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Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

11–20 of 327 posts

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#11

Quoted post unavailable.

Sometimes I wonder how my life would have turned out if my parents hadn't believed this so strongly. I didn't even know. I never could finish anything I started, never accomplished anything I set out to do, never achieved any of the things I wanted for myself. From outside it looks like laziness and lack of ambition and I internalized that. It predictably led to a lifetime of depression and shame. Would I have started drinking if I had been medicated properly the first time adults around me noticed I could benefit from it? Could it have prevented the years of homelessness, mental institutions, and jails?

We'll never know of course. But decades later now that I have access to these medications I can actually achieve my goals enough of the time to feel ok about myself.

But yeah, complacency in school, totally.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#12

This was for ONE adhd medication and the risk was only increased for the initial 90 days... and then went back to baseline.

Should also note that the return to baseline was only after discontinuation of the MPH. Can't really tell if it would return to baseline if the medication was continued without digging into the study more than I have so far.

Also worth noting for those less familiar with medication names, methylphenidate is sold under the brand names Ritalin and Concerta.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#13

Quoted post unavailable.

"drugged". You make it sound like kids are slipped roofies

It doesn't make children complacent. It made me stop kicking the shit out of my classmates every day. School is very important. I was depriving myself and others of an education and those other kids shouldn't have to put up with nuisances like me.

My parents were given a choice: put me in special ed classes or medication. They didn't want me to be treated differently so they chose medication. I think it was a good call.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#14

Considering stimulants (generally, but also specific ones) only work for a portion of people that try it, I find this very unsurprising. The increase isn't that big and probably down to a mixture of disappointment and side effects without the main effects. It's one of the main reasons doctors prescribe different stimulants. I've personally heard every mutation of "This one worked for me but the other one gave me bad…

The study is useful as something to watch for when using medication, not for avoiding medication. We already know starting antidepressants has an increased suicide risk.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#15
post #2

This study focused specifically on methylphenidate, one of many medications prescribed for ADHD. The title should be adjusted accordingly, as the current title is ambiguous and potentially misleading.

Common brands: Quillivant XR, Daytrana, QuilliChew ER

It's marketed as Ritalin and Concerta in the US.

Wikipedia has quite a lot of information on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylphenidate

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#16

Considering stimulants (generally, but also specific ones) only work for a portion of people that try it, I find this very unsurprising. The increase isn't that big and probably down to a mixture of disappointment and side effects without the main effects. It's one of the main reasons doctors prescribe different stimulants. I've personally heard every mutation of "This one worked for me but the other one gave me bad…

You'd think by now we would have some way to test the concentration of various things (serotonin, norepinephrine, etc.) in the body BEFORE issuing medications that might modify them, and then measure such concentrations afterwards to get a better idea of what to use, rather than the current "try different things and rely solely on the subjective description provided by the (likely untrained and inarticulate) test subject."

Or maybe we do and I've never been privy to this knowledge nor provided such a test.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#17
post #6
post #2

This study focused specifically on methylphenidate, one of many medications prescribed for ADHD. The title should be adjusted accordingly, as the current title is ambiguous and potentially misleading.

The study also does not claim to show a causal relationship.

I was actually going to point that out. IMO from what I've seen of parents are that people who bring their children at a young-ish age to a therapist have a different issue. Especially "being to hyper" or "being unable to focus" have a different issue.

Children are supposed to be outside moving 8-12 hours a day, have you seen puppies? They need something similar. Instead many parents give their children tablets, plop them in front of the TV and do something else. Kick them into the back yard or go throw a ball with them.

Every child I know diagnosed with ADHD had parents who didn't want to deal with them. Bringing them to the gym, to the park, playing in the backyard; it's a lot of work. Kids who have trouble focusing are likely tired and overstimulated. Reduce the number of toys, remove TV / tablets, and send them outside. It'll probably solve itself.

As an experiment, look at the people you know on medication (or ask), look at the troubled children, etc. I guarantee you'll see the same trend: single parent home, started medication at an early age, regular therapist appointments, etc. They're unhappy and need depressants, ADHD medication, etc.

It's not always the case, but it's a trend. People who are diagnosed with ADHD at a younger age likely have parents who just don't want / know how to deal with issues. Mental health "experts" treat the symptoms via medication, but the underlying issue(s) just continue to fester.

What we really need is a strong emphasis on family development, courses built around it and support groups. Parents naturally do this, but I think it's been severely broken down the past 50-60 years and is getting exponentially worse. As such we see more: single parent homes, abundance of medication, reduction in religion and adult social clubs, etc.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#18

Considering stimulants (generally, but also specific ones) only work for a portion of people that try it, I find this very unsurprising. The increase isn't that big and probably down to a mixture of disappointment and side effects without the main effects. It's one of the main reasons doctors prescribe different stimulants. I've personally heard every mutation of "This one worked for me but the other one gave me bad…

The study is useful as something to watch for when using medication, not for avoiding medication. We already know starting antidepressants has an increased suicide risk.

Do I really seem so defensive? I really didn't mean to...

I of course know that this is how it's meant to be used.

But having gone through ADHD and trans healthcare I know everything that looks like ammo will be used as ammo. Even the things that explicitly state they are not ammo. By healthcare professionals and those that want to enact change on a higher level.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#19
FWIW, ADHD increases the risk of depression too. Executive Function Disorder creates a lot of internal thoughts of "I'm a loser" "I'll never be able to succeed", and so forth.

Though, being fair, those are thoughts other people will direct at those with ADHD as well.

Re: Association between ADHD medication and depression: A 10-year follow-up

#20
I hate sounding like an alarmist....but something is extremely wrong with how physicians handle adverse reactions.

So, I took a flouroquinolone and had a text book reaction. 50+ physicians later at mayo and other top US hospitals and I was gaslighted more than helped in any way. I am now in a group for sufferers and meet new people daily, who took the drug and the doctor completely dismissed their neurological issues as anxiety.

After sending documents to my primary he agreed that I suffered an ADR and stopped prescribing it completely unless no other options exist.

"Health care providers/professionals (HCPs) play a critical role in ADR surveillance. Only 6% of all ADRs are reported and under-reporting acts as great impedance in exchange of drug information." https://www.ijbcp.com/index.php/ijbcp/article/view/1652

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