ADD/ADHD folks: any perspective from lifelong medication users?

[phucheneh]

This is much like opposing sides in politics. The 'MOAR MEDS PLEASE' crowd and the 'OMG DON'T PUT THAT FILTH IN YOUR BODY' crowd are both pretty retarded.

As for the OP, I don't think the validity of treatment needs to be debated. Kid's too young. Period.

 

[OverVolt]

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[OverVolt]

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[tcsenter]

ADHD was none existent where I come from. There was no such a thing as learning disability. It was called "some people suck at learning/school".

Or alternatively, it was called "your kid is stupid. You should seriously consider steering him into some gig or vocation that is appropriate for his aptitude, such as a brick layer or something, maybe a post hole digger."

Drop-out rates and functional illiteracy rates were higher 40 and 50 years ago, back when a person could quit school (very often because they were labeled not smart enough to be there) and there were still plenty of decent paying gigs, many with benefits. My father was a functionally illiterate factory worker (who I now believe also had a form of dyslexia about which nothing was known until 30 years ago). Good thing he was able to get into the auto factories in the 1950s and retire with a decent pension with only a 9th grade education, and also made a livable wage to raise a family.

I don't know if you've noticed, but those kinds of opportunities to climb the socioeconomic ladder are becoming more scarce every day. How dare parents actually recognize the real consequences for kids who are labeled "just not good or smart enough" and want to do anything they can to change the outcome and give their child more opportunity without having to endure the stigma or trauma of being "not smart enough for schooling and such".

 

[OverVolt]

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[Vdubchaos]

I don't know if you've noticed, but those kinds of opportunities to climb the socioeconomic ladder are becoming more scant. How dare parents actually recognize the real consequences for kids who are labeled "just not good or smart enough" and want to do anything they can to change the outcome and give their child more opportunity without having to endure the stigma or trauma of being "not smart enough for schooling and such".

So telling the kid "you have a disability and here is some drugs" makes it better?

If anything it kind of forces the kid to give up. Don't even get me going on Brain science....truth is, human kind hardly knew ANYTHING until recently. We are in EARLY stages of Brain science RIGHT NOW.

To have something mess with your brain chemistry from a source of a "newbie" is NOT the best way to go about it.

I'm sorry

 

[phucheneh]

I'm against all ADHD medication. A guy in my statistics class had SVT from the stimulants and it may have damaged his heart and he might need heart surgery.

But at least he got an A.

Also, I think the TV and internet are what addle childrens (and my) brains. The cure has thus far been reading and meditating. Some quality mind-stimulating non-screen time. Which is hard to come by really, hanging out with friends, eating at restaurants, drinking beer, and driving in rush hour aren't really quality contemplative brain-building activities like everyone does these days.

Will your kid struggle to read at first? Yes. Thats normal, that IS the changes taking place. He'll squirm around he won't be able to focus. Eventually he will be able to focus, and he might even like it. But it does expose the inability to calm your mind.

Read a book with your kid. Look up books for his age group find one you like and read it with him.

Quality follow-up to my post. People love to reinforce my points.

So useful drugs = bad because some retard you knew was snorting them so he could pass tests?

Also, blaming TV and internet, to me, means you have absolutely no understanding ADD or the effects of medication. And you look like a World War I veteran.

 

[kache]

Some kids aren't meant to be academically successful. Thats not necessarily a bad thing either.

You are a retard. You want to limit a person to the limits of their genetics... Pathetic.

 

[Vdubchaos]

So useful drugs = bad because some retard you knew was snorting them so he could pass tests?

I guess giving brain altering drugs to a 5 year old ....at the time when brain science in general is in it's foundation stages.....is socially acceptable now?

This country is really fucked.

 

[Mixolydian]

Some kids aren't meant to be academically successful. Thats not necessarily a bad thing either. There are already too many lawyers, soon to be too many of everything at this rate. Pharmacists, Nurses, Phd's, Teachers, yeah.

ADHD is not a purely academic issue.

Quality follow-up to my post. People love to reinforce my points.

So useful drugs = bad because some retard you knew was snorting them so he could pass tests?

Also, blaming TV and internet, to me, means you have absolutely no understanding ADD or the effects of medication. And you look like a World War I veteran.

This.

You are a retard. You want to limit a person to the limits of their genetics... Pathetic.

