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Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

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Re: Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

#181

Post by sph »

bnjms wrote: post #89
chasd00 wrote: post #52

I need adderall to function but on my last refill the pharmacy was out and when I asked when they’ll get more the tech said “maybe next year?”. I got my doc to switch me to vyvanse which is 3x the price even with good insurance since it’s still brand only. I don’t like vyvanse compared to plain generic adderall but I’ll take what I can get. Seems like they’d make dispensing it harder rather than just cut off the supp…

Vyvanse is AKA lisdexamphetamine which is a slow release form of dexamphetamine AKA dexadrine. The Astral Codex guy says patients prefer dexadrine and patient reports suggest it lacks some of the body affects. All to say maybe try the cheaper dexadrine twice a day.

Good, body effects should not be present in ADHD medication.

I like Vyvanse because it does not affect my heart or blood pressure. It's like coffee for the brain without the jitters. And since it takes hours to peak, there is never a come up feeling one might associate with it and derive pleasure from. I take it, and eventually after a couple hours I find I am well awake and present more than any coffee, yet still feeling very calm and at ease.

That said, I take the lowest effective amount (20+20mg) which requires good sleep and good diet to be effective. So it never turns me into a productive robot, and I have to accept that some days are a bit lower-energy.

Re: Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

#182

Post by sammax »

the_mar wrote: post #155
Spivak wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think there's two schools of thought on this one. A: Time limited access to narcotics is safe and effective pain management for severe but temporary injuries and I don't exist to suffer in this world -- give me the good stuff. B: If I can reduce my pain into "bearable" with nsiad painkillers then I don't want to take narcotics. I think one of the dangers of B in the real world is that for severe pain doctors are te…

I’m not trying to say that narcotic painkillers are ineffective or necessarily dangerous. I am saying that many kinds of pain can be managed with OTC medication. There aren’t necessarily two schools of thought. It’s more that if let’s say ibuprofen isn’t helping the pain, it may just be that you aren’t taking enough of it. It is a very effective pain medicine.

What a shitty take. There’s only so much ibuprofen you can take before the risks start outweighing the benefits, and there’s plenty of pain that is much stronger than that.

Re: Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

#183

Post by crtracker »

hotpotamus wrote: post #99
pnw wrote: post #78

Articles like this and reading about the FDA forcing drug manufacturers to replace pseudoephedrine (effective cold medicine) with phenylephrine (basically a placebo) really make me wonder about the intelligence level of the federal agencies. https://pharmacy.ufl.edu/2015/10/14/uf-researchers-ask-fda-t...

I've never had a problem getting pseudoephedrine, though it is behind the counter in a pharmacy these days. There are limits, but they are well over what I would consider a therapeutic dose. I don't know if that varies state-to-state, but I doubt it's a federal issue.

perhaps it's different in your state, but in mine you can only get one box/month regardless of how much is in the box. and the size of the boxes available varies. if you manage to get a 96-count box then that's enough for once/day of the regular dose (2 tabs/day) plus some extra. but 96 is often sold out across many local pharmacies (I'd guess about half the time I try), and then the next best option is 48. this means you don't have enough for once/day (I need 2 tabs once/day as prescribed by my doc). sometimes all that's available is 24-count. or none at all. add to this that the state verification system goes down with some frequency, and on those days nobody can buy at all (and you don't know until they have your box within arms reach and you're trying to pay). so every month I end up on a hunt for this medication that is extremely frustrating and sometimes doesn't result in me getting what I need. meanwhile meth rages anyway--while domestic production went down after the sudafed restrictions, consumption continues due to illegal imports.

Re: Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

#184

Post by sho »

carlmr wrote: post #177
pyinstallwoes wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you suffered excruciating pain for multiple days in a row? Non stop? Like so bad that your muscles recoil in horror that then causes even more pain in a recursive loop of horror?

Actually yes, in Germany if you break your bones you get ibuprofen, if you get your wisdom teeth pulled, you get ibuprofen. We don't have an opioid crisis anymore. Pain is a fact of life. The problem in the US is that there's the expectation to work the next day. It's ok to be in pain, it's also ok to miss out on work. If you accept these two basic facts you don't have an opioid crisis anymore.

> Pain is a fact of life

I see you have never been in any real pain, ever. What do you get for cancer in Germany? Still ibuprofen?

There's a reason opioids exist and were such a revolution in medicine. They really work. Ibuprofen et al are fine for what they are, but anti-inflammatories can only do so much. We should be able to solve the over-prescribing and addiction issues as a society without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Re: Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

#185

Post by bsagdiyev »

seattle_spring wrote: post #165

I find it fascinating how so many HN users ardently defend broad access to Adderall (which has tons of possible downsides, but also tons of positive use cases), but then claim that any and all uses of any and all opiates will lead to a deadly, incurable addiction, even though opiates also have tons of positive use cases too.

