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Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

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Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#261

Post by scns »

friendlybus wrote: post #203
scns wrote: post #70

I recommend this book to anyone suffering from ADD. The author did over 80.000 brainscans. not affiliated https://www.amazon.com/Healing-ADD-Revised-Breakthrough-Prog... A 80 minute video about ADD by the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWnJ4wjVu9k

Too much of this is religion dressed up. People paying for miraculous salvation. Martin Luther would have something to say here.

There is nothing miraculous about scanning the brain, and looking whats going wrong, it's a science based process.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#262

Post by scns »

Hamlet42 wrote: post #146
Techbrunch wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

FYI before you watch an 80 minute video (which I did): "Amen has built a profitable business around the use of SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging for purported diagnostic purposes.[6] His marketing of SPECT scans and much of what he says about the brain and health in his books, media appearances, and marketing of his clinics has been condemned by scientists and doctors as lacking scientific va…

Thanks for saving my time.

You don't save time by listening to only one side and forming an unbalanced opinion. One reason i like HN so much, is that you can read a debate and get both sides of the coin.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectic

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#263

Post by scns »

Techbrunch wrote: post #138
scns wrote: post #70

I recommend this book to anyone suffering from ADD. The author did over 80.000 brainscans. not affiliated https://www.amazon.com/Healing-ADD-Revised-Breakthrough-Prog... A 80 minute video about ADD by the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWnJ4wjVu9k

FYI before you watch an 80 minute video (which I did): "Amen has built a profitable business around the use of SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging for purported diagnostic purposes.[6] His marketing of SPECT scans and much of what he says about the brain and health in his books, media appearances, and marketing of his clinics has been condemned by scientists and doctors as lacking scientific va…

As a european, it is sad to see, that the health system in the US is geared towards profit.

I wonder what the parents of one of his youngest patients (below ten IIRC) would say to those scientists and doctors about "no clear benefits". Their son showed abnormal behaviour, drawing notebooks full of pictures of him killing his classmates. The brainscan revealed a huge brain tumor. Amen had to call several brain surgeons, till he found one who was willing to operate the child. After the removal of the tumor his behaviour normalised.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#264

Post by scns »

smw wrote: post #212
scns wrote: post #70

I recommend this book to anyone suffering from ADD. The author did over 80.000 brainscans. not affiliated https://www.amazon.com/Healing-ADD-Revised-Breakthrough-Prog... A 80 minute video about ADD by the author: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWnJ4wjVu9k

Might be worth reading his Wikipedia page[1] for some criticism before taking his work too seriously. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Amen

to make it DRY

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24676962

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#265

Post by kinakomochidayo »

LocalH wrote: post #121

I’ve had more help with my ADHD symptoms from a series of DMT experiences, than I ever did from the mainstream treatment process. One single DMT experience (containing about an objective hour of intensely being dragged through time) greatly minimized my ADHD symptoms for at least six months . There is untapped potential in psychedelics for treatment of things like this. It’s a crime against humanity that we allowed n…

I agree with this. I also had significant success by permanently alleviating the major symptoms of ADHD (like bumping into walls, not cleaning room, not being able to pay bills on time) with 1 trip of LSD about 8 years ago. I don't even drink coffee, and I'm getting by with the occasional bouts of anxiety which I can deal with separately. I also occasionally do Ayahuasca for trauma/childhood healing work - which I suspect many people with ADHD have.

I found it weird that people can get banned for talking about their anecdotal experiences with psychedelics on the ADHD subreddit too. Seems like some people are more comfortable being with the ADHD community and sticking with the status quo regimens, than actually doing something completely new.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#266

Post by skissane »

zylent wrote: post #253
skissane wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Some people have problems with off brands of XR (extended release) that has a different formulation. There's no standardization on the XR process and I think it's vendor specific. “Aderall” is a mixture of dextroamphetamine and levoamphetamine, in a 3:1 ratio. Unlike some other drugs, both enantiomers have a therapeutic effect, but slightly different effects on the brain. If one takes pure dextroamphetamine (“Dexed…

I’m currently switching to Vyvanse after 10+ years using adderall. There is no generic formulation (at least in the us) because it came to market in 2007. I’ve had several issues with inconsistent adderall from various generic manufacturers and that issue simply isn’t possible right now with Vyvanse. The downside is, it’s $400 a month without insurance, and $100 a month with good insurance. Because it’s basically dex…

> Vyvanse. The downside is, it’s $400 a month without insurance, and $100 a month with good insurance.

