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ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

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Re: ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

#21
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of note: Adderall is by far not the only drug available for ADHD, and considering its addictive nature, should not be the first on you try.

What would you recommend?

I found Wellbutrin worked very well for me.

Obviously, I'm not your doctor.

Re: ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

#22

Vyvanse is a prodrug of dextroamphetamine, which means that it turns into that in the body. The advantage allegedly is that it's less prone to abuse but the real reason it exists is that dextroamphetamine entered the market in 1937 and so its patent has long since run out. Dextroamphetamine in turn is just amphetamine with the left-handed isomer removed. This left-handed isomer is less potent than the right, but both…

I thought Mother's Little Helper was about speed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8T9Aa1V5oyo

But it's about Valium (diazepam) according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother%27s_Little_Helper

I'd think Speed would have helped mothers more than Valium, but my mom used to say that she and her neighbors just had martinis instead, and a Valium's just a much stronger version of a martini. Ah- the 60's.

Re: ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

#23
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you suspect?

Nothing at all. Methamphetamine, which is not very different than the dextroamphetamine in Adderal, has proven to be a remarkably safe substance and in general, society benefits a great deal when people ingest methamphetamine. I'm sure schoolchildren being prescribed dextroamphetamine to take every single day for years is a very good idea as well.

I don't think it's reasonable to compare the effects of street methamphetamine (which is most likely not pure and the dose is not regulated) with the effects of therapeutical doses of dextroamphetamine prescribed by a doctor.

Re: ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

#24
Good.

Medicine in the form of antibiotics and inoculations against various dangerous diseases has brought us far, but it seems to be time to rethink some of the recent developments.

Maybe we can stop growing a monoculture of humans where the slightest deviation from the norm must be treated with some kind of drug.

I am from Europe (but live in the US) and I salute the folks there resisting this nonsense. (And for the record I am not saying there do not exist cases where treatment with such drugs would be indicated, just that the extend to which this is done in the US is not healthy).

Re: ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

#25
post #13

ADHD is defiantly a real thing, but I don't think we should drug it out of them. We should make sure they go into suitable jobs/schools, where adhd would have advantages as opposed to disadvantages.

Why not "drug it out of them"? If the disease is caused by a chemical imbalance, why not try to fix the chemical imbalance? Some people (myself included) are not functional without medication.

Re: ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

#26

Vyvanse is a prodrug of dextroamphetamine, which means that it turns into that in the body. The advantage allegedly is that it's less prone to abuse but the real reason it exists is that dextroamphetamine entered the market in 1937 and so its patent has long since run out. Dextroamphetamine in turn is just amphetamine with the left-handed isomer removed. This left-handed isomer is less potent than the right, but both…

And heroin (with a few chemical bit twiddles) is used to treat pain after major surgeries and accidents. And methamphetamine (with a few chemical bit twiddles) is used to treat stuffy noses. Face it, almost all drugs can be misused...but that is not a reason for them to be banned.

After 8 years and 3 dropouts into my 4 year undergrad degree, I was finally diagnosed with ADHD. My pre-diagnosis GPA was 1.9, my post-diagnosis GPA was 3.9. I graduated less than two years later, and within 3 years I was earning a 6-figure income and providing for a wife and newborn child. I would likely be a divorced, homeless, deadbeat dad without Vyvanse (or its similarly Amphetamine-derived Adderall).

Don't take my life away from me, and don't take it away from anyone else, just because you have a fucking delusional conspiracy theory that a drug company is trying to addict kids to speed.

Re: ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

#27
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What would you recommend?

First off, I recommend you ask a licensed professional that type of question. My experience being switched from Adderall XR to Vyvanse a few years ago when it first came to market in the U.S. has been positive. Vyvanse seems less addictive (missing a week or two between prescriptions is not a big deal) or prone to side effects like insomnia.

This was my experience as well. After 6 months on adderall I had already shown signs of addiction (dosage was needing an increase in order to maintain its effectiveness). I have been on the same dosage of Vyvanse for 4 years now, without any problems.

Re: ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

#28
post #13

ADHD is defiantly a real thing, but I don't think we should drug it out of them. We should make sure they go into suitable jobs/schools, where adhd would have advantages as opposed to disadvantages.

Why not "drug it out of them"? If the disease is caused by a chemical imbalance, why not try to fix the chemical imbalance? Some people (myself included) are not functional without medication.

Personally, I'm pretty skeptical that most of the people diagnosed with it have a disease. I think it's a perfectly normal human variation that just doesn't match well with our Industrial Age approach to education.

The way I think of it is like height. There's a normal range of tall and short. There are also diseases that make people unusually tall or short. But mere shortness doesn't prove disease. And just because short people have trouble reaching cabinets built for average people doesn't mean we must give short kids extra hormones to make them be average in height.

I think it's reasonable to say, "Hey, in the world we want to create, it's better if many or all people take drugs to shape behaviors so that they match the system they should fit into." Why I don't like is the medicalization of variation.

Re: ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

#29

Given there are non-stimulant alternatives available at this point, one would hope they would be tried first with children. Among other things, Ritalin and friends used to completely suppress my appetite, which while it may sound cool, is really "not great".

I only know of one non-stimulant alternative (strattera), and it didn't work for me (it handled the ADHD to some degree, but the side-effects were terrible). They definitely could use a little more progress in that area, as I would love to stop using Amphetamine derivatives.

Re: ADHD Pill Faces High Hurdle in Europe as Stigma Persists

#30
post #13

ADHD is defiantly a real thing, but I don't think we should drug it out of them. We should make sure they go into suitable jobs/schools, where adhd would have advantages as opposed to disadvantages.

Why not "drug it out of them"? If the disease is caused by a chemical imbalance, why not try to fix the chemical imbalance? Some people (myself included) are not functional without medication.

Because I don't believe it's a disease.
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