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Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

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Re: Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

#111

Post by NilMostChill »

notepad0x90 wrote: post #110

amphetamines feel a lot like people putting NO2 on their cars, or overclocking their computers. You might just fine in the end, but the likelihood of wear & tear catching up to you increases. It should be treated just like any other medicine, don't use it unless you really have to, and expect adverse effect (known or unknown).

Isn't the whole point of amphetamine based treatement for ADHD to correct(or beneficially alter, depending on your point of view) an non-standard brain chemistry?

AFAIK some neurodivergent brains deal with amphetamines differently and the baseline levels of chemical affected by amphetamines is different.

Wear and tear might be a thing, i don't know, but the analogy of putting NO2 in their car feels a bit off.

It'd be more like finally putting premium unleaded in your car after years of "back of the lorry" pseudo-unleaded.

Re: Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

#112

Post by Aeglaecia »

superice wrote: post #107
Aeglaecia wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd argue that it is nonsense to treat symptoms instead of the cause (of an issue) , but actually doing just that is quite intellectual when a bunch of money stands to be made

I suppose that's true, in much the same way that chemotherapy treats the symptom of cells spontaneously deciding to replicate in your body. That does not mean we judge people battling a cancer diagnosis and tell them to pursue non-medicated approaches because it's "just treating symptoms". If you encounter a bit of bitterness from the ADHD community online, let me provide some perspective: I have been called lazy my…

i understand your perspective viscerally and as such i understand the push back ... the argument is that there is nothing wrong with someone labelled 'adhd' , rather that the modern western system both a) does not handle adhd behaviour properly and b) exhibits conditions where non-adhd individuals exhibit adhd behaviour ... when taking into account that speed will motivate anybody (both adhd and non adhd) , and that demotivation is a natural response to a hopeless scenario , i do not see adhd as a disability in and of itself ... recommend to look up the effect of hope on drowning rats ...

Re: Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

#113

Post by DonaldPShimoda »

NilMostChill wrote: post #111
notepad0x90 wrote: post #110

amphetamines feel a lot like people putting NO2 on their cars, or overclocking their computers. You might just fine in the end, but the likelihood of wear & tear catching up to you increases. It should be treated just like any other medicine, don't use it unless you really have to, and expect adverse effect (known or unknown).

Isn't the whole point of amphetamine based treatement for ADHD to correct(or beneficially alter, depending on your point of view) an non-standard brain chemistry? AFAIK some neurodivergent brains deal with amphetamines differently and the baseline levels of chemical affected by amphetamines is different. Wear and tear might be a thing, i don't know, but the analogy of putting NO2 in their car feels a bit off. It'd be…

I believe parent commenter was referring to recreational use, i.e., use by people without such diagnoses who want a "performance boost". I heard about that sort of thing being popular when I was in college — people would take Adderall to cram for an exam or to study late into the night.

You're right that, for people with ADHD and related disorders, stimulant medication sort of just adjusts their baselines so they can pay attention like a "normal" person.

Re: Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

#115

Post by alterom »

Aeglaecia wrote: post #101
alterom wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>youre very close to freeing yourself but the speed has an iron grip on your thoughts , i wish you all the best and hope that things may settle down Oh my. I was going to ask if you've drank a glass of methanol to argue that Adderall and speed the same thing, as I suggested... but judging my the content of your comments, you might have had more than one already.

we could choose to produce an environment that handles normal human behaviour , but instead we label normal human behaviour as dissonant , its an idea so simple yet one so violently opposed , such violence only spurs me on to champion the idea

You know, I'm with you on that one, actually.

ADHD behavior is normal human behavior, because we're all human.

And indeed, some quite reasonable accommodations and changes in the way the society functions and forms expectations of ourselves and others would go a long way towards making ADHD folks living fulfilling lives without pain.

All that said, executive dysfunction is still a thing, and ADHD folks routinely find themselves struggling with their own goals and lives, apart from the society and its expectations.

Technology can and does help a lot (electric kettles that turn themselves off, washer-dryer combo machines that don't require remembering to take clothes out, etc).

But then there are still things that I struggle with on my own, like wanting to send postcards to friends and taking literal years to get to it.

