ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes • Hacker News Board

Re: ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes

#271

Post by Maxious » Sat, Aug 16, 2025, 5:02 AM UTC

skissane wrote: post #236

baby_souffle wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Which online doctor? I've had the same frustrating experience with "real" psychiatrists but didn't know you could arbitrage the prescription like that. There are a few providers out there. The DEA is cracking down on them (they call them "pill mills") and that crackdown is - depending on who you ask - partially/fully responsible for the stimulant shortages the past few years. The /r/ADHD sub has some good discussio…

> and that crackdown is - depending on who you ask - partially/fully responsible for the stimulant shortages the past few years. Australia has been experiencing psychostimulant shortages in recent years, but they haven’t been due to the DEA (or Australian equivalent thereof-most of the DEA’s functions are state government responsibilities in Australia), they’ve been explained as due to manufacturing issues and growin…

The shortages are due to the DEA, you can read the documents on the TGA FOI website what "manufacturing issues" really means https://www.reddit.com/r/ausadhd/comments/1mhdmgs/foi_250162...

Re: ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes

#272

Post by astrange » Sat, Aug 16, 2025, 5:03 AM UTC

idiotsecant wrote: post #253

tstrimple wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the DEA now takes potential abuse of legal drugs much more seriously and adderall (an amphetamine- it's a cousin of meth) is at a high risk of abuse. I know that I process Adderall differently having ADHD, but I still struggle to see how it's used recreationally. I took it somewhat consistently for over a year for ADHD treatment until I missed an appointment and couldn't get around to scheduling another before my p…

Yes. Some brains react to some stimulants differently. That's the whole reason ADHD can be treated with Adderall.

This isn't true, it affects everyone the same way. But you could say the optimal dosage is different for different people.

I think people just like saying this because they're afraid stimulants will get banned otherwise.

Re: ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes

#273

Post by Maxious » Sat, Aug 16, 2025, 5:04 AM UTC

whatevertrevor wrote: post #205

throwpoaster wrote: post #155

Canadian here. ADHD diagnosis is one of the few non-socialized parts of our medical system. Because of the abuse potential they charge a fairly steep fee (cad $3k+, with a $2k+ autism assessment addon) to even attempt diagnosis (after screening by your GP — referral required). The intake paperwork alone was perhaps 100 pages of online questionnaires that lead to interviews where they schedule counselling and evaluati…

Where in Canada? I had the complete opposite experience last winter in Ontario. I asked my doctor about ADHD, he had me fill two forms, set up an appointment with a psychologist, who after a couple weeks of appointments was ready to prescribe Atomoxetine (at my request since I wanted stimulants only as a last resort). I paid for nothing in this entire exchange, and the meds are usually covered by an extended drug pla…

I wish they would just give Atomoxetine first. Yes the side effects suck but no abuse concerns and it gets your brain working to be able to navigate the stimulant regulation disaster

Re: ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes

#274

Post by astrange » Sat, Aug 16, 2025, 5:04 AM UTC

justinator wrote: post #248

SubmarineClub wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's ridiculous. I've been taking medication for ADHD since the 3rd grade. Why in the good goddamn should I have to go in EVERY month for a refill for a medication I've been taking for over 20 years.

Are we talking Adderall? I would be amazed if it still works at all on you. It seems research is showing that stimulants work for ADHD, until it doesn't. If it is Adderall, do you cycle on and off, or what's your protocol? (curious is all)

If it stops working, take magnesium supplements.

(Glycinate or threonate, not oxide.)

Re: ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes

#275

Post by astrange » Sat, Aug 16, 2025, 5:08 AM UTC

jackdoe wrote: post #112

klipklop wrote: post #77

The irony about getting treatment for ADHD is that medical providers make it very hard to get the proper medication and treatment. People with ADHD are horrible at following through and handle rejection poorly. So the worse the ADHD is, the less likely somebody will be able to actually get treatment for it. A lot of people suffer because doctors fear losing their license like so many did during the pain pill debacle.…

> handle rejection poorly Off-topic but recently I found out about Sensitive Rejection Dysphoria, its not officially recognized as a thing but it is in active study now, and very related to ADHD, and tbh I wish I knew about it sooner

It's not officially recognized because it's just something a guy with a blog made up. It has a fancy sciencey sounding name to cover up that a guy with a blog made it up.

