Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Ritalin Gone Wrong

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

101–110 of 159 posts

Re: Ritalin Gone Wrong

#101

Post by Stormbringer »

gtani wrote: post #95
thaumaturgy wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have been off-and-on seriously tempted to find Adderall, but when I stop and think about why I want it, it's because my workload is severe and I don't feel like I'm being productive enough. Then I try to question whether or not I've got unreasonable expectations for how long I can sit in front of a computer and focus on a single task. Over the last couple of years my diet has improved a lot: less meat, less sugar,…

Your unsexy answer is pretty effective. When i need to produce a lot of code, i have green tea, earplugs that block ~ 30dB of ambient sound, a good ergonomic space for 2 laptops and monitors, plus: guitar and fretless bass for regular breaks, and.. shredded oat cereal. Don't laugh, it takes no time to prepare and doesn't have drastic insulin effects. I think the guitar breaks actually has biggest lift for concentrati…

Douglas Hofstadter (sp?) in Godel Escher Bach postulates a link between music and maths (and hence programming - though perhaps that should be 'certain kinds of programming')

Re: Ritalin Gone Wrong

#103

Post by webnrrd2k »

tripzilch wrote: post #59
dlytle wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm currently taking adult ADD meds (Adderall); it's a double edged sword, and I'd personally really prefer to find another method. The primary problem is, during any sort of transition I would be pretty useless, and I can't afford to take that long being useless with my current job. I went cold turkey from 25mg of Adderall XR daily, and for about a week and a half I was absolutely dead. I'd have a splitting headache…

I tried a few sessions of bio-feedback but quit because I got frustrated by it and not being worth the time and money. During the intake the therapist described Ritalin as "poison". I should have probably gotten up and left right there. If you have the opinion that Ritalin is overprescribed, or that it should not be given to small children, that's all fine with me. But "poison" has a pretty clear definition, you'll f…

I was diagnosed with ADD. I'm not sure that was the problem, exactly, because there were some other things going on, but I was talking Adderall for almost two years, along with Wellbutrin. I quit cold-turkey and went through a long period of being almost totally exhausted both physically and mentally.

As I slowly recovered, I was more strict about my diet, got a lot more exercise, and started meditating. I found that vipassana-style meditation was a tremendous help.

This is speculation on my part, but I think that meditation really strengthens some of the areas that I'm weak in due to ADD. I think sitting still forces me to develop "inhibition" skills that are typically rather weak in people with ADD. Also, mindfulness develops memory skills that I've been having a lot of trouble with lately. Also, paying close attention to direct sensations and thoughts makes it a lot easier to relax, so I tend not to build up anywhere near as much stress through the day. The bottom line is that I have more energy and focus, and just seem to function a lot better when I meditate regularly.

I'd bet that you will get a lot of the same benefits from yoga, alone. But I'd like to suggest that you look into vipassana and see if it works well for you, too. I don't think you will have any trouble finding resources on the internet, but please let me know if you'd like some recommendations.

Re: Ritalin Gone Wrong

#104

Post by bocmaxima »

I've been using stimulants for almost five years (age 20 now). The last year or so I reached a point where like the article said — the effects of the drugs tapered off — and there was really nothing I could do about it. As a kid I exemplified the most extreme kind of inattention, behavioral, and regulatory problems that classify ADD, but once I began taking the meds I went through an equally extreme transformation, so I'm skeptical of any article that derides the use of stimulants. I'm also reminded of what the late Christopher Hitchens said in defense of his heavy drinking and smoking:

“Writing is what’s important to me, and anything that helps me do that—or enhances and prolongs and deepens and sometimes intensifies argument and conversation—is worth it to me.”

I recently met someone who has tourette's syndrome, which means he has increased production of dopamine. In other words — the inverse of ADD. The drugs he took induced a state of ADD that was identical to what I what I experienced sans-stimulants. It's crucial for those of us with the kind of dramatic impairment that comes with ADD to get by with as much help as possible from competent practitioners (of which there seems to be a very short supply of).