Won't find that opinion from me. I take Adderall after having been denied it (by my mom) as a teenager and it basically turned my life around. If people have surgery and need opiates, as long as it's controlled and monitored like both meds should be then have at it. I don't want anyone to suffer.

Re: Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

#186

Post by pyinstallwoes »

carlmr wrote: post #177
pyinstallwoes wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you suffered excruciating pain for multiple days in a row? Non stop? Like so bad that your muscles recoil in horror that then causes even more pain in a recursive loop of horror?

Actually yes, in Germany if you break your bones you get ibuprofen, if you get your wisdom teeth pulled, you get ibuprofen. We don't have an opioid crisis anymore. Pain is a fact of life. The problem in the US is that there's the expectation to work the next day. It's ok to be in pain, it's also ok to miss out on work. If you accept these two basic facts you don't have an opioid crisis anymore.

Breaking a bone doesn’t perpetually hurt like a Charlie horse that never stops tightening. Gout for example in the big toe can be the most painful experience ever, speaking as someone who’s been in many accidents. It can last several days, it feels like a shark biting your toe off every second.

Re: Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

#187

Post by carlmr »

sho wrote: post #184
carlmr wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually yes, in Germany if you break your bones you get ibuprofen, if you get your wisdom teeth pulled, you get ibuprofen. We don't have an opioid crisis anymore. Pain is a fact of life. The problem in the US is that there's the expectation to work the next day. It's ok to be in pain, it's also ok to miss out on work. If you accept these two basic facts you don't have an opioid crisis anymore.

> Pain is a fact of life I see you have never been in any real pain, ever. What do you get for cancer in Germany? Still ibuprofen? There's a reason opioids exist and were such a revolution in medicine. They really work. Ibuprofen et al are fine for what they are, but anti-inflammatories can only do so much. We should be able to solve the over-prescribing and addiction issues as a society without throwing the baby out…

>I see you have never been in any real pain, ever. What do you get for cancer in Germany? Still ibuprofen?

I guess not. My point still stands though. Americans in Germany whine all the time about not getting "proper" pain medication. It's an attitude problem.

I have been in pain multiple times, mostly broken bones, wisdom teeth, tendons and the like, and in the moment it doesn't feel good to only get ibuprofen.

But most pain is not too much to take and it's ok for you to feel it. It's better than getting an addiction problem for life.

As you say it's an over-prescribing issue. Keep opioids only for extreme pain. Not for normal pain.

Re: Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

#188

Post by TechBro8615 »

rocket_surgeron wrote: post #108
pnw wrote: post #78

Articles like this and reading about the FDA forcing drug manufacturers to replace pseudoephedrine (effective cold medicine) with phenylephrine (basically a placebo) really make me wonder about the intelligence level of the federal agencies. https://pharmacy.ufl.edu/2015/10/14/uf-researchers-ask-fda-t...

Federal agencies do what they’re told. The restrictions on pseudoephedrine were mandated by Congress through the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005 (passed as part of the patriot act) which followed various state legislatures’ passages of similar laws. The main driving force behind the law was Bush’s White House drug task force and several members of Congress. Federal agencies very, very, rarely solicit or p…

> Federal agencies do what they’re told.

Yes, the FDA often does what it's told by pharma companies.

Re: Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

#189

Post by TechBro8615 »

seattle_spring wrote: post #165

I find it fascinating how so many HN users ardently defend broad access to Adderall (which has tons of possible downsides, but also tons of positive use cases), but then claim that any and all uses of any and all opiates will lead to a deadly, incurable addiction, even though opiates also have tons of positive use cases too.

> tons of possible downsides

Like what?

Re: Xanax and Adderall Access Is Being Blocked by Secret Drug Limits

#190

Post by digilypse »

876978095789789 wrote: post #154
junofan wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you say the same about autism? It’s amazing we’ve found an effective treatment for ADHD. Why is it good that patients are often unable to access it? Who benefits?

I never said people with ADHD shouldn't receive treatment; I said there are far too many people who don't have ADHD popping amphetamines to get an edge in work or academia, and I'm glad to see they're finally being cut off from their dealers. For some reason, HNers really hate being told that not everyone taking these drugs 100% has ADHD and 100% needs them. Scott Aaronson's post on this (which was discussed here) is…

Just to be clear, you’re agreeing with the author that it’s primarily a moral distinction? Since the shortage is impacting all patients equally it seems harsh to support it.

It would help to understand why you feel that it’s immoral; my interpretation is that you are saying it gives people an advantage at a cost that you don’t want to be forced into paying yourself in order to compete.

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