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FDA approves new ADHD drug for children

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Re: FDA approves new ADHD drug for children

#171

Post by astrange »

rgifford wrote: post #77
falcolas wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cool. Change society. The 5% of the population with ADHD will wait. But while we’re waiting, we’ll do what we need to in order to survive in the society we have, not the one we want.

I have lots of friends who've taken Ritalin and Adderall. I've noticed a much higher rate of alcohol dependency among them, I suspect as we age they'll also have a higher rate of heart issues. Many tell me they quickly increase their dose and drink to be able to sleep. To me it seems like medicalizing social issues is a deal with the devil. There's always another issue and another drug to treat that issue.

> I have lots of friends who've taken Ritalin and Adderall. I've noticed a much higher rate of alcohol dependency among them

This is reverse causation. All evidence shows that taking Adderall prevents addiction and substance abuse, it doesn't make it worse.

Re: FDA approves new ADHD drug for children

#172

Post by astrange »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #33
lazide wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s a real shit show is what it is. If you compare those side effects the ACTUAL side effects of stimulants in kids and adults with ADHD (for instance, it reduces drug dependency, addiction, hyperactivity in ADHD folks while having the opposite effect on those who do not have ADHD), it’s clear this should be unethical to prescribe for anyone stimulants would be effective on. The only reason it even really comes up i…

Please don't try to guess treatment outcomes based on binding affinities. > it’s clear this should be unethical to prescribe for anyone stimulants would be effective on. This is wrong in so many ways. Again, please don't try to guess outcomes based on binding affinities. For what it's worth, some of the non-stimulant ADHD medications such as Guanfacine are strikingly effective for ADHD when titrated properly, some ti…

I actually moved off guanfacine and onto Strattera because it has so many side effects - for instance, it makes you very weak to alcohol and it affects your heart rate. It's also physiologically addictive and you have to ramp off it for a week or two, which is a problem if you've forgotten to get a refill since, you know, you have ADHD.

Ironically these are all things people think Adderall does which it doesn't do.

Re: FDA approves new ADHD drug for children

#173

Post by BatteryMountain »

zaarn wrote: post #136
jasonkester wrote: post #128

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you reconcile this with the observation that seemingly every single child in the United States is diagnosed with this condition and prescribed drugs to treat it? Watching from Europe, where roughly nobody is diagnosed with it nor prescribed drugs to treat it, I’m always baffled, fascinated and horrified watching Americans talk about it.

I've heard this so often, even from family. "It sounds like things everybody has to deal with". It's infinitely more difficult with ADHD. I use phone apps to remind myself of everyday things and track my shopping lists. This may sound normal but it's a coping strategy and when it's gone I am unable to function as a normal human being. I cannot go shopping without a shopping list because I will grab things I think I n…

Caffeine puts my behaviours into overdrive. Not in a good way.

Re: FDA approves new ADHD drug for children

#174

Post by iovrthoughtthis »

i am so surprised that, for a community of people that see themselves so rational, there are so many who effectively deny the existence of adhd.

i cant help but observe that this might be because it flys in the face of the common western ideal of “anyone can do anything if you just work hard enough” and that many of our identities are tied to that shared belief.

Re: FDA approves new ADHD drug for children

#175

Post by herbst »

astrange wrote: post #164
rgifford wrote: post #101

If you're considering taking drugs for ADHD or giving them to your child, I highly recommend reading into Fen-Phen (1) and other popular, contested drugs. Fen-Phen was a drug marketed to housewives in the 70s that promised weight loss and increased energy. My grandma suffered heart issues later in life due to it. It's since had 13B in settlements brought against it. Purdue Pharma will likely see 10B+ in settlements b…

> On the topic of Ritalin and Adderall, lots of my friends found they had to increase their dosage to see consistent effects. They are not addictive at normal doses but there can be tolerance depending on your diet. This is actually pretty easy to treat - get a lot more magnesium and try NAC as well. (Vyvanse's effectiveness actually seriously depends on how acidic your diet is. If you take a dose with orange juice i…

By the same logic cocaine in small doses would not be addictive. I can tell you that everything that manipulates your dopamin levels can lead to some kind of addiction. Plus you have actual withdraw symptoms from amphetamines too.

Re: FDA approves new ADHD drug for children

#176

Post by zaarn »

BatteryMountain wrote: post #173
zaarn wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard this so often, even from family. "It sounds like things everybody has to deal with". It's infinitely more difficult with ADHD. I use phone apps to remind myself of everyday things and track my shopping lists. This may sound normal but it's a coping strategy and when it's gone I am unable to function as a normal human being. I cannot go shopping without a shopping list because I will grab things I think I n…

Caffeine puts my behaviours into overdrive. Not in a good way.

Caffeine helps immensely with my ADHD, it helps me calm down and focus.

Re: FDA approves new ADHD drug for children

#177

Post by zaarn »

scns wrote: post #139
zaarn wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've heard this so often, even from family. "It sounds like things everybody has to deal with". It's infinitely more difficult with ADHD. I use phone apps to remind myself of everyday things and track my shopping lists. This may sound normal but it's a coping strategy and when it's gone I am unable to function as a normal human being. I cannot go shopping without a shopping list because I will grab things I think I n…

Caffeine can make it worse

Can but in my experience, most ADHD-affected persons will self-medicate with caffeine in atleast low doses.

Re: FDA approves new ADHD drug for children

#179

Post by [deleted] »

eyelidlessness wrote: post #56
reader_mode wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Sure everyone struggles, but imagine those struggles cranked up by 20x. You overthink EVERYTHING, you're driven by random impulses that make you focus on something new and shiny, that make you yourself believe that this is not an impulsive, but this time something worth committed to it, just to lose interest 2 weeks later. I'm still having a hard time seeing this as a debilitating condition, I can relate to all the…

> I'm still having a hard time seeing this as a debilitating condition, I can relate to all the things you said and undoubtably taking drugs like modafinil or ritalin turn me super productive and focused, but I don't want to be medicating day in day out, tolerance grows too fast. You don’t see it as debilitating because you don’t experience it. You’re describing the experience of your chemical reaction to drugs that…

[deleted]

Re: FDA approves new ADHD drug for children

#180

Post by astrange »

herbst wrote: post #175
astrange wrote: post #164

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> On the topic of Ritalin and Adderall, lots of my friends found they had to increase their dosage to see consistent effects. They are not addictive at normal doses but there can be tolerance depending on your diet. This is actually pretty easy to treat - get a lot more magnesium and try NAC as well. (Vyvanse's effectiveness actually seriously depends on how acidic your diet is. If you take a dose with orange juice i…

By the same logic cocaine in small doses would not be addictive. I can tell you that everything that manipulates your dopamin levels can lead to some kind of addiction. Plus you have actual withdraw symptoms from amphetamines too.

Cocaine isn't a prescription drug. Adderall/Vyvanse aren't addictive at the prescribed doses, it's not really relevant what happens if you just start snorting it.

> Plus you have actual withdraw symptoms from amphetamines too.

Easily managed and known to last about a week. The non-stimulant ADHD medications like guanfacine actually have much worse withdrawal!

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