I really can't blame it on the society.

That's where the meds can make a big difference in one's life.

In some ways, ADHD is an advantage. We fare better than others in emergencies. Hyperfocus is an asset. Having a million hobbies is a plus.

But in other ways, it's something that makes us need support.

The meds are one of the ways the society accommodates us and gives us that support.

Re: Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

#116

Post by Arch-TK »

alterom wrote: post #10

This article (and the title alone) is harmful. Adderall is not about increasing mental efficiency . What Adderall is about is: - helping with executive dysfunction for people who suffer from it. - allowing people with ADHD like me to function . To do the things that everyone else does, things that we want to do and need to do, but can't do because of the way our brains are wired. - increasing the lifespan of ADHD peo…

Amazing website.

One thing I noticed is that while I hate being told what to do, and my partner hates being told what to do, and we understand deeply how we feel when someone tells us what to do, we still tell each other what to do (which goes especially badly after a long day).

Edit: I am glad you wrote this, so I didn't have to. It feels like reading my own autobiography. But the problem with reading about this stuff is that, if you forget for a minute that it's literally just how life is for you, it reads like some fantastical fiction comedy. I avoid telling anyone I deal with that I have ADHD because I feel like if I tell them they'll lump me in with some crappy mental model, and I avoid telling anyone I deal with about these problems because they sound completely absurd.

Re: Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

#117

Post by alfiedotwtf »

thatoneguy wrote: post #7
gnatman wrote: post #2

Substituted amphetamines were already very popular in the 1950s.

Methamphetamine was invented in Germany in 1937 and the German military at the time was very quick to adopt its use.

Yep. There’s a video of Adolf rocking back and forth looking like he was tweaking

Re: Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

#118

Post by alfiedotwtf »

zinodaur wrote: post #69
luckydata wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry but therapy does NOTHING for ADHD. I wish it did, it would be very useful to me, but it's just not the case.

I'm sorry that has been your experience, but I have had very different experiences - I'd encourage you to give it another shot, there is a lot left on the table for you

I felt that it was useless too.. You’re probably better off reading Getting Things Done.

The only things I’ve foung that actually works, is a daily combo of Vyvanse and dexis

Re: Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

#119

Post by fragmede »

notepad0x90 wrote: post #110

amphetamines feel a lot like people putting NO2 on their cars, or overclocking their computers. You might just fine in the end, but the likelihood of wear & tear catching up to you increases. It should be treated just like any other medicine, don't use it unless you really have to, and expect adverse effect (known or unknown).

Is that based on a rigorous PhD level understanding of the neurobiology of the brain and the chemistry behind that particular medication, or just something you absorbed though popular culture, eg movies and Instagram reels?

Re: Aldous Huxley predicts Adderall and champions alternative therapies

#120

Post by Aeglaecia »

alterom wrote: post #115
Aeglaecia wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

we could choose to produce an environment that handles normal human behaviour , but instead we label normal human behaviour as dissonant , its an idea so simple yet one so violently opposed , such violence only spurs me on to champion the idea

You know, I'm with you on that one, actually. ADHD behavior is normal human behavior, because we're all human. And indeed, some quite reasonable accommodations and changes in the way the society functions and forms expectations of ourselves and others would go a long way towards making ADHD folks living fulfilling lives without pain. All that said, executive dysfunction is still a thing, and ADHD folks routinely find…

if you took an adhd cunt and threw him in the bush he would be fine ... but if you threw him into a cookie cutter hyper capitalist no-hope no-wife no-friends no-third-space doomscroll-to-death sealed box , that man wouldn't be fine! the man in question never changed , only his environment did. ergo , societal amphetamines are about as supportive as me handing you a set of crutches after i broke your legs. but trying to blame adhd on society is basically a copout as it reflects the way that society treats individuals ("here, take this speed and wreck your heart so that you fit better into the box we designed for you"). the only way forward is to through honest questioning as to why adhd diagnoses are thousands of times greater in the west, eg. maybe if we didn't get forced into a 9-5 schedule and instead had a bit more freedom , people would be more happy to devote energy to their work ...
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