It doesn't seem to be particularly exclusive to ADHD; to me it sounds like it's just anxiety.

Note that the guy who made it up advocates a specific medication regime for it that you probably aren't taking.

https://slatestarcodex.com/2018/08/14/ssc-survey-results-adh...

Re: ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes

#276

Post by astrange » Sat, Aug 16, 2025, 5:10 AM UTC

thisislife2 wrote: post #262

ttul wrote: post #244

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your hypothesis is contracted by mountains of high quality scientific evidence. ADHD is a well-defined condition and there is an accepted way of diagnosing someone with it that effectively divides those with the condition from those without it. Stimulant medications may help many people to feel and be more productive, but that does not imply that people who meet the criteria for ADHD do not represent an identifiable…

> "high quality scientific evidence" Mostly, unfortunately, funded by Pharmaceutical companies - ADHD Nation: Children, Doctors, Big Pharma, and the Making of an American Epidemic ( https://www.amazon.com/ADHD-Nation-Children-American-Epidemi... ): > More than 1 in 7 American children get diagnosed with ADHD—three times what experts have said is appropriate—meaning that millions of kids are misdiagnosed and taking me…

Properly designed preregistered studies are credible even if they're funded by people you don't like. All medication in the US is approved by studies funded by the company that applies to be able to sell it. Who else would be motivated to study them?

Re: ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes

#277

Post by astrange » Sat, Aug 16, 2025, 5:11 AM UTC

matheusmoreira wrote: post #233

homefree wrote: post #133

My hypothesis about this for a long time has been stimulants help everyone be more productive (with some tradeoffs) and ADHD is kind of a weakly differentiated diagnosis that could apply to most people. Probably something like this was lost when people stopped smoking, obviously beneficial for health - but a huge amount of the public was taking stimulants regularly via nicotine until relatively recently.

Stimulants will stimulate anyone with a nervous system. It's just that ADHD patients will respond disproportionately well to the treatment, thereby justifying the risks.

Although "stimulate" is a bit misleading. They can calm you down if they stimulate the part of the brain responsible for calming you down more than the other parts.

Re: ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes

#278

Post by wzyoi » Sat, Aug 16, 2025, 5:22 AM UTC

throwpoaster wrote: post #155

Canadian here. ADHD diagnosis is one of the few non-socialized parts of our medical system. Because of the abuse potential they charge a fairly steep fee (cad $3k+, with a $2k+ autism assessment addon) to even attempt diagnosis (after screening by your GP — referral required). The intake paperwork alone was perhaps 100 pages of online questionnaires that lead to interviews where they schedule counselling and evaluati…

There are nice clinics - I got my diagnosis in 2 working days and we started trialing stims on 3rd working day. It costed me 500CAD. The clinic is adhdvancouver.ca

Re: ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes

#279

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Aug 16, 2025, 5:32 AM UTC

SubmarineClub wrote: post #82

klipklop wrote: post #77

The irony about getting treatment for ADHD is that medical providers make it very hard to get the proper medication and treatment. People with ADHD are horrible at following through and handle rejection poorly. So the worse the ADHD is, the less likely somebody will be able to actually get treatment for it. A lot of people suffer because doctors fear losing their license like so many did during the pain pill debacle.…

Yeah, it's ridiculous. I've been taking medication for ADHD since the 3rd grade. Why in the good goddamn should I have to go in EVERY month for a refill for a medication I've been taking for over 20 years.

[deleted]

Re: ADHD drug treatment and risk of negative events and outcomes

#280

Post by ethan_smith » Sat, Aug 16, 2025, 5:37 AM UTC

Jaepa wrote: post #30

Conclusion for those who read the title and read it as an implied negative effect on use. > Drug treatment for ADHD was associated with beneficial effects in reducing the risks of suicidal behaviours, substance misuse, transport accidents, and criminality but not accidental injuries when considering first event rate. The risk reductions were more pronounced for recurrent events, with reduced rates for all five outcom…

The study found substantial risk reductions with ADHD medication: 38% for suicidal behaviors, 30% for substance misuse, 28% for criminality, and 20% for transport accidents - with even stronger effects for recurrent events.