Re: Ritalin Gone Wrong

#105

Post by Stormbringer »

tokenadult wrote: post #4

I was interested to see that the researcher who wrote the op-ed, a psychologist based at my alma mater, has participated in some of the research projects he reviews in the op-ed. As I read the comments here, I'll be collecting ideas for questions to ask the local researcher in person as I try to learn more about ADD. I was particularly interested to see that the op-ed criticized several earlier studies for their stud…

I think before you read too much into this:

"I first became interested in what adult ADD treatments do after seeing a testimonial from an HN participant, a programmer, who said that his productivity increased dramatically after beginning ADD medication as an adult."

You should note that (according to the article) those drugs for ADD contain amphetamines.

Is it really surprising that someone self-reports increased productivity after beginning a course of amphetamines?

Anyway, the take-home from the article is that in the long term the body adapts and there are no benefits to taking the drugs in the long term, and possible negative effects to be dealt with (not sure what symptoms of withdrawl from amphetamines is, but not likely to be pleasant).

You could probably experience just as much short-term benefit from taking up smoking or becoming an alcoholic.

Re: Ritalin Gone Wrong

#106

Post by tim_h »

Volpe wrote: post #96
Volpe wrote: post #91

Why is this on HN?

why the downvotes? its a link from mainstream news on something unrelated to tech... can someone explain?

The site guidelines ( http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html ) say "On-Topic: Anything that good hackers would find interesting." Judging by the comments on this thread, such is the case here.

Re: Ritalin Gone Wrong

#107

Post by tim_h »

sek wrote: post #87
natrius wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Not a single drug can help you in the long term, you have to develop the abilities yourself." What is your proof of this claim? As with most generalizations, I doubt there is one.

Tell me which mind boosting drug does not wear off?

First, even if natrius cannot answer your question, absence of a counter-example does not constitute proof of your argument. Second, I've been taking an ADD medication called Dexadrine for about 10 years now, and in my opinion the effect on me has not diminished.

Re: Ritalin Gone Wrong

#108

Post by cs702 »

Volpe wrote: post #96
Volpe wrote: post #91

Why is this on HN?

why the downvotes? its a link from mainstream news on something unrelated to tech... can someone explain?

I submitted the link, so I should probably respond: IMHO this falls well inside the "What to Submit" paremeters specified on http://ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: Ritalin Gone Wrong

#109

Post by kristofferR »

sek wrote: post #87
natrius wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Not a single drug can help you in the long term, you have to develop the abilities yourself." What is your proof of this claim? As with most generalizations, I doubt there is one.

Tell me which mind boosting drug does not wear off?

What do you mean with "wear off"?

Re: Ritalin Gone Wrong

#110

Post by marshray »

sek wrote: post #94
marshray wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you advocate the use of cognitive or psych medication that had effects that were permanent? I don't think so. So you're effectively arguing against the use of that entire class of medication in favor of "developing the abilities yourself". Don't take this the wrong way but in my experience people who take this line of reasoning have never closely known anyone dealing with real issues in these areas who have act…

When we talk about normal activities like studying and working, i think so. The ability to concentrate and motivating yourself is something you have to develop yourself. Ritalin is not the wonderdrug you take and become a perfect student. If there is something like that, the perfect drug without side effects, i don't think you can prevent people from taking it. Even for caffeine you develop a tolerance very fast.

The ability to concentrate and motivating yourself is something you have to develop yourself.

I once thought this too.

Everyone has issues with concentration and motivation. Most people deal with it through "self-discipline". This is great for them.

The problem is that people who haven't experienced clinical levels of cognitive issues in themselves or with others close to them often find it very appealing to evaluate others within this same framework of "self-discipline" that worked well for themselves.

Ritalin is not the wonderdrug you take and become a perfect student.

Someone who I know personally literally went from having many D's and F's in high school to being valedictorian in college after being treated for ADHD with methylphenidate (Ritalin). For a certain (small) percentage of the population on the far end of a certain spectrum it does indeed make a huge difference.

Post reply on HN