Here in Australia, one month supply (30 tablets) costs 30 USD. The Australian government subsidises prescriptions for all Australian citizens and permanent residents. I believe the actual cost, prior to the subsidy, is around 85 USD. The government negotiates prices with the pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the prices it negotiates are generally less than those that US insurers pay. Manufacturers generally accept less revenue for the Australian market, since if they can't get it subsidised by the Australian government it becomes quite difficult to sell it here.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#267

Post by sizzle »

What I really want to know is if taking all this adderall to beat my axon terminals into submission and pump out dopamine + block re-uptake is going to cause an early onset of an Alzheimer-esque neurodegeneration when I'm approaching my senior years.

This hypothetical sends chills down by spine knowing I might be making a deal with the devil to get a temporary fix on ADHD symptoms now for increased risk of dopamine downregulation or neurodegeneration later.

Can anyone relate and/or give me some peace of mind? ~60mg/day for 12 years and not letting up anytime soon as long as I need my executive functions under my command to do computer work. If I drop the stimulants I can maybe get a low wage job doing basic IT service desk stuff or live a simple life doing a 'muscle memory' line of work e.g. Amazon factory worker, go to trade school for something hands on, etc. that doesn't require asynchronous access to my prefrontal cortex + memories + instantaneous storage/retrieval with my working memory for hours on end.

God I envy neurotypical people, I feel handicapped mentally in comparison to their baseline.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#268

Post by medion »

Baeocystin wrote: post #220
medion wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am nearly 40 and I have wondered for a long time whether I have adult ADD but have been afraid to go down the diagnostic path, because I'm scared I will lose one of the few true talents I have, which is hyperfocus (or the complete opposite, depending) - that said I think this quality is ruining relationships, so while I can hyperfocus on work or projects, my personal life is a mess. But, I don't know if this is ADD…

I don't want to get in to too much detail on a public board, but the short of it is that several major events in rapid succession (unexpected death of my father, lawsuits involving his estate, Covid just as I was re-growing my IT business, loss of several major clients/income security due to same, a sudden chronic health problem, etc, etc, etc, etc.) overwhelmed my ability to get things done in a timely manner. I sou…

Appreciate your answer, thank you - really sorry for the loss of your dad, losing mine really changed a lot of things for me.

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#269

Post by sizzle »

A big middle finger to my ~top 20 public university who wouldn't give me any accommodations of extra time because they required some ridiculous hoops to jump through proving I had trouble concentrating and finishing an exam in the allotted time, they wanted substantial documentation with brain scans showing I had a deficit all because ADHD isn't considered a bonafide disability by the government. I almost flunked out cause of some calculus and organic/biochemistry classes that required tons of rote memorization (pre-med before switching to computer major).

Even though I'm successful now in tech with a huge salary, this experience of being treated like I had a made-up disorder (can't easily perceive it with no physical impairment/more obvious mental issues), and was invisible to the system full of cold-hearted academic administrators quick to academically disqualify me still makes me seethe and feel wronged to this very day.

Can anyone relate?

Re: Adults with ADHD show decreased function in brain dopamine reward pathway (2010)

#270

Post by DanBC »

skissane wrote: post #266
zylent wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m currently switching to Vyvanse after 10+ years using adderall. There is no generic formulation (at least in the us) because it came to market in 2007. I’ve had several issues with inconsistent adderall from various generic manufacturers and that issue simply isn’t possible right now with Vyvanse. The downside is, it’s $400 a month without insurance, and $100 a month with good insurance. Because it’s basically dex…

> Vyvanse. The downside is, it’s $400 a month without insurance, and $100 a month with good insurance. Here in Australia, one month supply (30 tablets) costs 30 USD. The Australian government subsidises prescriptions for all Australian citizens and permanent residents. I believe the actual cost, prior to the subsidy, is around 85 USD. The government negotiates prices with the pharmaceutical manufacturers, and the pri…

Here are the prices the NHS has to pay.

https://bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-forms/lisdexamfetamine-mes...

28 * 20mg = £54.62

28 * 30mg = £58.24

28 * 40mg = £62.82

28 * 50mg = £68.60

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