There are quite a few in this thread.

 

[phucheneh]

I guess giving brain altering drugs to a 5 year old ....at the time when brain science in general is in it's foundation stages.....is socially acceptable now?

This country is really fucked.

I _just_ posted that I didn't think a five-year-old should have them.

The whole 'five years old' thing is part of why Overvolt's condemnation of a medication based upon abuse by idiot college students was silly as shit.

 

[ShawnD1]

You are a retard. You want to limit a person to the limits of their genetics... Pathetic.

That's not at all what he said. He just said not everyone is going to be a physicist or mathematician who can sit for hours to crunch numbers. You can still be very successful doing physical work or art. I'm a numbers guy who can sit for hours doing math problems, butI don't make anywhere near as much money as a welder. My brother's friend has his own welding truck and he makes so much money that he ends up buying dumb things for no reason.

 

[tcsenter]

Yea because parents can tell the future. Everyone going to college at once won't cause the tuition to rise and record numbers end-up enslaved by student debt their whole life or anything.

Well sure, because all your decisions are made based on the impact on society. You never make decisions purely in your own interest or that of your child. You think all these parents are trying to raise a prodigy who is destined to earn a MS or PhD? Most of these parents are just trying to get their child through high school with decent enough GPA, core competence, and academic performance to make succeeding in a junior or community college for two years within the realm of possibility for them.

So telling the kid "you have a disability and here is some drugs" makes it better? If anything it kind of forces the kid to give up. Don't even get me going on Brain science....truth is, human kind hardly knew ANYTHING until recently. We are in EARLY stages of Brain science RIGHT NOW.

Wait, so neuroscience is still quite early but you've already made-up your mind that the science will NOT show convincingly that these disabilities or disorders have a modifiable neurological basis? And you base this on what, a poor understanding of just how persuasive the science already is that something more is going on neurologically in ADD, autism, dyslexia, and bipolar disorders than "your child just needs to be disciplined or just needs to accept early that he isn't ever going to be smart enough for any skilled field"? Fantastic!

 

[Vdubchaos]

Wait, so neuroscience is still quite early but you've already made-up your mind that the science will NOT show convincingly that these disabilities or disorders have a neurological basis?

Where did I say that?

And you base this on what, a poor understanding of just how persuasive the science already is that something more is going on neurologically in ADD, autism, and bipolar disorders than "your child just needs to be disciplined or just needs to accept early that he isn't ever going to be smart enough for any skilled field"? Fantastic!

You are assuming one needs to be smart or skilled to be in a "skilled" field. NOT TRUE

3 careers here and I have met more idiots during my work than on the street....

What I'm saying is that we are NEWBIES at brain science. YET we are already messing with chemicals (which btw even today, 90% of household chemicals we know VERY little about or the effects they might have on us) and brain nature in order to MAYBE "fix" it.

It's kind of like making a complete FPS newb a clan leader before going into the biggest FPS tournament.

Heck, human race JUST found out how brain changes during teenage years. We are in early stages of brain science and if you look up history of these drugs, they've been around for MANY MANY years.

What does that tell you?

 

[rivan]

The whole point of this thread was to get opinions from people who had been on these drugs long term, starting in childhood.

Medication at this age is a concern to me, but so is Myxolydian's early point about what are the consequences of NOT helping him right now.

That said, I'm thoroughly enjoying the wild assumptions and baseless attacks on my parenting. We read plenty of books together; we eat well; we've tried other strategies prior to this. I don't consider myself 'done' now that I've got a prescription. So, yeah.

 

[Vdubchaos]

The whole point of this thread was to get opinions from people who had been on these drugs long term, starting in childhood.

Medication at this age is a concern to me, but so is Myxolydian's early point about what are the consequences of NOT helping him right now.

That said, I'm thoroughly enjoying the wild assumptions and baseless attacks on my parenting. We read plenty of books together; we eat well; we've tried other strategies prior to this. I don't consider myself 'done' now that I've got a prescription. So, yeah.

YOU are the only one that can make the best decision for your son. Regardless what you choose I hope it works out/helps him out.

Your question is hard, cause most people that took them would probably praise them. And they wouldn't really know how things would go if they didn't take the drugs.

It's kind like asking a BMW owner how much they like their car.

 

[andylawcc]

You are a retard. You want to limit a person to the limits of their genetics... Pathetic.

wait wait wait, so everyone in class must gets As?

