really hope you mean sonar.

Re: Amphetamine use in America's workforce

#192

Post by thaumasiotes » Thu, Jun 02, 2016, 9:51 AM UTC

InclinedPlane wrote: post #188

ramblerman wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone who has taken various recreational and over the counter drugs I question that sentiment. Having a prescription doesn't make adderall magically different. To me it's very much like speed or cocaine, just longer lasting and more consistent with less of a let down. 1) any child who takes it certainly has an advantage 2) I couldn't fathom taking something that strong every single day for months on end (if not…

"Regardless of your neurological makeup" This is where you go off the rails. Neurology makes a huge difference in the effect of many drugs, and there has been a tremendous amount of research backing that up. Just because you personally can't believe it doesn't mean it's not true.

You might be interested in reading the rest of the sentence you're quoting:

> Regardless of your neurological makeup, just the stress on your heart seems insane

Re: Amphetamine use in America's workforce

#193

Post by antihero » Thu, Jun 02, 2016, 9:55 AM UTC

robohamburger wrote: post #168

Vraxx wrote: post #9

I think this is a little bit sensationalized at the very least. This excerpt in particular caught me off guard. "Abuse by young professionals is distressingly common—Wall Street traders, software engineers, dentists, nurses, and lawyers, all cracked out of their minds trying to keep up with the competition." Yes, I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child, and yes I have an Adderall prescription. But I'd hardly call myself…

I use Ritalin to treat my ADHD and that was my reaction as well. I have developed a thick skin over the years to the FUD around amphetamines. I can also see how dangerous it could be taking a drug like this without getting the dosage calculated right. Interestingly a pretty prolific mathematician, Paul Erdős used amphetamines [1]. Not sure which one(s) though. I don't think he had a prescription but I think it worked…

I think the issue with amphetamines is because if taken recreationally the quantities and methods of taking are vastly different.

So when I was at school I was on something like 20mg of Ritalin (0.02g) twice a day via a pill that was digested by my stomach. Even that lead to issues with diet and sleep and anxiety.

Whereas if we're at a rave we'll happily share 1g+ (say between 2 of us which is 12x the amount) of amphetamine between a few of us and put that shit right up our noses so it's absorbed super quick.

The comedown from that is more just a feeling of absolute terror (AKA speed comedown psychosis. I try to mostly avoid it now because it can't be doing me or my mind much good).

I'm far more interested in nootropics over stimulants. E: Just ordered some Noopept so I'll get back to you.

Re: Amphetamine use in America's workforce

#194

Post by hutzlibu » Thu, Jun 02, 2016, 10:18 AM UTC

6stringmerc wrote: post #53

fixermark wrote: post #30

I can't help but ask myself whether we should be wondering why Americans can't make it without drug-modified behavior, or whether this is better or worse than alternatives such as cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, etc. Humans in societies have been chemically altering their moods since we discovered mood-altering chemicals. Stress occurs inside and outside civilized workforces, and people take measures to mitigate stres…

Personally, I think the root of society's issues with drugs is rooted in moral judgment. It's our nature to be compelled to engage in certain activities (reproduction, sleep, obtain food) yet collectively rules and standards have been created to select which ones are okay, casually speaking. It's not so much as "why can't Americans go without" as much as it is a "why can't Americans admit Prohibition doesn't work" ty…

It is possible to be against prohibition as well as drug abuse ...

Re: Amphetamine use in America's workforce

#195

Post by fyolnish » Thu, Jun 02, 2016, 10:19 AM UTC

thaumasiotes wrote: post #192

InclinedPlane wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Regardless of your neurological makeup" This is where you go off the rails. Neurology makes a huge difference in the effect of many drugs, and there has been a tremendous amount of research backing that up. Just because you personally can't believe it doesn't mean it's not true.

You might be interested in reading the rest of the sentence you're quoting: > Regardless of your neurological makeup, just the stress on your heart seems insane

Your neurological makeup might determine what effect some drugs have on your heart rate?

Re: Amphetamine use in America's workforce

#196

Post by epalmer » Thu, Jun 02, 2016, 10:21 AM UTC

programmarchy wrote: post #177

HarryHirsch wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wonderfully contrarian? I'd disagree, in fact I'd maintain that what the lady does is not science. How can you argue medical ethics, a subject firmly rooted in observable, shared reality, from first principles and then disregard outcomes? If you intend to do science uou can't omit to check dogma against reality, perhaps those dogmata are no good at all to describe the world. Very telling is another publication of her…

Economic liberties means choice and competition in a market without state-enforced monopolies. US healthcare costs are an outlier because the state enforces insurance cartelization. Obamacare was a gift to insurance corporations, forcing everyone to buy their product. It's inelastic demand at gunpoint, so of course prices are going up. Look back at the history of healthcare to see economic liberty in action when we h…

Well stated. Thanks.

Re: Amphetamine use in America's workforce

#197

Post by snarfy » Thu, Jun 02, 2016, 10:30 AM UTC

At your work you may not get free food or a lot of breaks, but I bet you get unlimited free coffee.

I'm not sure why one stimulant is socially taboo and the other acceptable, even encouraged.

Re: Amphetamine use in America's workforce

#198

Post by TheOtherHobbes » Thu, Jun 02, 2016, 10:31 AM UTC

MichaelGG wrote: post #137

aznpwnzor wrote: post #79

The comments in this thread seem to suggest a reasonable subset of people here partake. Is there any reason you feel the need to? I went to a pretty rough college where I had standard 24 hour straight homework sessions once or twice a week. And I used caffeine maybe once a week at most. I work at a startup where the work culture isn't as competitive as what I feel is the norm, but even listening to friends at there d…

But have you tried using amphetamines while working? Perhaps you don't know what you're really capable of. I know people that are fine, happy, productive. But on speed, they are amazed at how much more capable they are. Apart from psychosis or heart issues, why should anyone settle for being less powerful?

"Apart from psychosis or heart issues"

Re: Amphetamine use in America's workforce

#199

Post by drjesusphd » Thu, Jun 02, 2016, 10:52 AM UTC

chillingeffect wrote: post #68

_acme wrote: post #48

Why does this article describe these stimulants as "narcotics"? They are neither opioids nor illegal when prescribed, so it seems like a needlessly provocative, and factually incorrect, description.

Because the authoritarian state uses an in-language to signal virtue, overstepping denotations. These are the same people who call non-cops "civilians."

My favorite is when they have the nerve to call vets "civilians".

Re: Amphetamine use in America's workforce

#200

Post by mnw21cam » Thu, Jun 02, 2016, 10:57 AM UTC

WalterSear wrote: post #35

Havoc wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>bit sensationalized...This excerpt..."Abuse by young professionals" I don't think so. I'm in one of those environments where long hours are common and it definitely does happen. There are also people using a mix of uppers & downers (need the uppers to be wide awake but then can't sleep when at home hence downers). Hell I'm doing a vaguely similar thing (just with coffee and melatonin). Add a bit of anti-depressants…

I'd also not recommend melatonin, but not for the reason that the other poster gave, which suggest that they are taking melatonin in the amounts that it is formulated at pharmacies, which is usually orders of magnitude that of the recommended dose, and probably too late in the evening (>Don't However, after taking it for several years on most days, I developed heart palpitations and other strange sensations. They dis…

I take melatonin every day, and I find my ideal time to take it is about an hour before bed. I take a small dose (1mg), which seems plenty, and in fact in the past I took half of that. People vary. You can buy tablets with ridiculously large doses, and I definitely would not recommend taking those regularly.