 

[andylawcc]

anyway, i was diagnosed with ADD 15 years ago in 10th grade or so. My parents didn't know what it does and just signed off waivers and i was on Ritalin for a year or so. It was NOT a night and day for me, maybe it was but wasn't as pronounced. My grades didn't improve significantly, but I did feel more euphoric and was a bit more social after i was on it (before i was an introvert big time). I gave one pill to my friend before a final exam, and he was GLUED to his textbook and studied 4 hours straight (yeah yeah, i know it is wrong, he could have allergic reaction or died, i was a kid). But I never had the same affect, i stopped using it once i got to college.

Now, in my 30s, I still do have focusing issue, and I don't know will Ritalin or meds be a solution, and i wonder had my college life would have been different if I was on meds.
I would also agree on what another member suggested: coffee calms me down and allow me to focus slightly better.

 

[kache]

wait wait wait, so everyone in class must gets As?

Everyone who wants to get As, yes.

 

[Vdubchaos]

wait wait wait, so everyone in class must gets As?

Based on what they are doing to kids now days, yes.

All of our kids get 2nd chances at tests/quizes. That's right, if you choose not to study and be lazy, NOTHING to worry about. You can always retake it another day.

And trust me when I tell you, these kids take it for granted. I asked my boy "what is the meaning of retaking a test". He said "well I have to stay after school for another 15min".

I went on to explain to him how spoiled he sounds, by the time I was done he realized what I meant and was thankful he was even getting a second chance. Hope he starts taking those chances more seriously and be thankful he even has one. It's a shame. Mind you, he is a A/B student too (not that this means much this day and age, but still hehe).

I never got no second chances...that is just complete BS. I

Our entire Educational system is screwed up. You have the stupid government forcing stupid rules on schools/teachers.......boards that come up with more bs and justifying their worthless jobs....teachers that have no choice but to comply.......and kids end up getting the end of it but not getting education they deserve.

If you only seen the amount of paperwork and crap we have to fill out/read and manage on daily basis....it's crazy.

2nd chance my fuckin ASS.

 

[rivan]

anyway, i was diagnosed with ADD 15 years ago in 10th grade or so. My parents didn't know what it does and just signed off waivers and i was on Ritalin for a year or so. It was NOT a night and day for me, maybe it was but wasn't as pronounced. My grades didn't improve significantly, but I did feel more euphoric and was a bit more social after i was on it (before i was an introvert big time). I gave one pill to my friend before a final exam, and he was GLUED to his textbook and studied 4 hours straight (yeah yeah, i know it is wrong, he could have allergic reaction or died, i was a kid). But I never had the same affect, i stopped using it once i got to college.

Now, in my 30s, I still do have focusing issue, and I don't know will Ritalin or meds be a solution, and i wonder had my college life would have been different if I was on meds.
I would also agree on what another member suggested: coffee calms me down and allow me to focus slightly better.

So one stimulant works for you and the other didn't?

Heavy ritalin prescription was in full swing when you were prescribed - did they experiment with dosage at all to try to tune it to your needs? I assume Ritalin was the only med you tried (until caffiene)?

 

[Saint Nick]

"Oh, your child is acting like a child? Here are some meds."

 

[andylawcc]

So one stimulant works for you and the other didn't?

I only had Ritalin, maybe have up the dosage a little but i honestly don't remember. One pill did work wonder on that friend of mine, who in my opinion have slight ADD. I didn't have other kind of ADD meds.

Heavy ritalin prescription was in full swing when you were prescribed - did they experiment with dosage at all to try to tune it to your needs? I assume Ritalin was the only med you tried (until caffiene)?

I don't think i had a heavy dosage in full swing right off the bat; but my time on Ritalin was short, maybe one to two year max, so didn't have time to fine tune it. My parents ran into some financial troubles so i was off the meds before i was in college. That's when i hypothesize and use Caffeine to be a poor-man's ritalin.

 

[OverVolt]

Hmm :hmm:

 

[kache]

That's wise. I'll probably do the same... I'll run it at 1.7v at 892, .05v won't make much of a difference in temp but may make a difference in stability on very stressful apps.

I'll run UT in a loop tonight and go to bed. We'll see how it all looks in the morning.

That's strange. Caffeine should exacerbate the distraction issues....